Birthday rolling celebration
So my birthday was on Thursday. I decided that what I wanted was a long leisurely weekend for myself, so I worked on Thursday and then took Friday off.
Friday, varina8 and I went to Olympus Women's Spa, there to be pampered to our heart's content. I got a body wrap and a massage. For the wrap, they slather nutritious mud all over you--it smelled like dog biscuits to me--and then wrap you in several layers of insulation, then lay you on a heated table to bake. I felt a little bit like a baked potato--but my skin felt terrific when we were done. The massage was excellent; the woman who worked on me gave me some excellent tips for maintaining the positive effects of the massage over the next couple of weeks. I plan to take her instructions seriously.
Yesterday morning, I participated in a panel discussion--Writers in Fantasy--at the EMP's Myth & Magic Faire. Besides me, the roster included Greg Bear, Robin Hobb and J.A. Pitts (our own bravado111). WE had a good, fairly wide-ranging discussion. Greg was our moderator, which meant that we got into the historical roots of the genre as well as its earlier incarnations in the 1920s and 30s. The audience was pretty responsive; they stayed and were interested so I think we were pretty successful. The marketer in me kept thinking that our discussion ought to be a little more pop-culturey than it was, given that we weren't talking to a convention crowd; it was more mainstream fans. But I still think it went well. We had lunch at the Armory, and then I had to take off a) because the meter on my car was running out and because b) I had a date with EB for some tidepooling.
Yesterday was one of the low-tide days here, when the tidepooling provides wonderful glimpses of sea life. I drove out to West Seattle, and then E and I went to Constellation Park, where I've never been before. It's a shingle beach beyond the end of Alki Point. Unfortunately, by the time we got there, though the tide was low, a lot of the beach was dried out because it was so hot and sunny (and beautiful--really, Seattle is incomparable in summer time). In the end, there wasn't much to see except rocks shrouded by drying seaweed. We ended up walking back to Alki, getting cold drinks, sitting on the beach and chatting. We ultimately went back to her place, sat under the awning in the backyard and just talked for a while. It was a glorious afternoon of being lazy and pleasant with a friend.
This morning, I'm Task Girl. I have Tasks to do and I'm checking them off my list one by one. And this was one of my tasks: to catch up on LJ and keep my presence, well, present.
Happy Summer Day, everyone! Go out and enjoy!
Friday, varina8 and I went to Olympus Women's Spa, there to be pampered to our heart's content. I got a body wrap and a massage. For the wrap, they slather nutritious mud all over you--it smelled like dog biscuits to me--and then wrap you in several layers of insulation, then lay you on a heated table to bake. I felt a little bit like a baked potato--but my skin felt terrific when we were done. The massage was excellent; the woman who worked on me gave me some excellent tips for maintaining the positive effects of the massage over the next couple of weeks. I plan to take her instructions seriously.
Yesterday morning, I participated in a panel discussion--Writers in Fantasy--at the EMP's Myth & Magic Faire. Besides me, the roster included Greg Bear, Robin Hobb and J.A. Pitts (our own bravado111). WE had a good, fairly wide-ranging discussion. Greg was our moderator, which meant that we got into the historical roots of the genre as well as its earlier incarnations in the 1920s and 30s. The audience was pretty responsive; they stayed and were interested so I think we were pretty successful. The marketer in me kept thinking that our discussion ought to be a little more pop-culturey than it was, given that we weren't talking to a convention crowd; it was more mainstream fans. But I still think it went well. We had lunch at the Armory, and then I had to take off a) because the meter on my car was running out and because b) I had a date with EB for some tidepooling.
Yesterday was one of the low-tide days here, when the tidepooling provides wonderful glimpses of sea life. I drove out to West Seattle, and then E and I went to Constellation Park, where I've never been before. It's a shingle beach beyond the end of Alki Point. Unfortunately, by the time we got there, though the tide was low, a lot of the beach was dried out because it was so hot and sunny (and beautiful--really, Seattle is incomparable in summer time). In the end, there wasn't much to see except rocks shrouded by drying seaweed. We ended up walking back to Alki, getting cold drinks, sitting on the beach and chatting. We ultimately went back to her place, sat under the awning in the backyard and just talked for a while. It was a glorious afternoon of being lazy and pleasant with a friend.
This morning, I'm Task Girl. I have Tasks to do and I'm checking them off my list one by one. And this was one of my tasks: to catch up on LJ and keep my presence, well, present.
Happy Summer Day, everyone! Go out and enjoy!