Save the Volunteer Park Conservatory!

A few days ago I learned of some troubling news: the Volunteer Park Conservatory is on the chopping block due to budget restraints.

The Conservatory is one of my absolute favorite places in the city. If you have never been, go. Walking into those calm, humid rooms - warm even on the coldest of days - is like taking a year's worth of deep, healing breaths.

They cultivate exotic orchids; plants are rotated with the seasons; they have an entire room dedicated to cacti; a jade plant that has lived for more than 80 years calls the conservatory home. They also exhibit or tour exotic plants, and it was thanks to the Conservatory and the participation of the UW that I - and hundreds of others - got to experience up close and personal the wretched, rotting smell of the corpse flower in 2005 (and again in 2008).

In short, it is one of the city's gems and I don't think it's an exaggeration to say it would be tragic to let this landmark close.

A few facts:
The conservatory has been open for almost 100 years
It is one of only 3 Victorian-style greenhouses on the West coast
More than 150,000 people visited last year
It is run by five employees and a team of volunteers
It is largely funded by visitor donations

How you can help:
Email Parks Superintendent Tim Gallagher at timothy.gallagher@seattle.gov
Comment on why you want the Conservatory to stay open here.
Vote up to 3 times to keep the Conservatory open here.

There are more people you can contact (including Mayor McGinn and Councilwoman Godden) and other ways to help, including a petition you can download in order to gather signatures, listed on the Friends of the Conservatory website

The budget will be finalized in September. If this is important to you, please spread the word NOW before budget talks go any further.

Many-Named Woman

It's funny how adapted I am to being called just about anything. Depending on where in the world I am and who I'm with, I can go by any of the following.

Elizabeth
Currently my most common name. It's what I'm called at work and home, and how I introduce myself to all new people. I made the switch when I was 21 and living in Spain, since in Spanish 'Beth' is an ugly, gutteral noise that sounds like someone is trying to spit something out of his or her mouth.

Beth
My childhood name and what my immediate family and more stubborn hold-overs from my past will always call me. If you are a really dedicated follower you may have noticed a comment from my last post in which one such family member referred to me as 'Bethie,' something I try to keep as un-public as possible. It's hard to out-run childhood.

I've managed to convert most people to something else, usually Elizabeth or Archer, and it's genuinely weird/confusing/annoying when someone who I haven't known for at least 20 years calls me Beth.

Eli
If I'm in South America or New York with Beth and Kim who I met in Argentina, I'm called Ellie, spelled like the boys' name Eli. This is the natural shortening of Elizabeth in Chile and Argentina (and probably all of Latin America). I did not pick it for myself; it's one of those cases where you introduce yourself as something and the person immediately starts calling you something else. It was started by my Chilean students and continued without my saying a word to any new people in Argentina - that is, I still introduced myself as Elizabeth, and they naturally called me Eli. Luckily I think it's very sweet, unlike other shorter versions of my name.

Elizabethan
Two people call me this, with two different pronunciations. One is a woman I work with who pronounces it like the era in English history. Another is Amber in Korea who pronounces it more like Elizabeth-Ann, and sometimes just Beth-Ann.

Archer/Arch
If I'm in Philadelphia it's unlikely that I'll be referred to as anything other than Archer or Arch. I think this speaks volumes about east coast mentality, in a good way.

Archie
This is strictly reserved for Robyn, and people who are nearby when Robyn calls me that.

Liz
Oh, how long have I hated the name Liz, or worse, Lizzie? However, there is one person in the world who gets away with calling me Liz and that's my roommate M. For some reason it doesn't bother me coming from him.

E
If I hear someone exclaim "E!" I know I'm around Annie and/or Will, two friends I made as a result of driving Will's car - at the time a complete stranger I found on Craig's list - from Seattle to Philadelphia in 2006. I have no idea how they started it, but it stuck.

Babs
I have long worked with a freelance writer who, from the outset, adoped 'Babs' as a suitable professional nickname for me. This is similar to and just as inexplicable as the laser hair removal technicians I got surprisingly close to (it's amazing how you can bond when you're half-naked and someone is repeatedly shooting a laser at you) calling me 'Eliza,' 'Sissy,' and 'Mary' without knowing that's my mom's name, but never once calling me Elizabeth.

E-Beth
This was tried and abandoned by more than one person, and occasionally comes up in conversation as a joke.

Queenie
A long-time nickname given to my by our neighbor and family friend Barb, a dual reference to my regal name and how bratty I was as a child.

