Pictures from the Show

Sethalicious playing Guitar
Originally uploaded by kharms5253

I posted some new pictures from the show last night. The band sounded great and looked great.

The venue was a bit hot, but nonetheless a great show!

Perusing email...

I was looking back through previous emails today and came across a funny one...

Cable problem solved; Front porch light not working still; Hall closet/bedroom doors not working still; Also, just noticed that the Master bedroom light is hanging off the ceiling which should not be happening

Otherwise, all is well!!! Please let me know if you would like me to submit these issues to CIS myself and I will be happy to do so on Wednesday when I am over there.

I work at a Computer Help Desk. As you can see, this person is a little confused as to what types of things we fix...ceiling fans, porch lights and door knobs are obviously controlled by the computer department

The Internal response was even better:

Please forward all illumination issues, incandescent or otherwise, to the Server Management Team. Enclosure breach concerns (i.e. doors, doorknobs, striker plates, loose jams) should be forwarded to the respective Faculty/Staff Support Rep ASAP.

----------------
Now playing: Fireman - Sing The Changes
via FoxyTunes

Heat in Seattle

Sunlight Reflection
Originally uploaded by kharms5253

Boy! It's been incredibly hot over here lately. I can't believe we've had temperatures in the 90's and will continue on this way until Thursday evening.

Seattle has two Severe Weather Warnings in effect right now, one for Stagnant Air and the other for Excessive Heat. Us Seattlelites are not used to this suffering!! Make it stop! It's not even cooling off at night!

Without any central air (AC) the days pass much slower than they should. Even my poor cat has been sleeping on the floor in front of the fan. Poor little furball. With all his fur I'm sure this heat isn't making him happy either. :(

Tomorrow is the CIS BBQ at Golden Gardens. I'm excited to get out to the beach for a little while. I might even wear a swimsuit to go wading. It's hot enough that it might be worth it to stick my toes in the freezing cold water.

Welp, with that in mind, there are a few new pics up today. From my weekend excursion to Kerry Park and Alki. These are pretty common tourista places, but Sarah was/is in town til tomorrow, so I thought it'd be worth it.

Cheers!

EP Release for The Nine Tailors

The Nine Tailors are having an EP Release in Ballard tomorrow! I'm excited to hear them all play. I've seen some of their shows before, but not since they added Seth to the mix. I hear he's a good guitarist. :)

For more information, go to http://www.theninetailors.com/ or http://www.myspace.com/theninetailors

In other news, I also found another good local band this weekend. Hey Marseille is a good local band. I took classes at SPU with one of the members, Patrick. Quite a good band: http://www.heymarseilles.com/ so have a listen! :) You will be pleasently surprised.

Playing with color

Playing with color
Originally uploaded by kharms5253

The process of editing pictures can be quite fun!

Cheers!

10 things about me

10 things about me
1. I listen to music every day...doesn't matter what I'm doing, it's never quiet in my apartment.
2. Now that I'm done with college, I still haven't figured out what I want to do for a career.
3. The older you get, it seems like it's harder to meet people, but really...you're just set in your ways.
4. My spiritual gift is helps...that and mercy and hospitality...Top 3.
5. I love watching the movie Gettysburg.
6. I can easily grow tired of crowds (or helping/dealing with a lot of people in a short amount of time), so I spend a good deal of time by myself or with a small group of friends.
7. I hate vacuuming...even though it's so easy.
8. i'm a worry wart of everything. I over think things.
9. I care so much about not hurting other people, that I'll avoid doing things that can actually help them be better.
10. I never wanted to be known as a "good girl" or a "nice girl" but it's hard to not be one.

9 words that describe me
1. Quiet
2. Calm
3. Resiliant
4. Friendly
5. Sarcastic
6. Easy-going
7. Disorganized...yet organized..."organized chaos?"
8. Responsible
9. Dependable

8 things that make me happy
1. My Camera
2. Spending time with friends
3. Breakfast - eggs, waffles, sausage...
4. Coffee
5. The Sun
6. Cuddling
7. Music
8. Winslow, my cat

7 more random things to say to people
1. A lot of people talk about making changes, very few atually make a change
2. Going to college isn't necessary to succeed...but it often helps
3. There is context to everything people say
4. Decorating is harder than you think
5. I don't like politics, but that doesn't mean I don't have opinions on how things should be
6. I started this blog as a journal...it still kind of is...a journal and more!
7. I like reading romance novels that have strong female leads...like Jane Austen books. The women do not compromise on who they are just to attract men or be viewed differently by society.

