I thought you guys would be as impressed as I was by these monster pumpkins! Ive got them on steroids like the other plants...nettle and horsetail tea made by plants around the island.

The kale is the only vegetable Ive harvested so far but I use it in everything! You can also see the grapes in the background of this photo. They've been in the yard for 3 years now and its the first year they have fruit! Im excited to taste them...

The roses are gorgeous! My mother tought me how to take care of them years ago so Im really enjoying the process...

Let Freedom Ring!

Yesterday I observed independence day from my lovely neighbors, who are acting like the British when America seceded from the royal power back in 1776. To avoid a revolutionary war I packed up and moved to Vashon, as they were taking my packages by the mailbox, stealing my christmas tree ornaments during the holidays, and even installed video cameras so they could charge me a fee per visitor I had over. At that time I had a lawyer who admitted they were making unreasonable requests of me, but I couldn't afford him anymore and he wouldn't work on contingency. Talk about taxation without representation! Thankfully I got a lot of my belongings out of there but the last time I went over the lady downstairs chased me out in the hallway and slammed the gate at me. My friend said I should paint on a black eye and send her photos but Im determined to take the high road and maybe leave a message in a tree...ah...on my blog;-) Now they changed the gate code for the building so not only can't I get into my condo but I can no longer get my mail there either. Some of you may say I should call the cops but I already did that when they took my car keys just so there was record they were missing before I had the locksmith make another set. Well what do you know the next morning my car is gone and when I call the police again they said there was never a report filed! Don't ask me how I got into this conundrum...Id really like to know as well! I guess these guys will have to come clean eventually but until I figure out what to do about it I will just get on the road again...

As I travel through my journey of spiritual development...im learning how being with both my mother and my father makes me feel and how different that is with each of them. Of course I draw great personal power from both of them, but I also have to be aware of the negative ways they affect me as well. I can catch the drift by talking to my Dad on the phone and texting my Mom, but actually going to visit them really intensifies things for me and helps me to learn who I am a little better. I really feel for people who have lost their parents...so when I do find someone without I want to give them extra compassion and understanding if I can. Even people who struggle with their relationships with their parents makes my heart go out to them, as I have a tumultuous time with my Mother often enough that when Im able to talk about it with a friend it makes me hugely grateful that someone will listen.

The path Ive taken is a journey towards healing, which includes removing as much stress and pressure in my life that I can. It has been a bit of a struggle, as I am feeling old urges to make more money and take risks. I think these urges come from a desire to be mentally challenged, but sometimes I don't know if Im doing it for myself or to be more excepted by my parents. It also comes from wanting to hold on to my independence, but do I really need that or is it something I should leave behind? Feel free to chime in for those of you that low me...

New pea and bean shoots making an appearance today have me very excited,  but Ive also noticed some unfortunate individual has been munching on the carrot and parsnip seedlings. Time to pull out a can of whoop @$$...I mean...make a pesticide tea(yes, it really is called a tea). Organic pesticides are made from nettles and horsetails found around the woods here. They're percolated in buckets with some other ingredients Im sure Ill figure out in due time. I also just ate a new asparagus sprout that seemed to shoot out of the ground overnight...incredibly sweet and succulent! Have a look on my twitter account for more enchanted garden photos...

Good Morning Vashon! Im up early today which means Ill most likely need a nap later...my favorite. It looks a little cloudy and rainy today but the plants need it and the weather can change course rather quickly here. It might have something to do with the higher elevation or something but things definitely grow well here. Did I mention I went pescaterian? Ok...its like a vegetarian but only I eat fish and dairy. I feel way better and several well respected friends of mine recommended it so here I am:-) Im hoping to get some chickens in the yard soon but that may take some more time. For now Im still unpacking and trying to get most of my stuff moved over here but thats a real task since Ive accumulated a lot  over the years. Another spiritual path Ive taken is to not be so materialistic but it doesn't mean I can be stupid ad just leave everything behind....

