Musings of a Wandering Artist

Last post?

2009-10-12T18:45:00.000-07:00

I'm making a transition. I'm moving away from "Musings of a Wandering Artist" blog and moving to a new one, called "Ranger Mike Designs." This one is a bit more focused and a bit more work-related. I guess this represents this shift in my life from a rootless, college student to a more settled, career-oriented adult. The first two posts (at the bottom of the page) are a pretty good explanation of why I'm starting this.

I'm still not sure if I'll keep adding to "Musings of a Wandering Artist." Regardless, it will always remain an amazing documentation of the last four years of my life.

Check it out, I've added a lot of posts today and have many more ideas for future ones:
http://rangermikedesigns.wordpress.com/

I can't express how much everyone's support and encouragement has meant over the years.

You can also follow me on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/michael-liang

Random Summer Photos

2009-09-27T11:51:00.000-07:00

Hozomeen Homage

2009-09-12T10:36:00.000-07:00

Music: "Hommage" by Patrick Watson

Food for thought

2009-08-09T22:56:00.000-07:00

"Cooking something delicious is really much more satisfactory than painting pictures or making pottery. At least for most of us. Food has the tact to disappear, leaving room and opportunity for masterpieces to come. The mistakes don't hang on the walls or on shelves to reproach you forever. It follows from this that the kitchen should be thought of as the center of the house. It needs above all space for talking, playing, bringing up children, sewing, having a meal, reading, sitting, and thinking... It's in this kind of place that good food has flourished. It's from this secure retreat that the exploration of man's curious relationship with food, beyond the point of nourishment, can start."

Jane Grigson from Good Things

This feels particularly appropriate tonight, after the dough in my first bread machine attempt failed to rise. I've never had much luck getting the right temperature to activate the yest (granted, I've never used a thermometer). Fortunately, I'm stubborn and will try again tomorrow!

Ode to Basil

2009-08-02T21:32:00.000-07:00

How do you cut your basil? For me, I like to pick off a dozen of leaves and arrange them from smallest to largest. Folding each in half, I tuck one into another, and then another, always increasing in size so that they’re fitted together to resemble something like an artichoke or one those Russian wooden dolls. Then, with a few deft motions, I slice into them so they fall apart into thin green strips. And there’s something about this precision and the sound of crisp leaves being cut against a wooden board that brings me much satisfaction in the kitchen.

It’s one of my simple pleasures in life and it only costs me $1.50. Each Saturday, I’ve made it a habit to buy a bundle of fresh sweet basil at our Bellingham Farmer’s Market. The fistful of leaves is enough to last me a week of adding basil to scrambled eggs, a red sauce, or maybe a mixture of olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping Italian bread. Just when I’m about pick off the last and smallest leaf on the stalk, it’s Saturday again, and time to head down to the market.

The joy of cooking with fresh herbs is something I discovered for myself while in college. Previously, I relied on dried flakes while cooking and I now realize they pale in taste, texture and overall aesthetics. I now derive the same amount of pleasure in cooking with dried herbs as I would cooking with paper confetti.

My growing love affair with fresh basil coincided with my own personal summer of love. The house of my then-boyfriend had bushes of basil growing along its side and I spent many hot summer evenings preparing meals for the two of us. Scent and memory are closely tied together and that first sweet smell of freshly chopped basil still brings back those memories of romance.

Basil has a warmth to it and its taste conjures up images of leaves basking in the summer afternoon sun. Since I can no longer deny the superiority and delight of fresh basil, I must deny its usage in its off-season. But that limited seasonality is what makes it so special; for the more I frequent our farmers market and purchase higher quality produce, the more I’m learning that eating seasonally is well worth my wait.

This Much I Know

2009-08-01T22:33:00.001-07:00

I have just returned from a week of website training in Flagstaff, Arizona. I can now speak the programming language of the internet and have officially earned my geek stripes.

One of the aspects of travel I love most is the opportunity for personal reflection. When flying 20,000 ft above the earth, we’re afforded a rare perspective on “the big picture.” Mostly, about how tiny our lives are and just how many people share this planet together. It’s a humbling but necessary exercise to do from time to time.

On one of my flights between FLG to LAX to SEA to BLI, I jotted down some notes about future projects. This was my last big trip of the season and, believe it or not, I think I’ll be settling into some sort of routine for the rest of the month for the foreseeable future. Hence the planning. Planning can only really occur when there are more controls than variables in ones life.

I’m not going to fully explain how these relate to each other just yet, but hopefully these statements will reveal themselves in the future:

This much I know:
1. Anything worth is worth doing well.
2. I need to write more.
3. I need to practice reading aloud.
4. I need to practice reading my own work aloud.

So check back again soon and hopefully I’ll have updates!

Solstice Backpacking Weekend!

2009-07-04T07:26:00.001-07:00

Gemini Camping Weekend!

2009-06-15T09:30:00.001-07:00

Another View on Life in Seattle

2009-06-02T23:25:00.001-07:00

Here are some photos that Andy took during his visit to Seattle. They're from a *shock* film camera! I think the shadows and color saturation are just gorgeous.

Last Homework Assignments FOREVER

2009-05-31T10:46:00.000-07:00

Maybe.

Artichoke, Scientific Plate, 15x11, pen on bristol board

Bell Peppers and Chilies, 12x10, watercolor on bristol board

These are the last two assignments from my Natural Science Illustration certificate program and I'm itching to start my own projects after "graduation." I have a renewed confidence in my illustration abilities and I look forward to giving form to the ideas floating around in my mind.

This is my new home. And my roommate's dog, Jonas.

2009-05-29T18:22:00.000-07:00

Gay Spring Break meets Survivor

2009-05-27T07:52:00.000-07:00

"Camping" at Vantage with 60+ gay boys from the city. Craziness ensues...

I've lost track...

2009-05-17T21:16:00.000-07:00

...of the number of reasons why I love Seattle:

Fyi, I've officially been living in Washington for over a year! I can't believe how fast that went.

Happy Birthday Anna!!

2009-05-13T23:32:00.001-07:00

How I start my morning

2009-05-12T18:19:00.000-07:00

I've realized that I often make my meals based on colors.

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with garlic, green peppers, cheddar cheese and a dash of salt and skim milk.

Cheerios with yogurt and fresh strawberries.... Read More

FYI- I'm buying cage-free eggs now from Trader Joes. Did you know that conventional egg laying hens are housed 6 to a cage that is no bigger than 2 sheets of paper?

Bleeping Oven

2009-05-12T18:18:00.000-07:00

Pinecone

2009-05-06T13:21:00.000-07:00

Pine cone, Western White Pine, Ink on bristol board, 12 x 4

Boys and their Fire

2009-05-06T07:11:00.001-07:00

Steamboat Rock: The Movie

2009-04-22T22:23:00.001-07:00

Believe it or not, this is only 4 hours away from Seattle.