6 things you like to do
1. Drink coffee
2. Get up early
3. Gardening
4. Listening to music
5. Go for walks
6. Watch movies

5 things you did today
1. Slept in
2. drank coffee
3. did laundry
4. listened to Paul McCartney's album: Electric Arguements (SO GOOD)
5. Cleaned my kitchen half-heartedly

4 confessions
1. If trust is broken or strained, it will be hard for someone to get it back. (pretty normal I think)
2. I have a body image issue that is not about weight.
3. I had a hard time motivating myself to work hard in college because I failed a class and received bad grades during my first year.
4. I still count on my fingers, yet I took College Algebra and two Statistic Classes.

3 things you want to achieve.
1. A Masters Degree - MBA or ISM
2. I would like to have a family of my own someday
3. I want to be able to talk/display my feelings better than I currently do...including dealing with anger and frustration in a positive manner.

2 things you regret
1. Not keeping in touch with people I care about
2. How I've behaved toward certain people

1 message to people who read this
Thanks for reading.

New Photos

Seattle Weekly
Originally uploaded by kharms5253

This is one of many pictures taken downtown along the waterfront. I'm excited to have some new pictures up...it's been great to have Sarah in town. I usually take more artistic shots when she's around. Some of the new photos in my Flickr account were taken by her.

It's another lovely day in Seattle! :)

Cheers!

Another good email...

This email was sent out from Building Maintenance...Notice the name after from...

Apparently we now have food services in Building Maintenance. I should really make it over to their lunch room.

-----Original Message-----
From: Food Services [mailto:workcontrol@]
Sent: Tuesday, June 30, 2009 4:26 PM
Subject: Work Request...

Now that I'm up, I'll shred your drapes while you sleep

Now that I'm up, I'll shred your drapes while you sleep
Originally uploaded by kharms5253

This is my little terrorizer...Winslow. As you can see he has beautiful green eyes, but they look like they're going to rip me to shreds for "womanhandling" him to take the picture.

It was for a worthy cause...this photo. :)

Songs my brother listens to...

Personality Mapping

Personality mapping is a curious thing. I find it interesting that people have taken the time to pick out different traits about me. So far, these are the results. Quite a bit different from how I picture myself. I chose 5-6 words about myself and then other people chose the 5-6 words that best matched me. Some are coworkers, some are old classmates...the rest well, they're anonymous. :)

Arena (known to self and others) adaptable, caring, introverted, observant, quiet

Blind Spot (known only to others) able, accepting, bold, calm, cheerful, complex, confident, dependable, energetic, extroverted, friendly, giving, happy, helpful, independent, intelligent, kind, knowledgeable, logical, loving, modest, nervous, organised, powerful, reflective, relaxed, religious, responsive, searching, self-assertive, self-conscious, sentimental, shy, silly, spontaneous, sympathetic, trustworthy, warm, witty

Façade (known only to self) patient

Unknown (known to nobody) brave, clever, dignified, idealistic, ingenious, mature, proud, sensible, tense, wise

Dominant Traits

54% of people think that Kjharms is intelligent

All Percentages

able (13%) accepting (9%) adaptable (9%) bold (9%) brave (0%) calm (4%) caring (27%) cheerful (27%) clever (0%) complex (18%) confident (18%) dependable (13%) dignified (0%) energetic (9%) extroverted (4%) friendly (27%) giving (13%) happy (4%) helpful (4%) idealistic (0%) independent (22%) ingenious (0%) intelligent (54%) introverted (22%) kind (9%) knowledgeable (13%) logical (9%) loving (4%) mature (0%) modest (9%) nervous (9%) observant (4%) organised (4%) patient (0%) powerful (4%) proud (0%) quiet (4%) reflective (9%) relaxed (4%) religious (18%) responsive (4%) searching (4%) self-assertive (13%) self-conscious (22%) sensible (0%) sentimental (4%) shy (9%) silly (9%) spontaneous (4%) sympathetic (4%) tense (0%) trustworthy (22%) warm (31%) wise (0%) witty (22%)

Created by the Interactive Johari Window on 20.7.2009, using data from 22 respondents.
You can make your own Johari Window, or view Kjharms's full data.

