Life as we know it
The last weekend in September/first days of October, Grant and I went to Astoria for my friends’ birthdays. My two good friends from observing are still relatively local in eastern Washington and Astoria, Oregon, so a small group of us met up in Astoria with Grant and I staying at the local KOA as we did a couple of years ago to squeeze in some kind of camping before the end of summer. We explored the Columbia River Maritime Museum, popped to Cannon Beach for lunch, had a lovely dinner on the water with the birthday people (Jim and Michelle) and the next day went up to the Astoria Column to take in the view before kicking around town with some more friends.
This month, I went to three gigs: first Bob Vylan and Amyl and the Sniffers at Showbox Sodo. Amyl and the Sniffers have been one of my favorite finds of the last few years and although the crowd wasn’t the best, they sounded incredible live and I was so happy to catch them live after their show last year sold out. Comfort to Me is an absolute masterpiece.
A week later, I saw Trashboat and Enter Shikari at Crocodile. This St. Alban’s line-up was cool to see, but the crowd was too quiet for my liking for Trashboat, where did all the people from their show in April go?! Anyway, although I’ve seen Enter Shikari live a handful of times, the last time I saw them was late 2018 and the last time I saw them in the U.S. was a few years before that. They put on one of the most kick-ass shows I’ve seen of theirs and I had such a good time getting out energy I didn’t know I had. Crocodile is such an amazing venue, this will definitely be in my top five shows of the year.
Finally, I saw Death From Above 1979 at Alma in Tacoma. The venue had very strange vibes, it reminded me of venues I worked as an usher on ASU campus where students would perform, not exactly a place for a punk-ish show. Regardless, I had a pretty good time hearing some of my favorite songs and… others from their new album as well as seeing my friend Jake I haven’t seen in a while!
A few other outings: I went to an Everett Silvertips minor league hockey game where I saw an exciting win and a hat trick! I still think I prefer Thunderbirds games, however. Grant and a few friends went to a fall festival in Snohomish and even though it was a bit warm and smokey, we got into the festive spirit with games, a corn maze, flower picking and a pumpkin patch.
And the finale: my best friend Sydney got married! Grant and I traveled to Phoenix for the wedding, the day before being the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner at Culinary Dropout, which was my first time going there even though I went to ASU. It was a great relaxed atmosphere with appetizers and games. For the ladies, the wedding day started at 6AM taking turns getting our hair and make-up done and sorting last minute details at the hotel before heading over to the venue for final touch-ups. Everyone looked great, Sydney was a gorgeous bride and all went smoothly. My family was invited so it was good to see a bit of them as well. I danced my ass off and I’m so glad Sydney and Blayne were happy with how everything turned out. I can’t believe my best friend is married! I didn’t get a lot of pictures at the wedding, I left that to the professionals, so have a picture from the rehearsal dinner.
Since the wedding, I’ve been a bit under the weather so didn’t get up to much for Halloween.
October in Review 2021 || October in Review 2020 || October in Review 2019
October in Review 2018 || October in Review 2017 || October in Review 2016
Books and media
What I’ve been reading: The Intersectional Environmentalist by Leah Thomas, Everything You Ever Wanted by Luiza Sauma, Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, The Carbon Footprint of Everything by Mike Berners-Lee, Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield, 438 Days by Jonathan Franklin, Sleeping Beauties by Suzanne O’Sullivan, After by Anna Todd, Upgrade by Blake Crouch, Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers, In Defense of Witches by Mona Chollet
What I’ve been listening to: The Car by Arctic Monkeys, Being Funny in a Foreign Language by The 1975, The Classic Symptoms of a Broken Spirit by Architects, Dirt Femme by Tove Lo, Midnights by Taylor Swift, Love Me Forever by Pinkshift, The Loneliest Time by Carly Rae Jepsen
What I’ve been watching: Risky Drinking, The Way Down
Favorite blog posts
24 best beaches in the United States || Returning to Riverton || Sleeping in Doubtful Sound || Best places in Sicily