Steamboat Springs State Park, eastern Washington

2009-04-22T07:33:00.000-07:00

Just a quick overnight camping trip in eastern Washington. I think I got more sun in these two days than in all of winter.

The remaining photos are from Garet Tessmer (thanks!):

Breakfast

2009-04-11T09:20:00.001-07:00

Just because my life is crazy busy right now doesn't mean I have to stop eating good food. From left to right:

-cream cheese, julienned red pepper, a sprig of cilantro
-poached egg, ground pepper, a little bit of melted butter
-red-wine flavored salami (thanks TJs), freshly minced garlic, drizzled in olive oil
-soft-brie, raspberry jam
-nutella

All served on home baked baguette slices (from an previous cooking adventure).

Mmmm.

I like food. And friends.

2009-03-27T18:09:00.000-07:00

Your monthly montage, serving an array of visual entrees that includes: corndogs, killer bunnies, 1am cheese burgers, hail, and owl pellets. Cameos include: Cassidy, Kerry, Dan, Laura, Kristen, Garet, Dusty, Kyle, Casey, George, Adam, Nick, Chris, and my natural science illustration classmates,

A Birthday Shout-out

2009-03-21T00:24:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Amy!

And...here's a YouTube Version. Thanks Ken Burns.

2009-03-14T06:46:00.000-07:00

Last one

2009-03-11T15:17:00.001-07:00

Almost... there...

2009-03-10T23:40:00.000-07:00

You would not believe the preparatory sketches that have gone into this project. Like I can't see the surface of my desk because of all the papers scattered about. Maybe I'll scan them in sometime, maybe not.

Bullfrog, pencil and acrylic on duralene, 18" x 24"

Tomorrow's the last day of class! And then 2 weeks of spring break (ie North Cascades work).

PS. These are reconstruction photographs. Meaning I started with one photograph of a frog jumping and then, through lots of anatomy studies, I fit the skeleton and muscles to this pose. It is WAY harder than one would imagine.

Like a watercolor factory

2009-03-09T09:48:00.000-07:00

And here's another one.

Dead Bullfrog, watercolor, 11" x 13"

Whoa.

2009-03-08T11:53:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I look at my illustrations and think, did I really just create that? When did I learn to watercolor? When did I become a painter?

Raven, watercolor, 13" x 13"
From a photograph by Gavan Watson

Finals are this week and I've got one project down, one more to go.

Li'l slices of life

2009-03-01T01:25:00.000-08:00

Sorry Kermit

2009-02-21T14:05:00.000-08:00

Skeletal studies for class:

More signs of adulthood

2009-02-17T22:20:00.000-08:00

Within a 3-day period, I've filed my taxes and had my wallet stolen. Details later.

Misc Project

2009-02-16T09:54:00.000-08:00

A student recruitment guide. Anyone want to work at North Cascades this summer?

Pika

2009-02-15T11:43:00.000-08:00

Any guesses how long this illustration took? It's 15"x19"

It's like "Planet Earth" but better

2009-02-08T21:17:00.001-08:00

Birdwatching on the Skagit Flats, in Conway, WA. Eventually, these snow geese will migrate to Siberia to breed and raise their young.

How I'm spending my Saturday

2009-02-07T12:25:00.000-08:00

Sigh. 10 more hours to go (estimated).

Two of the coolest things EVER to come in the mail

2009-02-04T15:48:00.000-08:00

My brand-spanking new Washington State driver's license:

And a giant bull-frog that I'm going to dissect for my Vertebrate Illustration class:

KnitKnitKnit

2009-02-03T21:09:00.000-08:00

Artist Statement...via YouTube

2009-01-28T01:23:00.000-08:00

I returned to my Studio Tuesday and ended up filming and editing 3 short movies about how I define myself as an artist. I'm really glad to have documented these perspectives. Enjoy!

You can watch the rest of the videos here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/mtliang

Cleaning Shop

2009-01-26T15:18:00.000-08:00

Oh man, after a number of weeks of neglect this is what my desktop looks like right now. So much for the illusion of being an organized individual.

All at Once

2009-01-26T11:03:00.001-08:00

Here's what all the pages of the Junior Ranger booklets look like, back-to-back. That's 92 illustrated and designed pages. Phew. Draft one is done, on to the editing process...

Click each image for a larger view, or view the pages individually at: http://nocajr.blogspot.com/

"The Art of Walking"

2009-01-26T09:40:00.000-08:00

Last week, Casey and I walked from his apartment to his gallery in Pioneer Square, transporting his latest sculpture via the sidewalks of downtown Seattle. I haven't written too much about Casey on this blog, but he's honestly the most talented artist I know our age. Many of our concepts and ideas of craftsmanship line up and I'm so glad to have befriended him here in Seattle. Look forward to future collaborations!

You can view Casey Curran's kinetic sculptures here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bKTckbXIy0

The Four Covers

2009-01-19T16:21:00.000-08:00

Wow. I have to say it's really exciting to see these four covers back-to-back. I wonder what the response will be this summer when we start handing them out to families.

Vlog Post: A Day at the Zoo

2009-01-19T00:31:00.001-08:00

Covers

2009-01-16T17:36:00.000-08:00

These Junior Ranger Booklets are KICKING MY BUTT. But (ha), I churned out some pretty cool cover art this morning:

(you're seeing the spread. Imagine each image folded in half and you've got the back and front cover)

Inspiration is a funny thing. When you've got it, creativity flows effortlessly and abundantly. Without it, you're mind just feels like a big fat rock, staring at a big fat wall.

A teaser

2009-01-15T23:34:00.000-08:00

I'm planning on doing a video this weekend that introduces the many projects I currently have going right now. Until then, enjoy coming up with your own conclusions about these photos I just took, ie how i spent my last hour. Hint: it has to do with birds.

Overheard in the Elevator

2009-01-14T15:49:00.000-08:00

Husband, to a friend: So we walked into this restaurant and we realized we were the only people there with round eyes!"

Wife: Yes, and so you know that means the food's good and authentic.

Me, realizing in my head: (Oh my God, they're talking about a Chinese restaurant. And instead of them saying it was filled with Chinese people, they pretty much said it was filled with slanty-eyed orientals).

Who still say's that stuff, seriously. Should I have turned around and said something?

Thought:

2009-01-14T15:16:00.000-08:00

The guy sitting next to me at Tully's is blasting his heavy metal music from his computer. I've actually never experienced this in a coffee shop (especially not here in Bellevue). My first reaction is to pump some classical or opera from my iTunes library. Would that be passive-aggressive? Or aggressive-aggressive?

