Healthy Times
I think my favorite thing about staying the night at Healthy Times is that I get to see Rebecca & Jake*. This is part of my one week "vacation" stint in Seattle before I have to head back up to the Department of Safety for a while. I had a rad hour and a half project meeting today in Ballard for a really big [secret] project I'll be working on lightly for the next two months. In those months I believe the project will mainly consist of meetings and scheduling those meetings. After that it's probably going to be a consistent WIP that I'll be making weekend trips down to work on.
I partook in a SDIY meeting, made a flyer for the Riot Grrrl Karaoke event in thirty minutes (I could have made a better one. You'll probably see it in a day or two after dear friend Benji scans it), then went to a birthday show at the Jewel Box in Bell Town. I ran all the way down from Capital Hill and came to realize I've really missed Seattle.
--
Jenn's V-Day birthday was a complete blast! I stopped writing and doing anything else that would lead Jenn to know that I was back in the states. It was part of a grand scheme to surprise the hell out of her and it's only fair since I missed the hell out of her for the three months I've been gone.
I arrived in Bellingham about 14:00 on Saturday with time to kill until I rolled over to Friendship City. I stopped by my dear Matt's place that our Susan wasn't presently at. There was a birthday gig she had to be at in Bellevue for her sister or something. I visited with Matt, told him about my adventures and we listened to a pirated benefit comp that contained a song we were discussing when I was in Paris. It was David Byrnes and Dirty Projectors teaming up on a song; It's the most bizarre sounding thing ever.
I left Matt and Susan's pad and I waited for my hour and a half to expire then thinking about doing something that didn't involve accidently running into anyone that would blow my cover. Then I recalled that there isn't really anything to do in Bellingham if your, let's say, homeless and keeping out of downtown. So... I bought birthday oranges and sat in my car for thirty minutes reflecting file up until the age of twenty-one. This was proceeded by a loud eff-bomb and my car starting.
My mission was a success! I walked around to the back of the house, and knocked on the kitchen window since A) the back door is always locked (except during party time) and B) I knew she would be in the kitchen prepping. I just knocked on the glass, startled her, and she yelled something like "Oh my god! Kenneth's back ____" in Americal, from Europe, or just back. I don't recall. The following hug was probably the best hug I've had since late July. We caught up a bit I greeted folks as they arrived, some were surprised, some had no idea I'd been gone and... Well... Eh, I pretty much expected that. It was dear to my heart to see Sam "Sweethearter", Chris, and Jessica.
The night was pretty fucking sweet. Addition played, Alex + Trevor/Trevor + Alex played, Laine and Ashley did their very lovely Femme Uke set, and we all danced and drank. I spoke with some people that I hadn't really seen before and had a really fantastic time. I recall my heart feeling grand like a clean set of whistles polished with Johnny Walkers whilst suppressing any nonsense that had come up in my memories while dancing. Unfortunately, I had a bit too much to drink and after speaking to a very nice person, Allison, she needed to dance and I needed to pass out on the couch.
It was one of those obscure moments where your sleeping but you can still hear everything. It was like someone switched on two tape decks but turned off the first with such proper timing that I didn't notice. When the second and shorter tape ran out, that was when someone woke me up and said something to me. I recall the Delta 5 song "Mind Your Own Business" playing and me expelling about a tablespoon of spew in front of the couch. Then being swiftly taken to the bathroom doorway where someone suddenly plunged silver bowl under my head where I expelled most of the remains of what once was digesting in my stomach.
In that moment of Jessica rubbing my back, Paul Cleaning up my vomit, and hearing a couple of "Oh"'s in the background; I felt something that has eluded me for months and months. I felt an overwhelming feeling of love.
Also that there was now vomit in my nasal cavity. I think this was the first time that I've blissed and smiled while spewing.
I declare this: That Valentines day is no longer a legitimate holiday. February 14th is now global "Jenn _______ Day."
*aka: "Rebecca + Jake = Awesome"
