an Epic Hello

And then?! As if anything could top this hello, I got a NERF GUN for christmas! It was the family present, meant to be shared between all girls and boys alike. But for me, mostly because of this message, it holds weight.

Toys for life.

Southern Tradition

Says Wikipedia:

"Freaknik was an annual meeting in Atlanta, GA, primarily of students from historically black colleges and universities. Begun in 1982 as a small picnic, it was initially sponsored by The DC Metro Club and was typically held during the third weekend in April to coincide with the schools of the Atlanta University Center's Reading Day. The event increased in size and popularity in the 1990s with dancing, drinking, parties, a basketball tournament, rap sessions, a film festival and a job fair. Atlantans' reception of the festival was mixed. In its heyday, the fest attracted upwards of 250,000 revelers to the city. Many residents attended and enjoyed Freaknik, and others complained about traffic congestion due to street parties. City leaders eventually took measures to curtail Freaknik's accessibility, and hence its popularity. As a result, Freaknik moved to Memorial Drive in Dekalb County then Daytona Beach, Florida."

To me, it was an annual reason for our family to, once again, avoid the crowded streets of traffic-laden Atlanta and enjoy the inner warmth of suburbia. For Hannah, it was an event personified by a t-shirt brought back to her, as a gift, by her Father's magical paralegal/co-worker, Lesilie.

Either way, here is the modern form known by us. Yesssss, the South!

Trick Daddy

Sometimes, you gotta Google.

Portland Visitor #43

PH, Alex's friend from NYC, wrote a travelogue about his time here.

Hopefully going into too much details means I didn't leave out anything crucial. We might forget the great oldies, but now we'll never forget the good times...

Sun 7/26
Number 4 to New Seasons; Sitting on the stoop with Mamie and Meg; Iced coffee and walk to the carts; Lightning Boggle; Alex fall #1, from futon.

Mon 7/27
Excruciating walk to bank, Stumptown, New Seasons; Trip with Dale and Marisa to coast: Cherries from produce store; Jerky from stand with yellow-jacket-squishing woman; Picnic at Short Sands beach in Oswald park; Alex joins team Tina on overlook; Brief stop at beach at Manzanita; Tillamook cheese factory and excessive ice cream consumption; Dramatic reading and analysis of The Dragon in the Ghetto Caper throughout; Bike ride to Glisan St. house; Drinks and food at Beulahland.

Tues 7/28
Brunch with Dale at Jam, served by Danby dude; Heat-induced indecisiveness and wandering; Iced tea and Boggle at Townshend's with Dale and later Jane; With Jane to the Rose Garden; Then dropped off for a walk through Hoyt Arboretum; Alex fall #2, in front of house; Off for a walk around neighborhood and bike ride on the Spingwater trail, while Alex was off to win frisbee championship with a big D; Bike ride to trivia night at lame place with Jane and fam.

Wed 7/29
A/C at Palio; Lunch downtown with Rachel at the dinerant; Outdoor store for sandals for Alex, complete with pregnant neighbor; Powell's for young adult lit; Rashevski's Tango at the Living Room theater; Learning first-hand that there are no fans downtown; Downtown Stumptown; Hanging out at Glisan St. house; Dinner at Pambiche; Sneaking into show fail at the Laurelthrist; Hanging out at Glisan St. house; 3D glasses and 3D picture viewing.

Thurs 7/30
Brunch at Juniors; Stamps!; Wild Ocean at OMSI; Alex fall #3, on pavement, due to overly inquisitive construction worker; Intense happy hour Boggle at the Press Club; New Seasons for Jane's party stuff; Well-informed by the train operator on the MAX ride to the airport!

Changing the Course of History

Another win for Miss Hannah Lowen, with her website that has accrued over 4.5 million hits

Hire me, damnit!

Here's another way of going about it: Matt Ferris Smith, ladies and gentleman....

Soprano

Clare's little sister, singing in the St Andrews choir.

Check it

It's one of those many many moments where you think to yourself, 'why did I ever stop playing piano', or 'i could totally sing in a band instead of the shower', or 'how have I still not mastered an instument'. The Seekins are so good at fostering these fundamental niceties in life. PS, Grace is class president. Kill it girl.

10-4, you hear me?

At a certain crossroads in the Mississippi Delta, for one weekend of the year, lives a raucous crew of King Biscuit Blues Festival go'ers.

Amongst them is the now infamous LiveWire who is the first I've heard of to sign text messages with an icon.

The rumor on the street is that he likes to party, mostly in trucks.