Video #2: I'm Artsy

2009-01-11T16:43:00.001-08:00

First Video

2009-01-10T10:41:00.000-08:00

Guess what! I've got a new digital camera and it comes with a video function. I think this will be fun way to document my life. Since I've clearly been slacking on writing posts, maybe this will be a new blogging outlet.

Enjoy!

Latest NOCA Project

2009-01-02T11:59:00.000-08:00

Engaging kids to North Cascades National Park, from elementary school to adulthood, from volunteering to employment...

Nick Tobier

2008-12-30T13:48:00.000-08:00

I was reading through the teaching philosophy of my former professor, Nick Tobier:

"Enabling students-artists-citizens to see themselves and their work as part of a social, formal, cultural, trade systems-- rather than as isolated acts--brings responsibility as well as possibility."

...and thought, hey, that's me! This is what helped foster my sense of civic responsibility in my art and creative efforts.

Did I ever post this?

2008-12-27T17:27:00.001-08:00

It's my final illustration for class this past semester. Watercolor.

I'm really feeling confident with this medium. If you've ever tried watercolor, you know that it has a mind of it's own and is easily affected by humidity, dampness of the paper, ratio of pigment to water, thickness of the paper, etc. It's a humbling medium and only recently have I felt comfortable with my ability to convince the paint to go where I want it to go. Working with watercolor is like nudging a stubborn infant, a dance between brush and paper and towel (to lift off pigment) that has to occur during a small window of opportunity when everything is still wet.

I love the entire process.

Camellia Shield Bug

2008-11-26T22:53:00.000-08:00

Probably one of the most realistic illustrations I've ever created in watercolor.

Recent drawings

2008-11-23T18:17:00.000-08:00

Color has always been a hesitancy of mine, but I think I'm starting to feel more comfortable using it in illustrations.

Oh man.

2008-11-23T16:30:00.000-08:00

This article just got published this past week in the U of M Record. I got interviewed earlier this summer and had completely forgotten about this. It makes me out to be much more successful than I actually feel and while I am slightly embarrassed, it is pretty cool. The article can be read here.

Presenting the newest Junior Ranger Booklet (almost)

2008-11-21T15:27:00.001-08:00

(from my work blog)
Hi folks!

Well, I have good news and bad news. The good news is that I'm really pleased with how this booklet is turning out. I can't wait until this summer when we can get these activities in the hands of little kids and their families. I wish I could just hide in the VC and watch people's reaction as they discover the new booklets and head outside.

The bad news is that today was our self-imposed deadline to have the Pacific Tree Frog Junior Ranger Activity Booklet completely designed and well, as you'll soon see, it's probably got a few more days of work left on it. I could have stayed up all night to finish this up, but I found the more I rushed the designing process, the less happy I was with the quality of work.

The other good news-- I'm getting faster at this and am able to copy and paste information/design elements between booklets. The second one will be faster than the first and the last one will be done in under an hour. Okay, maybe not.

For the sake of my upcoming role with the RLN Science Communication Workshop, I'm going to have to put these pages on hold until after Dec. 4th. Maybe a little mental break will be good for my creativity.

Other timeline reminder: I'll have the text/content designed by Dec. 18th (when I go home for the holidays), at which point, people can go crazy with the editing. Yes, I know there's some edits that haven't been incorporated yet (Marieke, I haven't put in your latest round just yet), but I wanted you all to get a sense of where this is going:

INSIDE JACKET Okay, this is my FAVORITE design element of the whole book. I think I want this tatooed on my arm or something. There will also be a frog in the lower left corner, welcoming kids to the North Cascades.

I still need to develop graphics for the stamp, badge/certificate, and patch. Anytime you see empty blocks of color, these are just placeholders where illustrations will eventually go.

Okay, this is actually a hard page to lay out. There's still some content that I need to include, but I'm hesitant to add too much information to the map for fear of overloading the viewer (and remember, this booklet is for 3-5 year olds, plus their parents)

I think I'm going to add a ranger hat to the frog.

Okay, this is my second-favorite illustration in the book. I think it's successful because I actually drew it out by hand ahead of time and then worked with a scan on my computer (as opposed to starting and finishing everything on the computer). It's a little bit more loose, but still fits in with the clean graphic style of the other pages. Ah! The little tadpoles are so cute!

(Is the frog closing his eyes or farting?)

Okay, the graphics on this page frustrated me for the longest time, but now I'm happy with the animals on the right and their shading. The shadows help reduce the flatness that sometimes shows up in my graphics. Expect to see more of this.

Some things I like, others need to be fixed. The stylized marmot is from an older project and may rework it. Thoughts? Also, what other animals should I include throughout the maze?

This and the next page have a lot of potential, but because there is so much information (story, side bars, illustrations, connect the dots, graphis within the story, etc), I'm going to have to be smart about the design to avoid a cluttered look. To see how these two pages look side-by-side, I've included the "spreads" at the bottom of this post.

Most of these graphics have been re-used from the Black Bear matching game. I may re-draw them, or I may not. Depends on timing.

This will be reworked so that an illustrated frog sits in the middle and points to a couple of its sensory organs (nose, eyes, hand, ear, or mouth).

Again, another two-page spread. There will be some graphic elements like the inside jacket, as well as totem characters with speech bubbles. Also, human/kid characters need to be included too!

TWO-PAGE SPREADS

Front and back cover need to be designed too. I have some ideas but since these are so important, I really didn't want to rush these illustrations.

Ta-dah!

Breakfast of Champions

2008-11-18T09:00:00.000-08:00

This is why I love Seattle

2008-11-16T19:52:00.001-08:00

On Saturday, Seattle, with over 300 cities in all 50 states, protested the passing of California's Proposition 8, which denied gays the right to marry. I think this vote really shocked the younger generation, as evident by this poster:

But shock can be a good wake-up call and my generation, newly-inspired by Obama's successful presidential campaign, is starting to step up. A flurry--no, a snowstorm--of text messaging, facebook invites, and other new social media created a protest/rally in less than a week and brought 6,000 people together.

(photos courtesy of The Stranger)

This is the first time I've felt a desire to participate in such civic engagement. I guess I always assumed that gaining gay civil rights was going to be taken care of by the time I wanted to get married/have kids. I know that sounds somewhat selfish (ie letting older generations do the hard work). But now, these issues are starting to hit closer and closer to home and I can't just sit passively waiting.

I really really wanted to participate, but was still in Portland finishing up my conference. Fortunately (or unfortunately), I think we're just getting started...