Steve's Hands

Steve's Hands
Originally uploaded by kharms5253

Went to Discovery Park today. Unfortunately the trip was cut short due to band practice. Oh well. :) I was able to get a few good pictures in such a short amount of time. I'm quite thrilled with how Steve's hands turned out. They're very photogenic, no? ;-)

Seattle has been enjoying quite a bit of good weather recently. I'm thrilled to have all this sun!

Cheers!

Sunday at Church

Today the power went out during church. It was odd because some of the buildings still had power, but the main sanctuary had none. It was during the last song and I can't remember what it's called, but the moment brought tears to my eyes.

The power went out and the music continued. A full sanctuary...500 some people probably singing and lifting their voices in spite of not knowing the words. The pastor then preached...it all felt raw and genuine. None of the extra technology that "aids" us with the work we're doing. Jut the raw human voice and voices lifted to the heavens.

Over and over the words of the song:

Jesus, I'm amazed by you...How Wide, How Deep, How Great is Your Love.

Unfortunately, power wasn't restored before the service was done. But I can't get the image out of my mind...repeating the words over and over about how great and amazing God's love is for us. And at the end of it all, singing Come Thou Fount. Beautiful.

Songs my brother plays...

My brother played this over and over again on the phone one night to me while we were talking. I think the lyrics describe how he feels and where he's at. It's a good song and yes, Only God know why things are they way they are...why bad things happen to good people. But you gotta keep moving with your head held high.

Panic Attack!

The crows are having a panic attack on campus today. Swarms of them are flooding the trees in the loop. You can't hear anything other than their chatter. Maybe the gods are angry and the gateway to hell opened above SPU.

On a side note, crows are considered to be luckky in East Asia. Maybe it's a sign that the campus is blessed and we'll have a profitable year.

Crows also show signs of intelligence. They can learn and adapt their behaviors easily. A study about a crow versus a squirrel showed each animal pushing a quarter in to get food. When the quarter was placed elsewhere the crow was able to find the quarter and push it in while the squirrel just gave up because it didn't know what to do. The crow had learned that the quarter was the giver of food.

Either way, it's a nightmare. The crows swoop down on people as they walk through the loop...dive bombing whoever comes close to their trees. The demon crows have returned in full force!

Pictures from the Weekend

The Nine Tailors

I'm going to see The Nine Tailors perform...however, there are only four. The band members:

Kurt Schuler – vocals, guitar, shoes, syntax, bus, ties…
Steven Hardin – drums, vocals, keys, coffee, shower, BBQ…
Zach Cartwright – bass, keys, tuba, couch, WOW…
Seth Moore – guitar, keys, bicycle, inspiration, scotch…

From the website:

Emerging in the summer of 2008, The Nine Tailors draw heavily on the literary influences of Southern Gothic writer Flannery O' Connor and Ernest Hemingway. Named for the traditional tolling of nine low-ringing bells following the death of a man in 18th- century England, long time acquaintances Steven Hardin and Kurt Schuler began forming their tight knit friendship in 2008 while pounding out haunting melodies in a makeshift practice space in a Greenwood garage.
Borrowing from the stark simplicity of cult favorites like David Bazan and Mark Kozelek, as well as the eccentric energy and lyrical phrasing of Modest Mouse, The Nine Tailors craft eerily beautiful songs that take you out towards the rugged coastlines and evergreens of the Northwest, to the desolation of the Pacific.