Its been forever and a day since I wrote you all, so I just wanted to check in and say Im doing better than ever now since moving to Vashon. Its taken only a few month and I feel completely destressed and out of the all encompassing rat race of seattle. I truly live in paradise now! Ive posted some photos on my twitter account for anyone thats inclined to look...and will post more if I get good responses on these. I no longer live and die by a schedule...now I do whatever happens to inspire me that day. One of my favorite things here is keeping up the garden, as Ive not had such a rare opportunity in my life since childhood. Getting back to nature has improved my spiritual being tremendously, and brought back the wisdom I feel we were all born with but loose it to a certain extent in the process of living our day to day lives. Not taking the time to focus on the important things in life was a big issue of mine i didn't even realize I had until I took a step back from things and gather a new perspective from the resources that were with me all along but perhaps too much overlooked. I hope through writing about my own personal conquests I can help shine some light for others like myself that get distracted easily...

Its been so long since I wrote a blog entry that my account had expired! Sheesh;-) San Francisco is so amazing and I always find new and exciting things to do while here. This time I went to an awesome casual dining placed called Verbena, and I also did some much needed shopping. Especially the mac store and the Nike Store. Also, I took many a walks taking photos of the beautiful architecture! See more by visiting my instagram or Facebook page. Now don't start going crazy...only those that know me well enough have access to these and if you do you should definitely feel special! One more thing...I did visit the new Power Exchange as well which has reopened after close to 10 years of closure! This is a g rated blog so I won't go into any detail, but it is a sf institution so I thought it aaas worth mentioning. Don't go reaching for stereotypes now...I know you guys are mature enough to handle that information without acting like school kids;-)

Theres a lot more to Las Vegas than all the glitz and glamor of great hotels, shows, and restaurants. Theres also an interesting history unique to this area. During the great depression and prohibition, president hoover ordered the building of hoover dam driving the population from around 5000 to 25,000. It was mainly men from across the country looking for work, which might have sparked the mafia crime bosses to develop the casinos and showgirl theaters. Without getting dry here...the point I'm trying to make is that it wasn't the feds that drove the mobsters out of vegas...it was Howard Hughes that did that in the 60's. Buying the casinos at inflated prices was welcomed by the mafia, and they just thought they were getting one over on old Howard. Being the brilliant business man he was, it was actually his intent on reinvesting his money as a way to avoid extra taxation from the government. You accountants and tax lawyers feel free to comment here if this practice is still used;-)
Howard Hughes

Mobster Frank Cullotta

Mobster Bugsy Seigal

Im loving the east coast right now! Last week I was in DC and saw Pharaoh Sanders at Blues Alley. Omg! I almost got thrown out for getting too loud, because he played the John Coltrane song I used to always play on the juke box at the pool hall in Seattle several years ago. I went totally crazy! I think there must be some chemical in our brains that is released when were reintroduced to something we haven't seen or heard in a while. This also happened here in New York when I saw Bullets Over Broadway. They reintroduced songs from the 30's like Yes, we have no Bananas. Of course I went wild for this show too, especially because I was in the second row and could see all the actors expressions so well!

I just got back from Philadelphia yesterday, and I must say the city of brotherly love has some of the nicest people! I stayed in an old historical hotel formarly known as the bellevue stratford, which opened its doors in 1904.

Any native Philadelphian will tell you that this is where Legionnaires' disease started in 1976. Its namesake is because they were attending an american legion convention. Of course its all cleaned up now and is a great place to stay! Here is photo of the restaurant:

Im in Washington DC and were supposed to have a big snow storm last night and today, so Ive done my best to get out and about the last few days. My first night here I went to a brilliant place: Coco Sala

The whole menu seemed to have chocolate incorporated...see the crispy coco nibs on top of the scalops? The chocolate deserts were probably some of the best Ive ever had here! 

Yesterday was fairly warm(50's?), so I went out for a walk to find the Vietnam war memorial and got an eyeful of much more than that! 

Dont ask, but I have a personal connection to this place;-) It was so beautiful out, and I enjoyed the people watching. Washington DC is supposed to be one of the fittest cities in the US, and all walks of life were jogging, biking, and just enjoying being outdoors. 

