The alarm on my cellphone woke me up at 8:00 am. I fell back asleep and dreamt of controversy with a strange girl who came into my life abruptly. The conflict turned physical and somewhere throughout the struggle came mutual shame and then earnest friendship. We had just begun to laugh and explore this new harmony when my alarm went off a second time... at 8:04.

I should really be doing more productive things with the last few hours of the evening, but I'm thinking about video games. I haven't touched my PS2 in months and I have the urge to play Final Fantasy. I'm going to blog instead, it's getting a bit late and if I start a game now I might not stop until two in the morning.

I fondly remember my first Nintendo system and all my favorite games like Mario Brothers, Star Soldier and Zelda. My siblings and I were quite taken by it and spent hours wandering around in all the various 8-bit wonderlands. That is, of course, until the fateful day I came home from school to find the beloved NES on the chopping block with a great big ugly gash across the surface made by my Father's axe. Our harsh punishment for being late on feeding the horses one too many times. At that age, I don't think I've ever seen anything more horrible...

I returned to the game console scene pretty late and barely ventured past Final Fantasy. Even now, the quality of graphics in those games never cease to amaze me. Square-Enix has the world licked when it comes to making realistic characters and someday, it will be very hard to tell what's real and what's not. I can only wonder what's they'll accomplish in another ten years.

Or fifty... When I'm too old to play or too "mature." I hope to never become one of those bitter old ladies who observes the next techno-craze with the same disgust my Grandfather has towards ebay and the yu-gi-oh trading cards my little Cousin loves so much. What will it be like for our generation at seventy-five?

"Kids these days, they don't appreciate anything. Why back in my day we had to play video games on the TV! Do you remember the TV!? Of course you don't! And we didn't have this virtual reality nonsense, we had CGI and that was good enough for us!"

Maybe I'll never truly grow up.

Since I've been living with Sister my eating habits have changed and for the better. Unless she is cooking (and she's a damn good cook), I eat very simply and get by easily on things like tuna, peanut-butter, salads, fruits and pitas lined with humus. Quite a change from the old-fashioned three course meals I used to sit down to less than a year ago. While I do not consider myself to be a vegetarian, I don't even cook meat anymore.

I have yet to swear off the occasional "bad" foods and right now, what I really want instead of this hippy salad with the weird Asian dressing is a fat juicy all-American cheeseburger. I don't want it on a whole-wheat bun either, give me old fashioned white! And some starch. Yes! A pile of greasy french fries to dip into a glob of tartar sauce. To drink, I'd like a super-sized Dr Pepper and I want it straight out of the dispenser, because it always taste better that way.

Mmm Dr Pepper, sweet nectar of the gods.

But no, not tonight. Because I succumbed to the Darkside yesterday and had pizza and burritos from Taco Bell, I must repent by finishing a tall glass of H2O and this hippy salad with the weird Asian dressing.

The Half-Blood Prince has already sold 6.9 million copies, or at least that is the latest I've heard, and while I have yet to finish the first book, I am absolutely delighted to know that hoards of young people are reading it. It is also nice to see a significant drop in all the silly controversy. What is it with the folks who say they love the works of JRR Tolkein and CS Lewis but find Harry Potter so dangerous? And what type of magic are we talking about here? Do people really think their son or daughter will be able to acquire the type of "power" it takes to launch off the floor on a broom?

Pity those children who's parents forbid the reading of a good fairy tale or stunt the growth of a wild imagination because it's "dangerous." As a young girl I lived in a fantasy world. My heroes were Merlin, the Pevensie children and Sarah from Labyrinth. Instead of having tea parties, I crossed swords of pvc pipe and duct tape with my cousin Trisha. My friend Alicia and I used to put on hooded capes and trot around the pasture on my horses like we were elves or the riders of Rohan. And each night, before I drifted off to sleep, I created my own magical lands where I battled the forces of evil with good wizards or rode the sky atop of dragons. All of it was wonderful and it never brought me to the occult... not even close.

Fresh off Geek Press...

Apple HQ missing from Microsoft Earth.

And now Google has claimed the moon!

Blue Fields by Nobuo Uematsu.

I saw myself in a meadow by the sea. A meadow with tall waving grass and dandelions in seed, all lit up by the glow of a low-hanging sun.

I don't think I've ever heard a song more peaceful...

I am in Seattle right now, blogging from the nifty Motore Coffee and internet cafe. A nice way to spend the next few hours until my bus departs to Sunnyside.

Last night, a couple friends and I drove out to the Bayview Estuary to play in the phosphorus that can only be seen a week out of the whole year. We couldn't see the phosphorus very well because of the bright glare of the moon, nonetheless it was an enjoyable evening that ended with a midnight swim. I tell you friends, there is nothing quite like skinny dipping in the sea under that extraordinary moon! I don't think I've ever felt more alive, free and content... Now I wish I wasn't heading to Eastern Washington so I could do it again tonight.

Anyhoo, the phosphorus should still be around for a few days, so if any of you are close to the sea, check it out because it won't be around again until next year.

Adios!

Lot's of good stuff going on space tonight. There's the possibility of auroras and even if that doesn't pan out we can enjoy some spectacular lunar lighting! Just in time for the 36th anniversary of the moon landing and Mike's last day at Humble ISP.

I'll miss having a fellow space enthusiast in the office. Just who will share the next Titan flyby with me? Or the Venus Express Launch? Or.. *sob* ...the discovery of chlorophyll on Europa?

Adios, Mike. You will be missed!