Horn Coral Fossil

2008-11-11T09:41:00.001-08:00

Horn Coral Fossil
Originally uploaded by Michael Liang

Another example of being ridiculously detailed oriented. This is done in stipples, ie thousands of tiny dots.

Ebey's Landing Bird Checklist

2008-11-10T16:25:00.000-08:00

Here's a "little" project I've been working on for the past couple of months. You would not believe all the data I had to crunch for this. Basically, this let's you know when to expect over 175 birds at Ebey's Landing National Historic Reserve, and in what abundance. As detail oriented as I am, I'm still terrified that I skewed some data. I need to take a few days off and re-examine it with a fine toothed comb and a pot of coffee. Sigh. This is when I wish I had an intern to be an extra pair of eyes for me. Someday...

This is where I was last night when we found out Obama won!

2008-11-05T16:29:00.001-08:00

Dead Squid

2008-11-05T11:28:00.001-08:00

Dead Squid
Originally uploaded by Michael Liang

My bedroom now smells like the Pike Place fish market. Yum. Watercolor and pencil

Finally: Illustrations from class!

2008-11-02T17:23:00.001-08:00

Field Trip to the Seattle Aquarium

2008-11-02T17:22:00.001-08:00

Current NOCA project

2008-10-26T14:24:00.001-07:00

We're redesigning our Junior Ranger Activity booklets and if you'd like to follow along with our progress, you can check out our blog here:
http://nocajr.blogspot.com/

I'm now on Flickr!

2008-10-23T19:52:00.000-07:00

Here's a slide show of my sister's visit to Seattle!

Okay, there are 98 photos to go through. So you could also go to this link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/michael-liang/sets/72157608166679053/

Remember these?

2008-10-12T19:10:00.000-07:00

I did an interesting exercise this past week. I went through all art projects from college and picked out the ones that were either my favorite or represented an important moment in my development as an artist. With graduation behind me and the rest of my life wide open, this seemed the appropriate thing to do to gain perspective. These are posted in chronological order, from freshmen year to this past summer.

I've made some interesting realizations, but I'm going to save those comments for another post.

New Look

2008-10-11T09:48:00.000-07:00

No, you haven't stumbled across the wrong blog, this is still wanderingartist. I just felt like a change and I really liked these colors. Michelle and I have noted that our color sense might be shifting because of our new environments.

Light, obviously, has a huge impact on color and out here, with all the clouds, it's mostly a diffuse white light. Colors thus are more muted, less saturated.

Scones

2008-10-11T09:10:00.000-07:00

It's a cloudy, foggy Saturday morning over here and I'm the first one up in the house. I'm about to pour myself a cup of coffee and the cranberry scones will be out of the oven in 10 more minutes (I woke up, for whatever reason, craving scones). It's kind of cold in the house and so I've had to add thick wool socks to my normal just-out-of-bed attire of gym shorts and hoodie.

I was able to sleep in for the first time this week, which might sound strange coming from someone who now can work from home. With my only real commitment being class on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:30 to 9:30, I've found myself with the blessing/curse of unstructured time. I am working 20 hours a week for North Cascades and of course have homework, but essentially I determine when those hours are spent. It's a new experience and I'm doing my best to be self-disciplined:

Mondays- 4 hrs of NOCA, class in the evening
Tuesdays- Studio, hw day
Wednesdays- 4 hrs of NOCA, class in the evening
Thursdays- 6 hrs of NOCA
Fridays- 6 hrs of NOCA
Sat and Sun- off

The hardest thing about this schedule, and in the grand scheme of things in the world this is admittedly silly and minor, is getting myself out of bed in the morning, knowing that I don't really have to until 6:30 at night. The cold mornings and warm bed comforters don't help.

But thus far, everyday this week, I've been able to get up at 7:00am, work out, have a nice breakfast and be out of the door around 8:30-9:00. Two things are key in successfully working from home: exercise, to help wake up and start the day energized...and getting out of the house to get work done. Thank god I have a laptop.

This also is a great way for me to explore the city and find new coffee shops and neighborhoods. So far, my favorite places to work and study are the Seattle Public Library, the Bellevue Regional Library and the University of Washington Law Library.
I've yet to find a Sweetwaters equivalent nearby.

This schedule seems to work fairly well, though I may switch my studio day from Tuesday to Friday, so that my "work week" is more consistent. I'm also trying to find things that force me to a schedule--like a volunteer opportunity or maybe meeting up with other graphic designers in the area. This is all about habits and I need to establish them now because it's probably going to be harder in the dead of winter.

And yes, I know, I'm very lucky to have such a flexible schedule and to be working and studying what I love.

Oooo, the scones are ready!

From my first day of class

2008-10-07T18:50:00.000-07:00

I now own a chicken skull:

This is Bellevue

2008-10-07T18:30:00.000-07:00

This park, Bellevue's Downtown Park is one of my favorite public spaces. A giant 1/2-mile walkway encircles an open grass area with really great views of the city. There are always people walking or running along this path. It is a little eerie though because there's hardly anyone on the grass, like it's illegal or something, but overall, it's a great place. And there's a ton of public art too. Best of all, it's only 3 blocks from my house:

The best part of this art piece made of hollow doors is the viewfinder on each end. I didn't even realize it was there the first time I saw it and when I peered in today, the entire sculpture came together beautifully:

This is my bus stop I take into downtown Seattle:

This is home

2008-10-07T18:19:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know it doesn't look like anything special, but I do feel like I'm coming into a home at the end of the day.

Waiting...

2008-10-06T18:05:00.001-07:00

Today is my first day of class! It does feel a bit weird to be going back to school even though all I've had is a 5 month taste of the real world. I couldn't help but notice how young all the students looked while I walked across the UW campus. Maybe it also feels strange because this will never be my campus in the way that U of M and Ann Arbor will always be.

Class starts in another 20 minutes and I'm way way early. I just wanted to make sure I could find the room okay--it wasn't difficult, but parking will be an issue. I wish I could take the bus from Bellevue, but there is only so many art supplies I can carry. Lord knows I've paid my dues going up on the Bursley-Baits bus carrying projects made my dorm room. Fortunately, the meters aren't checked after 6:00.

Ooo, I think I hear people waiting outside the classroom. Wish me luck!

PS. I've giving myself Tuesdays as strict studios days, so get excited for more work being posted!

Finally, Fall.

2008-10-04T17:22:00.000-07:00

It is 60 degrees outside, cloudy and really blustery. I just got back from the library with a new book and a stack of graphic design magazines. My roommate Jeremey is downstairs cooking for an Oktoberfest dinner part he's hosting tonight and the house smells wonderful.

Life is good right now.

Test of my new scanner!!

2008-09-25T23:17:00.001-07:00

More to come...