Boo
This is what baby J calls me, though he calls just about everything 'Boo' at this young stage in his vocal development. I hope to one day convert him to Auntie Eli when he can form the L sound.

Did I leave any out?

I'm not really sure what the relevance of this post is, but I just got to thinking about my many names and decided to write them down. In other news, the weather has remained mostly miserable, though the sun came out on Saturday and again today; sadly, more rain is projected. At least it's not raining oil... condolences to all living organisms in the Gulf of Mexico. Sorry our oil dependence messed that up for you.

Rain, Rain, Go Away; or, "Where did my year of eternal summer go?"

Does anyone not from Seattle remember asking me at some point if it rains all the time? Does anyone remember my dismissive reaction to this question? "Nah, it doesn't rain that much." Friends, I am eating my words.

It has been rainy and cold for two solid weeks. I can't remember the last time I saw the sun -- even a tiny sunbreak -- and I find myself wandering around the house in double layers muttering, "is it the apocalypse?" It's a far cry from last May when we had a record number of sunny days with no rain.

Next week's forecast is even more depressing than the last two, since before they at least attempted to make us feel better by hiding a sun behind the rain clouds. All such optimism is gone for the week of June 1-7: rainy and 61-64 degrees all the way. It's like Groundhog Day. This is the view I wake up to every morning. Not that I'm complaining; it's a gorgeous view. I just wish it were a little sunnier.

I find myself in a weird mood since I worked from home on Thursday and Friday and stayed more or less in with a cold all weekend, another factor adding to the Groundhog Day-esque sensation. I am going into the office today specifically because it is a holiday - nothing like an empty space to be seriously productive.

Anyone who works in publishing knows that there is always plenty of time in the workweek except for the days/weeks/months before a deadline (depending on how big the deadline). Right now all any of us can think about is the glorious freedom we will feel after July 1; until then I'm dedicating many extra hours to one part of the project or another, secretly happy I became an hourly employee when I went abroad. And, at this rate, the weather might be perfectly conducive to long evenings slaving over my computer; at least the longing to be out in the early summer sunshine won't be there. So, if I've been remiss in blogging or communication with you, that's why.

Yesterday K and I spent some time in the garden between rain showers. We ripped up some broccoli and broccoli rabe that did nothing but bolt two years in a row (won't be planting that again next year) and some other things that needed to go (bolted arugula, bitter lettuce) to make room for tomato and cucumber starts from some cold frames in the back.

The peas have gone wild and are covered in flowers which I hope means the peas aren't far behind, even though they're probably wondering if it's the apocalypse, too. The strawberries are also doing well and the radishes have been abundant and delicious. Also, K's ornamentals have filled out beautifully since last year. Here are the edible beds in front:

On Saturday I had to engage in a carrot holocaust because the seeds are so tiny it's very hard not to overplant which results in the need for serious thinning down the road. I felt pretty bad surveying all the tiny bodies I'd ripped out of the ground but the nice, evenly spaced rows left behind were worth it. (Side note: the other night I took a trip through the past with my sister Tessa's terrifyingly detailed memory of our childhood, during which she informed me that I used to make her play a game called "Holocaust." This apparently consisted of us standing in our small walk-in closet pretending it was 1) a cattle car or 2) concentration camp bunk beds. She told me that she used to say things like, "but I don't want to play" in her 6-year-old innocence and I'd stare her down and say in my 10-year-old demented authority, "Too bad, it's World War II and you're in Nazi Germany." I always knew I was a brat, but I had no idea I was disturbed. Can anyone top that for creepy childhood games?)

In other news:

We threw Baby J his first birthday party last weekend! His actual birthday was Wednesday and on that day he also had a momentus milestone: his first steps. They were short and unsteady but decisive. Since then he's mostly stuck to crawling but not too long from now he'll be tearing up the house. Here he is at MacPherson's the day before his party:

I started aerial silks again and am trying several places on for size before I choose where to take classes. The three days after the first class reminded me what the initial first three days were like, and now, 6 days later, I'm still a wee bit sore. But my upper body is going to be absolutely ripped inside of 2 months, so that's something to look forward to.

My car is still running great! I got the license plate and have named him Al after the first three letters: AAL.

Seattle Film Festival goes until June 13. I've identified a bunch of movies I'd like to see and am even volunteering as an usher a few times. Let me know if you want to see something!

Finally, I'd like to end with a special shout-out to Amber, currently residing in Gunsan, Korea. Amber knows I adore her so I hope she takes this as the utmost compliment: I always think I lead a pretty cool life until I read your blog. What the hell, Amber? Why you gotta do so many COOL THINGS? You seriously make me -- and everybody -- look bad. (Te echo de menos.)