Tick tock, tick tock. Come on 10 PM! I'm bored, so I'll while away the last few minutes of my abnormally late work shift blogging the new War of the Worlds movie.

Before I begin, I will admit that I am a movie snob. If any of my readers were to see the list of movies I've scaled on Netflix, they would notice that out of the 803 flicks , only 10 were given 5 stars. Even my 4 star rating is pretty low compared to other lists I have seen. I'm not much of a movie buff, it takes a lot to impress me and I went to see War of the Worlds expecting disappointent.

I was wrong and caught completely off guard. Steven Spielberg truly is a great director. He tied the suspense and human element together beautifully! Many times throughout the film, I was gripping my seat or clasping my hands to my mouth antcipating the next scene. I haven't felt thrills like that in years! I only wished I had never seen the older movie so I might have been able to experience Spielberg's version without knowning the demise of the alien invaders.

I couldn't care at all for the way it ended, but I was still very impressed. I will say that because it's not a movie I can imagine adding to my video collection, I render it 3 stars.

So I decided to move to Bellingham in September and start school at the Whatcom Community College in January. Quite a big step for me and honestly, I'm not even sure what I'm going to study, I just know that I don't want to be in computer support for the rest of my life.

This decision is not without a moment or two of hesitation. I worry about living in Bellingham. Not that I dislike the place, Bellingham is great... a hip little city, but that's just what it is... a city and I have no idea how to live in one. I've been a country girl all of my life.

What will I do in the city? My home is surrounded by mountains, farmland and forest. My commute to work and back cuts through empty meadows and pastures dotted with cattle and horses. I experience the country everyday and it has a rather healing effect on me. Please tell me, someone, how do you rejuvenate in a city?

To those within my small audience who are interested:

SOLAR ACTIVITY: Solar activity has suddenly increased with a series of strong explosions from sunspot 786, the latest an X1-class flare at 1055 UT on July 14th. Because the sunspot is near the sun's western limb (see below), none of the blasts was Earth directed. Nevertheless, coronal mass ejections hurled into space by these explosions (movies: #1, #2) could deliver glancing blows to Earth's magnetic field as early as tonight and continuing through the weekend, possibly sparking geomagnetic storms. Sky watchers in Canada and northern US states should be alert for auroras.

- Spaceweather.com

The forecast says "Partly Cloudy" for the Skagit and Whatcom Counties. No surprise, huh?

Gotta love that Northwest Weather!

It's been a strange but hectic day at Humble ISP. Support was reduced to only two technicians to mange the many phone calls and walk-ins. It has left my co-worker and I very fatigued and cranky, but we're holding out. It will not be much longer until we are gone and right now, it is blissfully quiet. I hear only the whirl of computer fans and the printer that hums like the monolith. I am so ready to vegge out.

On days like these, my eyes will often drift from the monitor to a young oak tree on the other side of the office window. If I'm not careful, I might stare at that tree for hours. Spellbound by its gentle sway and the glare of sunlight on a thousand waxy leaves.

Until the phone rings and I hold in the urge to berate the customer. How dare you sit at your computer on such a beautiful day? Why are you calling me? Don't you have yard work to do? Isn't there a lake to swim in? A trail to hike? Sunshine is a pretty rare sight in these parts, madam!

Hold on Jessi, you're almost out of here.

*Sigh* The oak tree is a door way to wonderland where I am a part-time resident.

Bummer, the clouds have come. So much for seeing Venus and Mercury with a cresent Moon tonight.

******

To celebrate the new look:

"On Friday evening, July 8th, step outside and look west toward the glow of the setting sun. You'll see Venus and, just above it, the slender crescent Moon. Now wait a bit until the sky grows darker and Mercury pops into view, too. It's a beautiful gathering."

- Spaceweather.com.

Once again, Beau, you've done a fantastic job! I wish you lived up here so I could buy you a beer right now! Washington misses you.

My horoscope said I was suppossed to strike gold on the 6th, meet Sir Knight-in-Shining-Armor on the 18th and lose those pesky vanity pounds by the 27th. Thanks to NASA, my whole month is ruined.

Poor me! Whatever will I do?

I am rejoicing! Bailey is found and is safe at home.

Email me. :-(

What a time machine music can be!

I spent Thursday night in front of my computer, sucking down a bottle of Shiraz and sifting through gigs of various music. I clicked on Scar Tissue and I found myself at the Bellingham Drive In Theater waiting to watch a double feature with my then-boyfriend. I selected "It's Good to be King" and I was driving my 85 Honda Accord down Prairie Rd, smoking a certain leafy substance with Bryn. When I heard "November Rain" I remembered the good days when MTV actually featured music videos instead of scantily clad college students at Spring Break.

I remembered other things, like my first stereo, cassette tape (the Bangles) and compact disc (Eagles: Hotel California).

That was ages ago. Where has time gone?

I turned 25 today. It's hard to believe that a quarter century of my life has already passed. Oddly, it feels like only yesterday when I graduated High School. At this rate, I'll be 50 before I know it.

And now, an ode to music, memory and friendship!

The Rock of 1997... ah Annie, some of the best times I had were with you! Remember running from the cops that Labor Day weekend at the Sumas Rodeo?

Joy, talk about ZZ Top and that crazy party in Van Zandt when we moshed so hard to "Break Stuff" we made the house leap. You have a knack for bringing out my inner lunatic!

Bryn... Burlington Hill, girlfriend. All in all, there are too many songs between you and I. Just where should I begin, sister in all but blood?

Thanks for everything guys...