Band member, Kurt Schuler says, “It’s not about despair, but about breaking through the comfortable to a place where we can confront the inevitability of death and the urgency contained in the struggles of life.” In the process of songwriting, Schuler says he never knows what will happen. “In creating characters, the songs end up shaping themselves. I’m usually surprised at how little control I have in the outcome. What needs to happen, happens.”
Whether journeying through the minds of strange sailors and fishermen, or the trailers of the Midwest where dogs lie chained to broken- down pick up trucks, you can be sure The Nine Tailors are one of Seattle’s up-and-coming indie folk acts worth checking out.

This is my shameless plug for The Nine Tailors. If you read this blog, please head over to http://theninetailors.com for a listen. An EP will be released at the end of the this month...I think there are plans to make it available online. I'll let you know what I find out about that.

Gun Rights on Campus...

No thank you. While I'm okay with the right to bear arms, heck I like shooting guns at the target range, I don't think I would enjoy attending a campus that allowed students to bring arms to campus or have concealed weapons.

What's to keep a group from doing vigilante justice? In the event of a shooter, would there really be enough time to respond? Would students really know the difference between the innocent bystanders and the shooter(s)? Would fewer people be hurt? Who wants a shootout in a ResHall anyway?

It's not like these students who will carry arms have gone through the same training that a police officer has gone through. They'll have less knowledge about the situation and may impede and officer's ability to take down the shooter.

I'm a BEC (Building Evacuation Coordinator) and these shootings that have happened across the nation scare the crap out of me. In the event of an emergency such as this, I'm in charge of saving people. I'm in charge of those who panic and run, those who become beligerant and those who just plain don't know what to do in an emergency. Heck, most of my employees don't know how to behave in an earthquake and that's more likely to hit SPU than a shooter. During a lockdown drill I had an employee open the door because the girl was cute.

If it had been a real incident...the girl could've been the shooter. How would he know? He's just opening the door subjecting everyone else in the office to danger. Once a building is locked down it should stay locked down. There's an issue with that though...the innocent bystanders can't get to shelter and safety. That's a problem....but when you open the doors you don't know who you're letting in and what you're letting in. You've just opened the flood gates.

Before you know it, someone good is going to get confused with the bad and they'll be killed. It happens often enough that it shouldn't be magnified in place like a University.

Ride back North

tijuana.JPG
Originally uploaded by kharms5253

Picture from my trip to Baja California on the drive back north to San Diego during Swine Flu season.

Death

This layout is goign to be the death of me...

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Sentimental Journey

The B-17 was primarily employed by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) in the daylight precision strategic bombing campaign of World War II against German industrial, civilian, and military targets. From its pre-war inception, the USAAC (later USAAF) touted the aircraft as a strategic weapon; it was a potent, high-flying, long-ranging bomber capable of unleashing great destruction, able to defend itself, and having the ability to return home despite extensive battle damage. It quickly took on mythic proportions. With a service ceiling greater than any of its Allied contemporaries, the B-17 established itself as a superb weapons system, dropping more bombs than any other U.S. aircraft in World War II.

When the Model 299 was rolled out on 28 July 1935, bristling with multiple machine gun installations, Richard Williams, a reporter for the Seattle Times coined the name "Flying Fortress" with his comment "Why, it's a flying fortress!". Boeing was quick to see the value of the name and had it trademarked for use. - Wikipedia

The reason for this little history lesson is because I watched 12 O'Clock High this evening before going to watch the 20 mins of fireworks over the Snake River in Lewiston. It's a fascinating movie staring Gregory Peck and a few other notable actors of that time period (Dean Jager aka General Waverly in White Christmas, Millard Mitchell - R.F. Simpson in Singing in the Rain) as members of the 918th Bomb Group during World War II. The film is based off a book and has made it's way into the Libray of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." I would recommend watching this film.

I spent the afternoon touring Sentimental Journey, a fully restored B-17 bomber. It was an impressive sight. 4 - 12 cylindar engines, glistening aluminum, the smell of grease, the number of gun mounts and bombs! There were 6 gun mounts on the plane for the crew of 9-10 persons and the plane carried quite a few bombs. This restored plane had 8 bombs that if still functional and all that would weigh 250 lbs each. Afterwards we watched the film to see what exactly these plans could do. I was impressed and the film did a great job portraying the horrors these bomb squadrons went through during WWII. It's incredible to learn about the history behind these planes.

