Marie

This spring break, I spent the week on my uncle's houseboat in Seattle. Docked on Lake Union, it has a great view of downtown Seattle and Queen Anne, with the Space Needle seeming only a stone's throw away. Even though I lived in Seattle for a summer when I was 18, I spent most of my break doing the tourist thing. I went to the Seattle Art Museum to see the Roman art exhibit, which was great, but after seeing 30 or so marble statues of emperors and their wives, I sort of got the picture and was ready to move on...the best part was the Gates of Paradise exhibit. The Gates are made up of 9 bronze panels, each depicting a scene from Genesis. It begins with Adam and Eve, moving through the stories of Noah, Cain and Abel, Abraham, and other major biblical figures. Only three of the panels are on display, but the incredible detail of the carvings makes the trip worth it.

Continue reading "Spring Break in Seattle" »

Posted by Marie at 06:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The background: Evergreen is nestled in acres and acres of temperate rain forest. We have trails. We have a beach. There are creatures at the beach.

Yesterday I had a meeting scheduled from 4-5pm. An important meeting, though it wouldn't particularly suffer from my absence. Still, an obligation all the same. It was at the meeting before this one (Evergreen is also nestled in acres and acres of meetings, especially on Wednesdays) that I could feel myself gravitating, not toward the seminar room where my next meeting was scheduled, but to the beach. I began to negotiate with myself and soon enough, I had convinced myself of the virtues of walking through the woods, away from my commitments and into that part of Evergreen where nature vanquishes concrete.

Continue reading "The Woods Distract" »

Posted by Marie at 09:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Sitting in Caffe Vita on a Sunday afternoon, these are the things I see:

Two young men in black suits, looking ridiculously serious, cross the street and storm into the cafe. They cross the room in measured, authoritative, steps. One of them slams a black briefcase down on a table where a hipster-looking student type sits unperturbed. He, the tall one, reaches into the briefcase and grabs a roll of ducktape. Oh crap, I laugh. He rips off a piece of tape and smacks it over the kid's the mouth. What the hell, I laugh harder.

Continue reading "The Most Olympia Moment" »

Posted by Marie at 02:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

'Oh, the cathartic qualities of electronic music,' I mused as I stood squished between giant speakers on my right and a kinetic, dancing couple on my left. Friday night I was privy to the intoxicating sights and sounds of Gumar and his Magical Midi Band, an Oly-based performative phenomenon that's swept through the town like wild fire. This weekend, the band--a DJ, two additional vocalists, and a slew of friends touting glammed up mock instruments-- took prestigious stage at the Washington Center for Performing Arts, "rocking out" to a crowd of fiercely loyal followers. I'd caught snippets of Midi Band shows in the past, but this was the first time I had the privilege of experiencing an entire set. Yes, experiencing, not listening or watching. The band performs, in the strongest sense of the word, and the audience ingests it all: emphatic and infectious beats, heartwarming and hilarious lyrics, off the cuff dance moves, glamor and glitz to the utmost, and sweat--a whole lotta' sweat.

Speaking of sweat, Gumar's audience got a little warm-up from another Oly-originated group, The Blow. Comprised of a behind-the-scenes DJ and a commanding front woman, The Blow elevates electronic music to philosophy and sophisticated stand-up. While the dude provides the beats, the singer traverses the set with songs and stories of break-ups, trips through the digestive system, and girl power. If you listen closely, you'll even glean lessons in econ and existentialism; if you attend a show, you'll learn how to dance like a malfunctioning robot and still look cool.

Posted by Marie at 01:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)