Womxns March Seattle

What can I say? It was a beautiful, creative, peaceful show of support for women's rights, and I am so proud of each and every person who marched.

Remember to trust but verify what you are reading, especially in light of the President's continuing misinformation spectacle.

-AK

P.S. Surprise puppy tax! Two of the floofs I spotted at the protest.

Capri Sun Fails & Fall Hikes: Discovery Park, Rattlesnake Ledge, & Heather Lake

Hello everyone,

As 2016 continues to hurtle towards it's close (thank goodness) I wanted to take a moment and appreciate the parts of 2016 that did not make me want to tear my hair out. Things such as:

1) Being hired! That's right, I'm now employed again!! I accepted a wonderful part time position at Shoreline Community College's Ray Howard Library. While the position is not full-time, it's a huge relief to be returning to the world of academic libraries and to be using the skills I gained during my time at the University of Washington. In short, this was me when I was offered the position:

2) Being fortunate enough to attend some amazing shows, including Childish Gambino's Pharos concert in Joshua Tree and Chance the Rapper's Coloring Book Tour. The show's themselves were phenomenal, and the Pharos concert had the added benefit of being a great road trip down the West Coast.

3) Travel, family, and friends. Speaking of road trips, this year has been full of travel- from visiting Louisiana for the first time to meet Fred's family to driving from Grand Forks to Seattle, and then from Seattle to Joshua Tree a few weeks later,  the high points of 2016 have been the ones filled with new experiences shared with friends. While I was blessed to wander far from home so much this year, I also had some wonderful moments with friends in the Seattle area exploring local bars, art shows, attending the aforementioned concerts, and going on lovely hikes with friends. This fall I made an effort to take advantage of my joblessness to explore the wonderful trails close to Seattle. This included taking my partner, Fred, to Discovery Park for the first time, and tackling the Rattlesnake Ledge and Heather Lake trails with my fellow librarian and friend, Kate. I love the quiet yet in-your-face beauty of the PNW trails, and this fall these outings became necessary for maintaining my sanity in the face of all the ups and downs that 2016 heaped upon myself and the world. Favorite moment: Spotting and being able to photograph a brilliant orange leaf stuck in the crux of a moss-covered tree (see photos below). 

Discovery Park

Rattlesnake Ledge

Heather Lake

In closing, here is the Capri Sun failure of 2016 brought to you by yours truly.

With laughter,

AK

Happy Friday: Portraits with Michael B.

Happy December everyone!

I hope that this post finds you settling in for the last month of 2016 (thank goodness!) with hot chocolate, cozy blankets, and a good dose of holiday cheer. For me, the holidays are a reminder to refocus myself- to reflect upon the past year and appreciate the good things while also learning from the many mistakes I have made throughout the year.

Speaking of the good things, I would like to take a moment and publicly thank Michael, a dear friend of mind and the subject of the following images. Michael is a good friend and fellow librarian who has always been, and continues to be, a positive source of encouragement in my life. He asked me to take some professional portraits, and then cheerfully agreed to sit for a concept shoot I had in mind. It was the first time I shot in my new apartment (which I adore), and together Michael and I tweaked lighting, posing, and even location as we adjusted to the new space. It was wonderful to work with someone who is not only a great friend an a joy to hang out with, but is also interested and passionate about art and willing to provide constructive critique and suggest new ideas during a shoot. Thank you again Michael for being such a lovely human being! <3

In other awesome news, here are three things that made the first week of December a little brighter: Childish Gambino released his new album,  the Hamilton Mixtape is out, AND Lin-Manuel Miranda's Drunk History appearance is hilarious and if you haven't watched it yet you should!

Happy Friday everyone!

-AK