I first read about the plane being in town due to an article in the LMT about a WWII vet living in Lewiston who last flew in one of these planes on a mission over Germany. He was shot down and was a POW. Living history! I would love to sit down with that man and hear his story. What an incredible way to spend this year's 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July

It's that time of the year again; when grass catches on fire, firefighters spend their evenings responding to burn victims and brush fire incidents and rockets boom in the air. All in celebration of our Independence Day. For most of us, it's an opportunity to drink, watch fireworks, grill and hang out with friends during the summer. For the rest of us, it's often a time of reflection.

Today is the day in 1776, that the Declaration of Independence was signed declaring that Great Britain no longer had the power to rule us or tax us because they were, as it would seem, an entire world away. It was not fair to have a ruler who never spent time in this land to dictate what we could and couldn't do or tax us to the extreme. How wonderful it was, how right it was to declare independence. This was the beginning of the future. From this point on, we desired a free nation; freedom of speech, freedom of religion. The constitution was born in 1787 and since then we've been going at full speed.

We want our freedom of speech, we want to be able to call others stupid or have things the way we want them. How do this historical actions guide and dictate what we do today? As a strong leader we're often expected to step in and resolve other countrys' situations, but sometimes or most often we cross the boundary of being helpful or being imperialistic. We often force our own ideals on others...sometimes when they're not wanted we still cram them down other people's throats.

We think that because we're one of the strongest and that we're a democratic nation with the freedom to do most anything we want; that our way is the best way. Never mind the fact that as one of the smallest nations in terms of population we consume the most resources. Millions are left without healthcare, or that thousands of people live on the street begging for food.

Surely there's something we can do better...Every country has its problems; its pros and cons when it comes to the type of government it chooses....dictatorships are certainly not fair hence the desire to get North Korean's President out of the picture. But intead of imposing our form of government on everyone else, isn't it about time we used our resources to help those in need? Feed the hungry, care for those who are wounded and sick, give shelter to the homeless. Help provide clean drinking water, make education in the states better.

"With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan –– to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations. "

- Abraham Lincoln March 4, 1865 (Second Inagural Address)

Something Sweet

There's something wonderful about the game of golf. You get to socialize with some of your favorite people and drive or walk the fairways at a leisurely pace. There's usually sun when you're in Lewiston and then there's the thrill about whacking that golf ball as hard and as far as you possibly can. We also can't forget the feeling of sinking a sweet putt.

Even on the Wii, golf is still one of my favorite pasttimes. For those of you who've met me recently, you wouldn't think so based on the fact that I don't golf often and you won't find me at the driving range more than once every few months. I'm not the competitive type in that I won't persue my hobby full time, but I am competitive in the sense of if I play with you...I still want to beat you. ;-)

It's one of my simplest pleasures...whacking a golf ball as far as I can. Granted, I need some stronger arms, wrists, hands and pretty much everything else because I don't hit far, but nevertheless...I like to think I'm pretty decent. If I didn't have a job and I wasn't responsible...you'd probably find me at a golf course as often as possible. I love morning golf when the sun is rising and there's mist over the lake. I love the anguish over hitting a water hazard or slicing into a bunker. No matter what the outcome is, if I get a Birdie, Par, Double Bogey or I just don't want to admit that I suck, it's still a great game for me. I can play with my parents...I can play with my friends and I can play with my coworkers. It's an easy game to pick up and is accessible to most people.

Stephen Colbert's Take on Seattle Fireworks

Whine Whine Whine...Boo Hoo...

What's with complaining? Why do we do it? It just aggitates us or makes others not like us. I mean...yes, I do care about you and your situation...but if all you're going to do with bitch and moan, should I really be expected to sit there and listen?

When is complaining too much? When do we reach that point of annoyance and bitterness? How do we manage and control these feelings?

It would be dumb to say that these feelings don't matter...logically I'm sure these feelings can be reasoned away. But it's not exactly healthy to ignore the things that upset you. It's not healthy either to be a constant complainer. Saying sorry only gets you so far to.