I noticed the authorities were getting ready for a big day near the white house...I should have know I was going to see some action! Ill save that for latter though, as I was still enjoying the calm and peaceful morning.

I headed past the white house and onto a beautiful tree lined trail to find the memorial I came to see and pay my tributes to those that made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom we enjoy today.

I could see the huge wall from here, and already a strange feeling set over me. I stopped to my left to observe the Vietnam women's memorial, which I hadnt known was there.

I felt like I could really feel the way they felt by this sculpture...a fitting memorial indeed! Next I walked closer to the Vietnam war memorial, and was amazed by the size of it. The whole wall was filled with names of soldiers that lost their lives over there. Not to mention the ptsd, suicide, and agent orange deaths that also occured because of the war.

I found the name I was looking for, and a little old lady came up to me and asked if I wanted a rubbing( where you rub graphite on a peice of paper over the name). I thanked her and realized my hands were shaking as I tried to get the name copied. It is that emotional a place! After this I had to take a little break off to the side to put it all in perspective, but it still seemed impossible to fathom. I think it makes us stronger to know where we came from, and hopefully we will never forget this event in history. I am forever changed... 

Go Seahawks!

Im sure everyone knows superbowl sunday is coming up, and Im representing over here in Chicago with family:-) I could talk about the players, the game, and all that stuff I know nothing about, but Ill spare you and talk about something a little more up my alley. Some of you remember I used to live in New York fairly recently, so I still hear a little about whats going on over there. For one, theres this. Yes, the strip clubs are booming right now, and I may or may not own some stock in that;-) Theres also this. Yes, people are doing crazy things over there right now and Im kind of glad Im not over there anymore. I will go back and visit after all of this is over though! For now, well just have to see what happens. Hopefully the Seahawks will win!

So y'all noticed I travel a lot, right? So lets take a moment to think about different cultures within the united states. Im still trying to figure out the great northwest...they dont invite each other over for dinner and its harder to break into social circles. Its dark and gloomy for most of the winter but raely snows...definately a give and a take here people! Now go further down south and you have the souther california surfer culture. I spent some of my military days here and had a blast! People are friendly, laid back, and sometimes too laid back;-) People down here dont have to worry about harsh winters or hurricanes, but earthquakes are around, and sometimes a little scarey! Now I spent my high school years down south and they dont get scared about hurricanes...they throw parties instead! Yes, those crazy southerners sure are friendly and fun, and are always inviting each other over for some good southern cooking. It gets super hot in the summer so youve got to have air conditioning, and lots of people have pools so get out your swimsuits! Everything grows well here, and I miss having a garden. I grew up in the northeast and we all talk like new casters. There is absolutely no accent there! I think people stick together more because the winters can be very snowy and cold. Of course the seasons are all much more defined there which make for beautiful springs and falls! They also have a lot more history there, so it was a good place to grow up with great school systems. I often miss it...thankfully Ill be going back in another couple of weeks!:-)

View from my room in San Francisco!

Just got back from San Francisco! I had a nice view of the starlight room, but didnt end up there at all...

Happy New Year!

The holidays are over, and now 'tis the season to get fit, slim, and healthy! One of my coolest Christmas presants was the jawbone up...a device that not only measures your steps and calories, but your sleep patterns as well! Now its not the only high tech excersize accesory out there...heres an artical that compares it to another device. If theres one thing Ive aquired over the years its self motivation. If youre like me youll love the jawbone up.  The new year is also a time for getting back to normal patterns again. I am so ready! Hanging out with the fam was great but after a week I think I had enough. Whos with me on this? Lets get motivated together to create healthy patterns to last a lifetime:-)

Its time for me to gush about the holiday season...so much fun and its only jusy begun! To kick things off I was in new york for a week. If that doesnt get one into the holiday spirit I dont know what will! Festive holiday shopping, the tree lighting at rockafellar center, and lots of going out at night was what made up the majority of my trip. Smoke Jazz Club, Vitae, and Gramacy Tavern were all awesome places to get the party started! I was really hoping to throw a party this year, but with all the travel its been difficult. Next week Im migrating to warmer weather...San Diego and La, then on to Hawaii!