Choice Images from Today: Lewis and Clark National Historical Park

2008-09-22T23:08:00.000-07:00

Seriously, all from today. I'm seriously thinking about starting a Flickr account for work.

Road Trip with Ron Bend, Part I

2008-09-20T22:10:00.001-07:00

On Thursday and Friday, I got to play assistant to filmmaker Ron Bend, who is creating video shorts about the Inventory and Monitoring program. I'm enjoying my Diane Sawyer 15-min of fame...even though my interview questions will be edited out of the final films. Still, it's fun to be able to travel like this for work and meet some incredibly enthusiastic NPS staff. Here we visit Ebey's Landing and Olympic National Park. Michelle, does the scenery remind you of Maine at all?

Roomies!

2008-09-20T22:07:00.001-07:00

Steve, my college roommate of 3 years has been in Seattle for the summer, working as "Assistant Director" for Shrek the Musical. Here we are on Alki Beach, West Seattle, perhaps on the last day of summer.

North Cascades=Coolio

2008-09-20T19:24:00.000-07:00

Here's a project I've been working on (almost done). Want the full .pdf? Until I figure out how to put it on the blog, just shoot me an e-mail.

I'm actually really quite proud of it.

Finally

2008-09-20T10:15:00.001-07:00

Today is the first really cool, cloudy, somewhat-rainy day for awhile. And I finally feel motivated to stay inside and organize all the random boxes of stuff I've somehow accumulated. Seriously, there are things that I stuffed away in April that haven't seen the light of day since then.

But first, I'm going to IKEA to pick out storage containers. I have a $15 coupon because I used my debit card last time I was there (some sort of cash back incentive). I love that IKEA is only 20 minutes away.

Bored?

2008-09-16T20:32:00.000-07:00

Okay, try this game. It's an interactive graphic from today's NYT Science article on math.

"Testing Your Approximate Number Sense:
Humans use two distinct number systems, one learned and one intuitive. Computation, such as taking a square root, is an abstract process that is uniquely human. But the nonverbal process of approximating numbers is a system we share with infants and many other animals."

Most adults who take this test get an average of 75% after taking it 25 times. I only got one wrong, when I had to differentiate between 14 blue dots and 15 yellow ones. I'm curious to see if artists test higher because of their visual spatial skills.

An early Christmas...for me.

2008-09-15T21:49:00.001-07:00

I'm surprised my credit card hasn't been deactivated because in addition to paying for gas to Montana (to be reimbursed by Uncle Sam of course), I've been doing some online shopping this weekend.

Nothing spontaneous of course, just things I've been needing to purchase anyway.

-Like one of my natural science illustration textbooks.

-And a pair of Levi Slim Fit jeans because a) of all, it's the best pair of fitting jeans I've found and b) of all, I only own one pair of jeans right now and it's getting a little thin in the behind.

-And most exciting, a scanner! It's 11x17, got great customer reviews on Amazon, wasn't terribly expensive and I'm considering it one of my first adult purchases as a "professional" artist.

I've realized I have a number of projects I haven't posted on the blog yet...some because I've just procrastinated, others because I'm without a scanner right now. So once I do, I'll be sure to post them. I'm especially proud of a pen and ink drawing of a turkey, something that I've probably put in 5 hours over the last 2 days. Weird subject I know but I'm just thinking ahead to Thanksgiving...

I'm very excited because the scanner also gives me some much needed options for art projects I've been meaning to try.

Best School Supply List ever

2008-09-15T10:48:00.001-07:00

I just got an e-mail with a list of supplies I need for my illustration classes next month:

"For the first night of class, please bring the following supplies:

1. 9x12 sketchpad
2. drawing pencils: 2H, HB, 2B, 4B (Berol, Sanford, Staedtler or Derwent)
3. 12" transparent ruler
4. pencil sharpener
5. an eraser (Staedtler Mars Plastic)
6. a small, padded container to transport your chicken skull."

I'm so excited.

Social Butterfly

2008-09-14T13:06:00.000-07:00

Yawn.

I'm in my bedroom, staring at boxes that still need to be unpacked. But it's such a beautiful sunny day, again, that I really don't want to. According to the weather forecast, fall/winter will start arriving by the end of the week. I guess I should make the most of it!

Yesterday was quite the busy day and really I'm just recouping from all the fun activities:

Noon- went with my friend Kate Minto to a bar in West Seattle that plays the U of M football games live for all the alumni in the city. Kind of a surreal experience to see so much Maize and Blue and to hear cowbells and the Michigan fight song 3,500 miles away from Ann Arbor. But I enjoyed it, despite the score, and this will probably be a weekly tradition to look forward to.

2:45- Met up for "dinner" with some co-workers from the national park who were in the city to watch the UW Huskies football game. Traffic was pretty bad with all the fans and I still can't get over how ugly purple and silver are as school colors.

7:30-Saw Shrek: The Musical with some friends from Bellingham. As I may have mentioned, my good friend and college roommate of 3 years, Steve Sposito, was the Assistant Director on this major, soon-to-be Broadway, production. While we were originally in the balcony section, Steve moved us down to the orchestra level and then gave us a behind-the-scenes tour of the theatre, scenic pieces, costume rooms, etc. He was so blasé about it, but we all felt like VIPs.

10:30- the group then went over to a nearby pub to continue catching up with Steve.

11:30- The Bellingham contingent left to drive home and Steve and I took a cab to the Capitol Hill club, Neighbors, to meet up with other Shrek staff. Over the course of the night I met a Pulitzer-prize winner for play writing and a Tony-award winning lighting designer. Wow, these are Steve's friends and I'm kind of jealous. Even though clubbing and dancing isn't exactly my scene, it was still fun to get out and let loose for a bit.

2:30am- Steve and I parted ways and I headed home.

3:00am- bed

Okay, clearly this is not representative of my everyday life. I wish I was this cool and cosmopolitan! It just so happened that all these engagements fell on the same day. As someone new to a big city and still building new groups of friends, I'm certainly not as socially-active as I was in Ann Arbor... Ah well, it's all part of this transition post-college, right?

Gross

2008-09-09T19:10:00.000-07:00

I spent a good part of yesterday afternoon cleaning 500 dead flies off the grill of my car. This is what happens when you drive through Eastern Washington.

It smells like fish fly season and I may have vomited in my mouth a little.

First blog post from Bellevue

2008-09-02T18:17:00.000-07:00

Just a brief blog post today as I’m trying to finish packing for a business trip tomorrow to Glacier National Park. Ha, that sounds so adult: business trip. I guess it’s a fitting way to start my first September where I’m not going back to school. I’ve talked to a few friends and we’ve all agreed that it’s very strange to not be in Ann Arbor right now (or for those still in Ann Arbor, to not have classes). Maybe this is why my latest move, from Bellingham to Bellevue, was more disorienting than I imagined. The weather too, is starting to feel like fall and my body automatically associates the cooler temperature, fading light, and changing colors with fresh starts (and cross-country season).