Updates and a Suggestion: De-Spokeo Yourself

Car update: Turns out I needed about $600 worth of mechanical work to fix the horn, replace the brakes, and get new spark plugs, but our friendly family mechanic told me I wouldn't have to see him again for a long time and that it was a good car, so I'm still feeling great about the purchase and the novelty of driving has not worn off. (More good news: the keyless entry issue was a simple battery replacement.)

Life update: I moved into my new house this weekend! I'm back with my friends K and M and their baby J. More on that later.

General warning: If you don't know about spokeo.com, you should check it out. It lists all the crazy personal information it can get its hands on and sells details to anyone who wants to buy them on the cheap.

Good news: you can remove yourself from it quickly and easily. Just click on the privacy link in the bottom right-hand corner, paste in the URL you want removed, and they will email you a link you have to click on to finalize the deletion.

It's funny how much information they list and even funnier how much is wrong. For instance, I was a woman in my late 30s with children, but the address and some other weird information like my zodiac sign was definitely right.

Almost everyone I searched showed up. So, remove yourself ASAP!

I bought a car!

I'm the proud new owner of a 2003 white Toyota Matrix, all-wheel drive, power everything, decent stereo with a CD AND tape player, and my first car with air conditioning. Interestingly it was the first car I looked at on Craigslist four weeks ago and the dealership just couldn’t move it (since they seem to open only when it pleases them and don’t return calls, go figure) so I was able to get a great price on it and so far it runs smooth as butter. I had made an offer on a 2005 at another dealership but they didn’t come down low enough and I’m grateful because the 2003 actually drives a lot tighter and I like it more in general.

When I got in the car for the first time as its owner and turned it on, Kube 93 was playing. The song “Shot Caller” by L’il Troy started immediately and its first line I found very appropriate: “Wanna be a baller.” That’s me. Then I switched to 101.5 and “Sweet Dreams” by the Eurythmics came on, also appropriate! It’s the first time in my life that I’ve had what could be considered a “nice” car and it’s overall exciting to just have a car at all after several years without one. Here's the super-clean interior:

The first snafus include a horn that doesn’t honk and a keyless entry that doesn’t work, but I’m hoping they are simple fuse and battery replacements and all will be well and it won’t need anything else, except new tires in a few months which I’m already anticipating. Here's my dad trying to fix the horn:

Confidential to anyone who needs car insurance: Geico is the absolute BEST. I had them before and their customer service is second to none. Even after a minor accident (my only one ever, knock on wood) my rate didn’t go up. This time I have full coverage of everything you can think of and I’m paying just $417 for 6 months. Doesn’t get better than that, and if it does I’d question the policy!

In other news, it's after midnight so today is my sister Tessa's birthday. In her honor, here is Cali, our prized family Westie who gave us a bit of a health scare this week but is back to her happy, barky, jumpy self. (How do we know? She comes running at the sound of Redi-whip.) Happy birthday Tess!

Philadelphia, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

I’m back in Seattle with some exciting updates, but first a wrap-up of my incredible five weeks on the east coast.

As most of you know, I used to live on and off in Philadelphia and try to spend about a month each spring there because I love it so much.

When I breeze into Philadelphia I cause a lot of disruption in people’s lives -- and pocketbooks. I have been very lucky to keep so many connections and it’s sort of like an extended party each time I show up, filled with happy hours and dinners and sporting events and festivals and anything else that catches my eye. My Phila friends are eternally accommodating of my event planning.

Thursday, April 29 was an event called Dining out for Life which benefits local AIDS organizations. I lunched with a co-worker at Parc, a French bistro on Rittenhouse square. That night I supped with Ben, Katharine, Mike, Erica, and Dan at Mixto, a Colombian/Cuban spot that was fantastic. In a single day I consumed more creatures than probably ever before, including:

• Escargot
• Shrimp
• Crab
• Lobster
• Calamari
• Mussels
• Tuna
• Tilapia
• Chicken
• Pork
• Beef

I'll do anything for a good cause, especially anything delicious. Sadly no one brought a camera.

Saturday, May 1 was my friend Mike’s birthday, so we went to a Phillies vs. Mets game with other friends Matt and Dory. Mike is a Mets fan and for his birthday they got slaughtered, 11 to 0. We had seats in the direct sun and it was blazing hot but so much fun. After the game we went back to his house for ping pong and cake, then they went out while I went to bed to prepare for our Big Day on Sunday.

