HEY YOU GUYS!

No I didn't get to meet the cast of The Goonies, but I did get to see the giant cave where they found One-Eyed Willie's pirate ship! Presently, no ship or secret treasure are still in the cave... they have been replaced by hundreds of sea lions! My family and I visited the cave while we were on our Oregon Coast holiday vacation. It's exact location was Yachats, Oregon.

It was pretty fascinating. We had to take an elevator down 206 feet into the ground. The elevator gave us a preview of the unpleasant aroma these creatures put off. Luckily, you get used to the smell very quickly and it doesn't ruin the rest of the experience. The whole cave is very loud because of the water crashing into the cave and the barking of the sea lions. You aren't actually in the big cave, but a small offset of it that has a viewing screen into the bigger space.

I have added some pictures below and a video over the right hand side of this page in my YouTube section (Check it out!).

More photos of the beach house:

A Coastal Christmas Story

Happy Holidays!

I've been spending the last week or so on the Oregon Coast (Lincoln City) with my family. It was definitely an interesting experience to get down here. For those of you that don't watch the news, it has been snowing like crazy in Seattle. The snow doesn't really bother me, per se, but the entire city shuts down at the slightest hint of snow. Now, with 10'' on the ground, you can imagine what's going on.

My family drove over from Montana and met up with me near Longview, WA. We then completed the beautiful, windy drive through Astoria and down the coast. And here we have remained in our lovely rented beach house. The house itself has three floors, but they are all straight up from each other! Family room on the bottom floor, bedrooms and bathrooms on the middle floor, and kitchen, dining room, and picturesque sitting room on the top floor. I've been doing tons of reading, having completed 1.5 books as of this blog, and watching the giant waves crash ashore. The rain hasn't really subsided since we arrive, but some people have braved the weather for walks on the beach.

Other than that, we are playing lots of card and board games, opened Christmas presents, and preparing to go explore the sea lion cave from the movie Goonies! That's happening this afternoon. I'll be heading back to Seattle on Monday, most likely, where I will enjoy another week of reading solitude before having to return to work in January.

I'll leave you all with pictures from my new camera!

Seattle in Snow (old camera):

Oregon Beach House Views (new camera):

It's Official...

I've been promoted! My new title is Account Executive... no longer an "Assistant." I'm pretty excited about the new title and the new responsibilities I'll take on (not to mention more money!). First order of business? Plan a reporter summit for some of our most influential contacts. :)

As for other things, I'm fully in the Holiday swing. I've been Christmas shopping several times already, including the day after Thanksgiving, and I must say that my list is getting shorter! Gus and I also decorated our Christmas "plant." And YES, it is only a plant. I fear that if we had a tree of any sort, our overly ambitious cat exploration crew (i.e. Jack and China) would decide to climb or tip it over. Therefore, we opted to decorate one of our "cat-proof" house plants (pics below).

Salon of Shame - A Must See!

So, it's a week late, but I HAVE to tell you about this show I went to last Tuesday with my co-worker, Cindy. She has been telling me for some time that I must see the Salon of Shame. Since it only occurs every two months, it was quite awhile before I had the chance.

What is the Salon of Shame? I thought you would never ask. The Salon of Shame resembles a good ol' poetry reading... with a twist. Readers get up and thoroughly embarrass themselves by reading from their childhood diaries, journals, notes, and miscellaneous musings. Let me tell you, this is HILARIOUS! Not only are the topics tackled completely entertaining, but they are totally relatable. Honestly, how many of us can relate to pining for the cutest boy in class or writing that potentially award-winning hit song?

Anyway, I completely recommend attending this show for anyone that has the chance. The website is www.salonofshame.com and the shows happen in several cities besides Seattle. If you want to see a sample YouTube video of someone's reflections on why the toilet paper companies use bears and babies for advertising (warning: some language inappropriate for work settings or in the presence of children), go to this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dyyipx4PowQ.

That's all for now!