What I’ve been up to:
Oooph, it’s been busy! We had a party where we (finally!!) made paella over an open, orange wood fire and it looked, smelled and tasted amazing. More importantly, no one caught on fire and even more importantly, many of our friends came to see us off on our next adventure moving home to Vancouver.
Then I rode with my Rainier Ravens and Dykes Who Ride (aka Dykes on Bikes) in the Seattle Pride Parade. This was an amazingly joyous and beautiful experience but also triumphant because it was my CB400’s re-debut back into the world (in grand style) after we crashed into a truck.
And then to celebrate Canada Day, I went to visit the wolves and their friends at an animal rescue. What an amazing experience.
Seems like a long time ago but Matt and I also went to see El Dorado at the Can Can and laughed our asses off. So funny, and sparkly!

Now I am planning to go on a bit of a road trip to kill some time before the movers come but I’m exhausted and sore and not packed and it’s raining so not a lot of progress has been made there yet.
What was beautiful:
This article about my cousin’s project in the Straight. It’s a couple of years old but really good, especially in context with the musical component.
This story by Flying Edna. “It’s too easy to get caught up in the big death, she said, but it’s the little deaths that kill you.”



What I’m reading and listening to:
BOOKS –
MOVIES –
Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good” Not sure how this got stuck into my head but I am loving it.
Belén López‘s music
The Anthropocene Reviewed podcast that I have recently become acquainted with, but I particularly loved this episode. So many good lines in there that I don’t have time to transcribe.
ARTICLES –
Birds fly by seeing magnetic fields
Three suprising solutions to climate change
The real story behind Gastown’s Gassy Jack. Doesn’t seem surprising to me.
Good news:
Peregrine Falcons Nesting in Seattle. Actually very common – they are a species that has adapted well to urban living – but cool to see some locals.
Cold swims could help with anxiety and depression. And here I thought I just liked cold water diving for the octopuses.
Bad news:
The high cost of cheap fashion
Greenland temperatures soar, melting record amounts of ice
Men and Women who perished trying to reach Europe
Animals are becoming nocturnal to avoid us / survive
Links found between grain free dog food and heart disease
A heartbreaking exhibit of clothes worn by rape victims – to prove it wasn’t their fault
Companies drain women’s ambition after only 2 years
ON EMPATHY –
Empathy vs. Sympathy. An oldie but a goodie.
ON SOBRIETY –
Breaking the booze habit “For drinkers who have become alcohol dependent, taking a short break is likely not an option. Many people who drink heavily have not had an easy road in managing their relationship with alcohol.”
“All my drinking was really centered around community and wanting that connection so badly with other people,” he says.
ON WORK –
Doctors without Borders do mental health
People have more control over their emotions than we thought
BC launches increased support for mental health and additions