Early on in my trip, Mike threw out the idea of a Six Flags trip. Believe it or not I’ve never been to one! So we planned and planned and Sunday, May 2nd finally arrived. Many invites were extended but I was pleased in the end that the group ended up being 5 since we all fit into one car and it was an easy size to wrangle.

With Erica at the wheel and Ben, Mike, Dan and me as co-pilots, we slowly made our way out of the city due to traffic blocks from the Broad Street run. Once out it was a breezy 45-minute drive to Jackson, New Jersey and Six Flags Great Adventure, one of their most impressive parks with the tallest/fasted roller coaster in the world, one of the biggest, fastest wooden coasters in the world, and a few other ‘most’ claims to fame. Here we are just before going into the park. Did I mention it was 90 degrees? They made fun of me all day because I would find any patch of shade and stand in it.

There was a general worry that we’d show up late and be stuck waiting in crazy long lines so that by the end of the day, our $50 tickets wouldn’t have much payout. We were pleased to be wrong and it paid off to go on an early season day (they aren’t even open midweek yet). The longest we waited for any ride was about 20 minutes and we walked right onto most of them. Here Erica and I are, just minutes into the park.

We got on our first coaster at 1 pm and by 6 pm we’d been on 11 of ‘em! It was by far my biggest coaster day ever and I was saturated by day's end. I got gradually woozier after each ride and that night I couldn’t even close my eyes because I got dizzy each time. (I ended up sleeping at a 45 degree angle with pillows propped up behind me.)

Happily we were a very cohesive group with identical goals: roller coasters and food. No one wanted to play arcade games or waste time on piddly carnival-style rides. We went straight for the big-ticket rides like Superman, El Toro, and Kingda Ka. I have to admit, Kingda Ka was my least favorite. It’s the world’s tallest, fastest coaster and shoots you from 0 to 128 MPH in a mere 3 seconds on a JET LAUNCHER. That part was definitely cool, but then you go straight up 456 feet (a 45-story building!) and right back down and you’re done a mere 24 seconds later. If I’d waited more than 15 minutes I probably would have been mad. It doesn't look that tall here but trust me, it feels tall when you're on top of it.

Confidential to anyone going to Great Adventure: do not waste your time on the Dark Knight! It was the worst ride by far and not worth even a 5 minute wait, let alone the 2 hour line they have during peak season.

The Monday after Six Flags started my last full workweek, a struggle of concentration with a zillion distractions and looming deadlines every day. Wednesday was my last official happy hour and, since it was Cinco de Mayo, most people were down for a few drinks. Thursday Adam and Lydia and I went to my favorite BYOB, Melograno, with two bottles of wine I brought back from Argentina. The food and the wine were amazing and couldn’t be overshadowed by our presumptuous waiter who thought we were BFF or the random group of meowing diners behind us. Here we are getting gelato afterward:
Friday was my last day in the office and I treated myself with my favorite tourist activity: Reading Terminal. It was hard because I wanted to eat at so many places but decided on my first love, the Dutch Dining place and their famous turkey sandwich with mashed potatoes. (It will surprise no one that I gained weight in Philadelphia. Don’t hassle me; I’m already working on getting it off.)

Friday was also my last night and a great excuse to throw a party. We called it “Siete de Mayo” and offered some Mexican-inspired snacks, plus the World’s Biggest Pizza. Seriously. I don’t think the picture fully communicates just how ridiculously large it was, but this is the box it came in:

We also got a keg which transported us all back to college parties full of beer pong, flip cup, living room dance parties, silly snafus that drunk people couldn’t stop talking about, and a late-night off-color joke session. Unlike college the house wasn’t trashed and people pitched in without being asked so that we had fully cleaned everything by the time we went to bed.

Saturday was my last day and started with the pleasant chance to sleep in, followed by La Colombe coffee, pancakes, and bacon that Lydia lovingly prepared. I packed my bags and then Adam and I headed down to Passyunk square to drink margaritas before my flight. US Airways charged me $120 for my one-way, non-stop ticket. Once at the airport I had to pay $27 for my first bag, $37 for my second bag… and $50 for being 8 pounds over the weight limit. D’oh! Almost as much on luggage as the ticket itself. I spoke too soon since not two days before I was bragging about how being nice had kept me from ever having to pay overage fees before. It was still cheaper than shipping it, though, and I was pleased to pay it knowing it is the last time that I will ever have to travel with that much baggage EVER AGAIN.