I'm sure I complain about a lot of things. Not sayimg I'm perfect at all. But have you ever asked yourself...if I were talking to myself, would I not listen too? Would I be annoyed? I think I'd quickly grow tired of listening to my remarks...maybe not, but most likely yes. This probably means I need to tone it down It's just something that takes practice...you say it sucks, you deal with is and move on...or you let it go. Don't close your fist around it or let t upset you more...you'll just become bitter inside and it will eat away at you. Before you know it, you'll be short tempered...easily upsettable and no one will want to be around you unless they absolutely have to because they pity you. And who wants that??!? I think you'd have to be absolutely insane to think that's okay.

My resolution for this afternoon is to not complain at work about people or tasks that I have to do. I'm going to start showing my employees that there's a better way to handle problems and different issue and that there's an appropriate response to each situation.

Car Repairs

I think I must be one of the worlds worst carers for cars. It's not that I don't know the basics of caring for my car...it's that I put things off...or I think things take a lot longer than they really do.

I have a slow leak in one, maybe two tires. I know I need to go to Les Schwab or something like that to get it fixed. But for some reason I was under the impression that it'd take a day. I'm also at the 13,500 mile mark and need to rotate my tires and take it in for a checkup. Regular upkeep to keep other problems from happening. It's just not my strength to keep track of these things. I have no interest...I just want my Malibu to get me from Point A to Point B. In this case, I want to be ableo safely travel 350 miles to Lewiston, ID and not have a blowout or other accident. I guess this means I need to finally get around to fixing my tires. It's been two months and I've put air in my tire twice now.

This must be a sign about my personality or character....it's a flaw...there's a flaw somewhere that keeps from from taking care of these things right away like a good car caretaker would. I guess my advice would be don't neglect your car. Now if only I could take that to heart.

Having trouble...

...with the top images loading as well as a few side ones. I'm going to try hosting everything on my own server. we'll see what happens...

Hopefully I'll get to it this weekend...

Segway Day!

My Blackberry

I use a Blackberry and I love it. It's small, easy to use and fits in my pocket quite nicely. (girl pockets are usually smaller and since the pants are skin tight, a small phone is a good thing).

However, I do have a frustration with my phone. SPU doesn't have a Blackberry Exchange Server and I'm okay with that. I can still receive my mail over IMAPS and send messages. What I'm miffed about, is the fact that without exchange, the Crackberry can only update mail over the air. The damned phone can't grab contacts or calendar items over the air. It has to be done by manually syncing the device to a computer.

I never plug my phone into a computer. Guess that makes this problem my fault, huh? Well...the software often craps out. I've supported people with these lovely little berry devices and while they're stable, the desktop software has almost always needed to be reinstalled. Go figure.

The other thing that's annoying, is with my mail...I can't view subfolders in my mailbox...so all I get is junk mail and my top level folder. I could do without the junk mail...all the emails asking if I want some action or look at special photos. Nope, not for me. I'm not sending you my password either. I also get duplicate messages. So pretty much RIM sucks at this IMAPS thing because I get duplicate messages and only my top level folder and junk mail. I don't want to view or read the 30-40 some junk mail messages each day. I don't want to see duplicate messages everytime I respond to an email in Outlook. Doesn't do it when I respond on my phone...so why the hell does it do that when I respond in Outlook? It's not like Outlook is putting a duplicate message in my mailbox. Exchange 2007 works fine...IMAPS works fine in Outlook. This is not a Microsoft problem...this is a Blackberry problem.

Other than that...I really do love my phone. It's a refurb that hasn't given me a lick of trouble. Never rebooted on me, never lost my data, never failed to connect...none of the apps have ever crashed on me. Granted, I just did a software upgrade so my battery life seems to be dead. That or my Gmail app is updating too ofte and killing the battery life. I used to be able to go for days without charging. Now I make it a day or two. hmmm...

New Layout

I'm trying out a new layout on my blog and hopefully everything works, but I just put the design up today. So if something's not working...LIKE the SEARCH BAR THINGY, let me know. I'll work on it and try to fix it or remove it if it's too hard to repair.

Just keep in mind that it's not perfect and the exact way that I want it yet. :-P