Okay, hold on, I think my potatoes are done boiling. I lied, I’m not actually packing right now, I’m in the midst of making dinner. I’m trying my hand at gnocchi, with a spicy arrabbiata sauce.
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And…I’m back. The potatoes have been mashed and are cooling in the fridge. I hope these turn out all right. Jeremy, one of my new roommates puts me to shame with his confidence in the kitchen. But it’s a good thing my somewhat competitive nature has kicked in and he’s pushing me to be a better cook.

Man, there’s so much to write about that it’s actually kind of overwhelming to try and cover it all.

Here are the basics-

-I spent most of last week cleaning up and packing my apartment in Bellingham.
-Friday, I drove straight from work, in my fully packed station wagon, through a steady rain, to Bellevue.
-Unfortunately, the room that I was to move into wasn’t yet ready so I had to spend the next three nights on a futon in the mess room by the kitchen. Amidst all my boxes and bags.
-I bought a mattress, bed frame, and dresser from IKEA and really enjoyed putting them all together. Very satisfying, in the same way that I found building the Warehaus gallery walls a satisfying hands-on experience.
-Yesterday, I finally moved into my room and slept in my newly built bed- my first bed since moving from Michigan (remember, I’ve had an air mattress for the last 4 months!).
-Today feels like Day One of my post-college life. So far, it’s off to a good start.

Okay, I think that’s it for now. I’ll put up pictures of Bellevue sometime in the future. But before that, it’s off to Montana! I’m looking forward to the 9-hour drive (seriously, I am).

Oh wait, I forgot to buy gummi bears.

Sorry...

2008-08-25T18:46:00.001-07:00

Man, I've been awful at updating this. I'm in the process of moving to a new apartment in/near Seattle this Friday so it's going to be a crazy week. And then 4 days after I move in, I leave for Glacier National Park (!!) for a 5-day job detail. Anyway, I'll be blogging more frequently after this Friday because I'll have wireless internet at my new place. Finally!

And HD tv.

And a gas fireplace.

And really great roommates.

But still no bed. That's on my list of things to do this weekend (ie IKEA).

Office Olympics

2008-08-16T13:05:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, my lunch-friends and I joked about hosting our own Office Olympics in conjunction with the Beijing summer games. No one really took it seriously but I did. And we all know what happens when Michael puts his mind to something- it gets done and it gets done with flair (and by flair, I mean I really did make buttons as prizes).

We hosted three events-- the Office Chair relay, where a blindfolded person pushed another in a wheeled-office chair, the latter giving directions...

The Crumpled Paper Ball Free-throw Contest--an basketball tournament styled shoot-off...

And the Cardboard Box Shuffle Footrace, which was probably the most dangerous of all the three.

Being that this occurred on government property, I did have to give a safety speech and provide adequate safety equipment. No one got hurt and even if someone did, I think the camaraderie and community would have been worth a skinned knee.

We're already talking about the Winter Olympics, but no one wants to wait 2 years...

Don't forget...

2008-08-09T14:30:00.000-07:00

...to check out Ranger Mike Friday!

Learn about the artist who created these, as well as my current design projects:

Processing Process

2008-08-09T14:28:00.000-07:00

I was recently asked about “my process,” as in, “my creative process.” I don’t have a set recipe of taking a project from inspiration to completion, just numerous observations I’ve become aware of after 4 years of art school and a summer of full-time design work:

-Mornings and evening are the best time for me to do creative work. Specifically, 9am-noon, and 7pm-10. During my afternoons, 2-4pm in particular, my ideas drowns in quicksand. So I find autopilot projects like online government training or timesheets to keep me busy.

-I love the flood of ideas that automatically surface when I first receive a new assignment. I almost never end up using these first ideas, but they’re still pretty damn good jumping off points.

-I’ll draw out lots of thumbnail sketches and these are solely for me, little nuggets that help jog my memory. Normally, I’ll jump from these sketches to final product but I’ve found that working with others requires a more complete mock-up. I may be able to envision the final piece from just a few scribbles, but my co-workers/clients need something more fleshed out.

-The final ideas—and I know this sounds completely crazy—comes a few days later during an afternoon nap. I’ll lie in bed for 20 minutes, with my knees up because it’s an Alexander technique for improving posture, and with my mind floating between consciousness and sub-consciousness, I’ll mentally/visually work through ideas until I find THE one. The room has to be absolutely silent and I’ll use ear plugs if I have to. (My roommate and I were recently watching “There Will be Blood” and when the boy went deaf, I commented that I would be such a better designer if I couldn’t hear).

Biking or running also gives me the opportunity to settle on a final idea.

-I think one of the harder parts of the design process is the reworking of the original idea over long periods of time. For instance, I’ve been dragging my feet on adjusting the vital sign logos after getting feedback from the scientists. While I love that dialogue and agree with their comments, it’s just hard to rewire my brain. I’m a very forward thinker and so it’s difficult to think backwards on an idea. But in the long run, this is a skill I need to improve upon…

TYPEtype

2008-08-09T14:25:00.000-07:00

I find myself thinking about design all the time. It’s not something that I can (or would want to) leave at the office at 5pm. Ideas emerge in my dreams, while I’m showering and if I have any amount of free time, I’ll still work on a design project because it gives me personal satisfaction.

I picked up a new book at Henderson’s (our gigantic used book store in town): Robert Bringhurst’s “The Elements of Typographic Style.” Typography, I’ve found, is one of those weird interests that I probably share with only 0.2% of the general population. You either find it fascinating, or you don’t. Even though I never took our typography class, I’ve still always appreciated the nuances of type and layouts. I’m engrossed in this book because Bringhurst writes about type like the letters and words were sentient beings. They are alive with personalities and deserve respect, he seems to argue. And because I’ve got a weird attention to detail, I can’t help but agree.

I’ve started marking down some of my favorite passages:

"Lists, such as contents pages and recipes, are opportunities to build architectural structures in which the space between elements both separates and binds. The two favorite ways of destroying such an opportunity are setting great chasms of space that the eye cannot leap without the help from the hand, and setting unenlightening rows of dots (dot leaders, they are called) that force the eye to walk the width of the page like a prisoner being escorted back to its cell."

"However empty or full it may be, the page must breathe, and in a book—that is, in a long text fit for the reader to live in—the page must breath in both directions."

"Typographers generally take pleasure in the unpredictable length of the paragraph while accepting the simple and reassuring consistency of the paragraph indent."