I am so relieved at the thought of staying put, and when I decide to travel, packing a small suitcase and leaving for short(er) periods of time like a normal person. I move into my digs on Saturday so just a few more days of living out my giant suitcases at my parents’ house left, but it’s so great to be able to spend this time with them so the suitcases aren’t phasing me (too much). The mere thought of having all my worldly belongings in one space for the first time in my adult life makes me giddy, and it’s going to be a reality inside of a week. I can’t wait to unpack.

Seattle updates soon… but first, a special shout-out to my favorite east coast pet and roommate, Clarence. This is the sweetest dog and I miss his antics already.

East Coast Catch-Up

**Update: Sorry I wasn't clear about where the pictures are. You can click on my Picasa link if you scroll down and look to the right, or just go here.**

Apparently my lack of blogging of late has led some to speculate that I am off the wagon. Never fear! I have simply been jam-packed busy in the last three weeks with east coast antics.

The good news is, today is a rainy, overcast day and I've been busy with administrative updates. Not only did I label the photos I uploaded weeks ago, but I've uploaded and labeled TWO NEW ALBUMS. You read that right, folks. If you need a serious time-killer, check them out. I think there are about 200 of them spanning Argentina, New York, and Philadelphia.

The rest of my time in NYC was really pleasant. I got one beautiful sunny day which I used to admire Central Park and go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the first time in my life. I've been studying art history for a course I'm producing and it was so much fun actually knowing something about the artworks. Kim met me there and then we went back through the park for a snack and a stroll. Isn't springtime the most incredible, inspiring season? I stuck my nose in every blooming gardenia I could find.


That night we went to Kim's boyfriend's sushi restaurant which was divine, and the next day was sunny but a lot cooler so our return to the park left Kim, Beth and me shivering a bit. Still worth it! Every time I go to NY I try to see a Broadway show but my plans are always foiled. But they were very accomodating of my wish to see some sort of live theater and we settled on a hilarious, family-fun spectacle called 46 Circus Acts in 45 Minutes. They were an Australian group and totally nailed it! Afterward we had dinner reservations at a fancy spot but we were all beat so we went back to Beth's, ordered take-out, and watched TV. It was heaven.

I was also able to connect with two dear friends from the Engman family who happened to be in town, Charlie and Kathleen, for brunch on Sunday (my second American brunch in two days - no complaints here) before heading to Philadelphia with Matt. That was Easter Sunday and they invited some friends over for dinner and egg dye-ing fun. Then all of a sudden it was Monday morning and I was back to working in an actual office setting for the first time in 7 months.

That's part of what's been keeping me so busy: work is a madhouse this time of year and will be until at least July 1. Of course I've been fitting plenty of fun in. I am notorious for organizing group events while in town, which so far have included:

• A day of watching Roller Derby (what an exhilirating and entertaining sporting event!)
• A night of Quizzo aka Quiz Night
• Two work happy hours plus a Tuesday late-night karaoke session followed by Little Pete's
• A Saturday adventure just like old times with Matt, this one including a trip to a taco truck and then Home Depot, resulting in the creation of an an herb garden, and the construction of an anti-squirrel cold frame

Many meals out including Reading Terminal with the visiting Ruzzo sisters, BYO dinner at the famous La Viola, and an evening with Adam and Lydia at the world-famous Vetri (considered by some master chefs to be the best Italian restaurant in the country - I had to make reservations 3 weeks in advance and yes, it was INCREDIBLE)

Here we are after our meal at Vetri with the awesome sommelier Bill. He was friendly and funny and most importantly, helpful. I knew it was fancy when we had to ask our server what half the items on the menu were, and yet it managed to avoid being pretentious while still delivering the highest standard of service I've ever experienced. We created our own version of a tasting menu which included a warm salad with coddled egg and panceta (accompanied by Prosseco/a Manhattan), another salad with thinly sliced seppie fish, watercress and peas. Then we moved onto pasta: melty, delicate spinach gnocchi with brown butter; fettucine with morels and sweet breads; papardelle with duck. Then baby goat and soft polenta, all accompanied by a greaet bottle of Italian red. We finished off with a chocolate souffle and vanilla bean ice cream and shared a glass of red-wine-esque port. A very memorable 2.5 hour dinner with Mark Vetri himself working the dining room.

On the horizon is a trip to Six Flags (I've never been!), another karaoke bash and a Phillies game. I love this city! Though I wish I could get a warmer spring in the next two weeks before I'm back in Seattle...

I'm still thrilled to be back and not feeling any sort of cultural shock, regret at leaving Argentina, or a desire to be anywhere but where I am.