While in San Fracisco, I ended up seeing the movie 12 years a slave. Now I am also reading the book and have become completely obsessed with slavery in the us in the 1800's! There were actually running slave markets or pens in washington dc...very close to the capitol! I dont know why my mind is drawn to this terrible thing in history, but I do remember my grandfather telling me our ancestors were involved in the underground railroad. Im going to dc next month and will hopefully be able to find the buildings that used to be slave pens and take photos. Heres a good documentary I found about americas journey into slavery: Journey through slavery part 1

So I was working on keeping this blog clean, until I saw the movie Lovelace and am now reading her book Ordeal. I was amazed to find out that she was actually pimped by her husband and quite possibly even forced to do deep throat! I was astonished to say the least, as Ive always felt very strongly against this subject and am curious to read about her final years when she spoke out. Her courage inspires me to bring up a modern day pimp we had around several years ago before he was sent to prison, although the full spectrum of his crimes may never be know since many of his victums havent spoken out. Im talking about Dave Elms...the founder of The Erotic Review. My involvement with him is much more kind than others Ive heard, so those of you that want to chime in here youre most welcome to do so:-) I guess I met him before he started getting really bad, and somehow by chance was able to slip through his fingers until he was arrested. You can imagine the releif I felt when I read that article! Since then Ive reached out to human trafficing sites to volunteer, but havent gotten any responses yet. I have so many opinions on this in all levels that putting it into words would be very difficult. I just know that it feels good to let it all out. At the time, my response was to put up The ExtortionReview.com, which I see is no longer up...a message board where victums can anonimously post about what Dave Elms did to them. Guess how many posts I got? Thats right...zilch! Maybe now that some time has passed people will speak out more...

Whats the best Italian restaurant in New York? According to Zagat its this: http://blog.zagat.com/2013/01/new-yorks-12-best-italian-restaurants.html Time out says this: http://www.timeout.com/newyork/restaurants/100-best-new-york-restaurants-italian Yelp says this: http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=Top+Italian+Restaurants&find_loc=New+York%2C+NY
 And New York magazine: http://nymag.com/restaurants/wheretoeat/2006/15441/ Now that weve established what a controversial subject this is, Ive decided to interject my own opinion from experience. Lets examine the candidates...

Babbo: A delightfully crowded place that takes quite a long to to get in with a reservation...though we slipped in at the bar one night unplanned! Ill never forget it...it was the first time I ever had osso buco, and man was it heavenly! Melt in your mouth veal and marrow thats done perfectly. Fantastic wine list, although I usually leave that up to my companion...

Del Posto: A Mario Batali creation, whom we actually met once sitting in the restaurant having dinner! My companion went right up to him and he stood up and shook his hand. Amazing moment...but the visit that really stands out in my mind was the time we went there for Christmas Dinner. It was a meal beyond decadence with homemade pasta, and everything is outsourced locally. In fact, I think Mr. Batali is actually married to the heir to a creamery giant. The whole place has a warm glow and a quiet buzz enveloped my senses in elegance...

Marea was magnificent...a bit more of a place to see and be seen but absolutely incredible food! Exotic pasta with sea urchin is what I remember most...so divine! Its right near Columbus circle, so dont miss it next time youre in New York!

Peasant: This place is a little more rustic than the others, but no doubt just as fabulous in its own way. I remember a delicate homemade pasta with rabbit and a savory sauce that was to die for! The whole place was lit with the glow of a wood burning fireplace, of which they used for cooking! May I have some more please?

So these would be my picks for best Italian restaurant in New York. I see they made various spots on other lists, but I may have a biased opinion, as I was there with the most incredible people! I hope you guys are reading:-)

Sometimes you just know youre doing something right when everything seems to fall back into place! Im back in New York after I dont know how long, and this sense of elation is starting to wash over me now. Its my first morning here and I have a list of places to visit and things to do! Join me on this wonderful ride...