Bringhurst writes with such tender care about his subject that reading this book is a true pleasure. It’s perfect for my porch in the afternoon or, since my roommate is gone for the weekend, a long drawn-out bath in the clawfoot bathtub with a glass of wine.

Saturday Thoughts

2008-08-09T14:21:00.000-07:00

Ever since I visited Michigan, I’ve felt like I’ve been playing catch-up in everything from my work to my sleep. Last weekend, as fun as it was with Nate visiting, didn’t provide me with the opportunity to catch my breath. So when I finished work yesterday, I felt like I’d been working two weeks straight.

So it was wonderful to wake up this morning at 8 and lay in bed for another hour before starting my day. It feels like fall- clouds rolled in overnight and it’s drizzling on and off. It’s fairly cool as well, maybe 65 degrees. There’s something about the light, the way the breeze feels, that tells me the seasons are changing. There’s a weird urge to get ready for school to start but for the first time in my life, since age 5, I won’t be a student after Labor Day. Okay, this is only partly true; yes I’ll be taking classes at the University of Washington, but only 2x a week so it’s not a full-time obligation.

Throwing on a pair of jeans, my red flannel knock-off from H&M, my favorite boots, and stuffing my rain jacket into my bag, I headed out to our Farmers Market, feeling like a true Washingtonian. It’s smaller than the one in Ann Arbor, but has more of a community festival atmosphere—lots of restaurant vendors and street performers. I didn’t buy too much since I did most of my grocery shopping yesterday at Trader Joes. I did splurge on a baguette- the best I’ve found outside of Paris—and I’ll probably finish the loaf by this evening. I also bought a bundle of green onions, even though I bought one yesterday at Fred Meyer (like a Farmer Jacks or Meijier). The ones at the farmers market were so ridiculously huge and fresh and cheap ($1) that I had to buy them if only to photograph the two next to each other (will upload the image in the future).

Sometimes you pay more at a farmers market, other times, especially at the height of the growing season, you get higher quality food at cheaper prices than at big supermarkets.

My fridge is overflowing with fresh food and I’m excited to have the time this weekend to do some more cooking. I’ve already made my own hummus and then a yellow-bell pepper salsa that I added to a salmon burger, complete with these new Hawaiian-styled sweet bagels from TJs. As I mentioned to my mom yesterday, one of the greatest gifts she gave my siblings and me was an appreciation for healthy, good food and the ability to prepare it ourselves.

It’s funny how often food appears as a topic in my blog. Maybe because I’m cooking for myself and I feel the need to share it with others. I mean, that’s part of the nature of cooking, right? Hospitality among family and friends.

My friend, former classmate and fellow blogger, Michelle Panars, is also experiencing the joys of food and cooking (her blog is one of the links on the upper-right side of this page). Our lives are paralleling a lot right now- both starting our professional careers, both living on the coast, both in the upper latitudes of the country, both cooking and reading a lot, etc, etc. This has happened before when we were both studying abroad- her in Chile and myself in Mali. So it seems that no matter where we live, we still end up doing the same things at the same times. Thankfully we’ve got the internet to keep us connected!

Snow...in August? Welcome to Washington

2008-08-06T09:11:00.000-07:00

Our apartment internet is down (again) and I'm back to relying on coffee shop wireless. So this post will be short and sweet and will be elaborated on in the future.

Guess to made a special appearance in the Pacific Northwest: Nate Mullen! I tried hard to convince him to move out here...

A Belated 4th of July

2008-08-01T21:32:00.000-07:00

I kept meaning to put up this link. It's the photostream from Charles and Nikki. We celebrated the 4th with small town parades, water balloon tosses, a pie tasting contest, burgers, and of course, a hippity-hop race.

Go Dora go!

Back on online

2008-08-01T21:28:00.000-07:00

Yay! The girls that live below us finally got wireless internet which means I'm once again connected to the world (wide web). Expect more frequent blog posts from now on!

Post-Wedding Prompts

2008-07-31T11:51:00.000-07:00

Giddy from all the dancing at my cousin's wedding reception, my sisters, aunt and I returned to our hotel room and proceeded to start a ridiculous photo shoot. We'd call out a prompt (SEA-HORSE! ANOREXIC FACE!) and then take of picture of the first interpretation that came to mind. I'll try to remember all the cues.

Oh man. Get ready for 60+ crazy photos. Maybe I should edit this down...

Bletch

2008-07-21T07:20:00.000-07:00

(Written Saturday night)

Wow. I just made a stupendously horrid dinner. What’s surprising about this experience is that 1. it was a dish I’d cooked numerous times before, 2. I’m usually good at resurrecting dead flavors, and 3 .even after I created something obviously rancid, I still decided to eat it.

My supply of food had dwindled down to a few random ingredients and based on what was available, I thought I put together a nice Thai curry. Usually, I start with a roux—butter, flour and coconut milk—and then add in the onions, garlic, peanut butter, and spices. Boil some potatoes, pasta, or rice and top with thinly sliced red peppers and fresh basil and ta-dah, dinner is served.

Looking back, there were a couple causes for my failure. I hadn’t washed the pan since lunch and maybe the crusty leftover grease from my hamburger somehow prevented even heating of the elements. Most likely, it was the fact that I used plain yogurt instead of coconut milk. It’s all dairy, I thought, and I’ve used plain milk before so what’s the difference?

The difference is that the yogurt, as I now know, curdles. I could tell, just by looking at it, that the consistency was way off, veering towards cottage cheese, and therefore, the taste had probably gone off the deep end as well.

When I tested the sauce midway through, I got confused; had I accidentally thrown up in my mouth and didn’t realize it? How could I have created something that was the exact same texture, temperature, and flavor as vomit?

I should have stopped there, but no, I thought I could fix it. My first attempt was to add salt; maybe the yogurt was masking the true flavor of the curry and other spices and I just needed the salt to enhance what was already there. I tasted it again and thought it was headed in the right direction. Or maybe my taste buds were in shock and no longer functioning correctly.

I continued on and once the potatoes were done boiling, I poured the sauce over and let it sit awhile, letting the flavors soak in. I tried it again and to my frustration, I still couldn’t discern anything enjoyable. The next logical step, in my mind, was to find something to counteract that nasty-back-of-the-throat acidic aftertaste. Sugar! Just a couple pinches should do the trick. And while the barf effect dwindled to a mild and tolerable level, the sauce still lacked any body or substance.

At last resort, I doused everything with by stand-by stir fry sauce, House of Tsang’s Szechwan Spicy Sauce. It was now a weird cultural mix of Chinese and Thai and still really quite bad.

But I ate it because I had made it and being the young bachelor that I am, I couldn’t just throw away food. And I’m of course using the term “food” quite loosely.

After finishing up dinner, enjoying the sunset and not thinking about what I was consuming, I returned to the kitchen to put away the leftovers. But it was an internal debate; on one hand, I could have lunch already made for tomorrow but on the other hand, did I really want to submit my body through that experience again?

In the end, the kitchen gods decided my fate. Unintentionally, I had left the burner on under the pot and during the course of my meal, it had scorched the remaining portion into something even more inedible. I’ll take that as a sign.

Brrrr

2008-07-19T14:30:00.000-07:00

It was 61 degrees when I left my apartment this morning. And perfectly sunny.

I love Washington summers.

So, I know this blog has been neglected recently and I totally blame that on the fact that I'm living without internet right now. As much as I enjoy being somewhat unplugged (my reading habits have certainly benefited), it is harder for me to just post something whenever the inspiration hits.

I am, however, blogging more as Ranger Mike Friday. I even have a new graphic identity for the blog:

Well, I'm going to head out soon to take advantage of this great weather. Maybe I'll be back blogging more often once winter hits and I have nothing better to do than stay indoors.

In response to Michelle's latest blogpost

2008-07-11T12:22:00.000-07:00

Just a few of the books I've read and/or currently reading. I don't know where this habit came from, but I always have at least 4 books started; One for reading over meals (trashy entertaining fiction), one for after work on my porch (something of literary substance), one for "professional" development (non-fiction stuff like, how to use Adobe Flash), and another for bedtime (fiction).

Seattle Pride

2008-07-03T10:51:00.001-07:00

I had an amazing experience this past weekend but since then, I’ve been hesitant to write about it. While it is a bit more personal than the normal tone of my blog, I realized that I would be doing more of a disservice by not talking. I know that older generations don’t feel comfortable putting these kinds of details out in public, but I’ve grown up in an era where transparency of one’s personal life is socially acceptable among my peers. This type of communication helps build and facilitate our community. I also have realized that I write on this blog more for myself than for any reader (sorry folks!); as I look through the archived posts, approaching 250 entries, I feel so fortunate to have documentation of my formative years as a young adult. So not writing this post would only leave behind a dishonest representation of my life.

Some might be asking now, why not just keep your own private journal? Because, perhaps naïvely, I have this hope that somewhere out in the vast world wide web, there is someone who connects with my writing- perhaps by having a shared experience or by living vicariously through a new one. As someone who is part of a couple minority groups, I know the relief of reading something and thinking, “oh thank god, you too? I though I was the only one.”

By not writing about something that is important to me only keeps the doors of dialogue further shut. And if there’s something we desperately need more of in the world, it’s people that live honestly with themselves and others. I’ll try to do my best.

This past weekend, I went to my first Pride celebration. Seattle goes all out, a whole week of events, and Sunday is the climax with its Pride Parade and Festival at the Seattle Center (just below the Space Needle). I had plans to meet up with a friend from U of M in downtown but because I didn’t want to drive by myself (ie pay for gas myself) I posted a carpool ad on Craigslist. After numerous responses, I ended up bringing along a 19 year old, female-to-male transgendered, and his friend, the LGBTA coordinator at the local university. Having just moved to Bellingham, I thought it would be a fun way to meet some other people in the gay community.

Sunday was the first really hot day of summer, just peaking above 90, with a cloudless bright blue sky. You could just feel the excitement of people finally shedding the remaining chill of our unseasonably cool spring. My friend had saved us a spot on the curb towards the end of the parade route and it was fortunately in the shade. The parade itself lasted over 3 hours, with 200 different floats and groups marching (well, dancing as was often the case). Last year, the celebration brought in 200,000 people into the city. Every part of the spectrum was represented- from the gay Christian groups to the local municipal workers to the leather and bondage groups to drag queens to ethnic groups to sport teams to major corporations. Even the governor of Washington, the first ever to participate in a pride parade, rode in a convertible and waved to the excited crowds. By the end of it all, and three hours had never gone so fast, I was so proud of the diversity of my community. In our normal day-to-day lives, each of us might stand out in the crowd, but when we are gathered together and everyone is out of the ordinary, everything becomes normal and accepted.

The highlight of the day came after the parade, when the crowds walked over to the Seattle Center. By now, everyone was hot and hungry and antsy from standing up for three hours. My friends and I walked passed the vendors selling designer underwear, passed political groups getting people registered to vote, passed the main music stage and headed directly towards the food court. Having eaten barely anything all day, a hot gyro and cool cucumber sauce on a perfect summer day never tasted so good. We settled onto the outer edge of the International Fountain, which appeared to be the heart of the festivities. Gay boys are a lot like 4 year olds I’ve come to conclude; they just like to dance around in their underwear in a giant fountain. Everyone—male, female, gay, straight, large, skinny, old, young, even a couple people in wheelchairs—was there, complete strangers dancing with each other. As I looked around, myself sopping wet and sunbathing on the warm bricks, I couldn’t help but notice how happy people were. It might have been the weather, but I suspect we were in good spirits because we could simply be ourselves. No judgment, no looking over one’s shoulder- just equality through diversity.

I was glowing on the drive back. It was potent mix of sunshine, dancing, Ethiopian food for dinner, and now with the setting sun over the Washington landscape I realized I hadn’t felt this content and happy in a very long time (this is why this post had to be written. How could I edit out this positive experience?). While there could have been additional things to have made the day even better—like being there with a boyfriend or having all my college friends there to celebrate with me—I was more than satisfied knowing that I now live in a region that is open and accepting, that there are others like myself and for at least one day a year, we can come together and be honest with ourselves.

And then the reality of Monday hit and work was the last place I wanted to be. Why couldn’t Pride last all the time? Why do I feel like a 35 year-old straight male at my office job? Just how honest am I with myself and my happiness? I love my job and its opportunities to grow professionally, but it was a stark contrast to Sunday’s celebrations.

And because I’m a workaholic, it’s easy to define myself by my work (admittedly, not a healthy habit). I’m so thankful for Pride because it has started to shake off that definition to reveal something more true to self. I’m finding myself clinging to the memories of Sunday- trying to feel the sun against my wet skin, feel the bass rhythm resonating in my chest, feel the contentment wash over my relaxed shoulders on the drive home. But each passing day blurs those memories and I’m realizing that one day of Pride a year isn’t enough, that these types of experiences need to happen on a regular basis for my mental health. In college, it was easy to be part of a gay community- on my own and in the “real world,” I now have to make a more deliberate effort.

That means taking risks and stepping outside the comfort zone of my apartment and office. But not taking risks is simply not an option. So here I go, onwards into adulthood, a bit more gayer than before…