GabrielMathews.com | Biological Log

I am so absolutely thankful to the universe for iLan and Vanessa. They really get me. They get me in such a way that it hurts my heart and head to be away from them for too long. I suppose I should keep them around as I am selfish like that…8)

I am officiating their wedding soon. I’m going to lose myself in that experience for sure.

Saturday, May 1, 2010 was one of the most resplendent and soothing days that I can remember having in a long time.

I woke up at 10:15a to a shuffling best friend doing his normal morning routine while I gave the morning a stretch. I sleep very well on his futon.

We waited for his fiance, and my friend Vanessa to come about. We decided to go to a place, that as I couldn’t see what it was called on iLan’s monitor, I called Baby Cafe but later found out to be called Macrina Bakery and Cafe.

We waited outside and snacked on some pastries. I had a “Rocket Muffin” which was composed of an amazing strawberry preserve. So moist and delicious. We were finally seated about a half hour later. Famished and drooling we sat at the bar and ogled the menu. I chose the “Market Special” which was 2 eggs over easy, peas and onions with baked gnocchi, a salad, and some fantastic bread with more of that awesome preserve. iLan had a sub-satisfying granola, and Vanessa had a waffle that I could’ve grown old with. It was ginger infused and amazing. I recommend stopping by and having a nibble if you are ever there.

After breakfast, we drove back to the house for a brief stretch before heading out. I should say this now: The biggest part of what made the day so wonderful was the fact that both of these lovely people wouldn’t spill any of the destinations we were headed to. With that, I couldn’t have any set expectations, as much as I probed, and was thereby forced to just enjoy the journey.

With both of my kites, Louis and Carlos packed in the trunk, and a flashlight equipped for whatever reason that I wasn’t told, we drove to the Edmonds Kingston Ferry. What a spectacular first stop. The ride is maybe only 25-30 minutes, but just enough to relax, enjoy the air, and really take in some amazing views of the Sound. When we got to the other side, we drove into Kingston for a slice of pizza and a cup of coffee before continuing on.

Elton John played songs while I dozed in and out, feeling the travel, seeing green landscapes. Another pit stop. We swung by V’s old grandparents area and scoped some nice views, hung out on a wobbly dock, and drove through what used to be forest; now retirement residence.

Continuing on, we finally pulled into Fort Townsend. We parked the car, and walked a path up a hill. Still not sure what was happening, I kept joking that they were taking me to the woods to shoot me. Not exactly. Instead they surprised me with an amazing abandoned Naval base on a bluff! We explored all sorts of little pocket buildings before heading atop the base, which was a beautiful field. Perfect for flying kites and catching a spectacular view of the water as well as a couple bald eagles. We flew Carlos and Louis for about an hour or so before I was told we had to go or we’d be late…

More mystery.

We packed up the kites, headed back to the car and back to the ferry. While we waited for the ferry, we ran out the car and grabbed some amazing iced cream. I had lavender with honey. *swoony pants!*

Finally the ferry came, we boarded, played a little hide and seek, and then de-boarded. We then drove back to the house, iLan asked me what I packed to wear. I told him jeans, underwear, shirts, etc. He seemed a little sighish before retreating to the bedroom. Through the door I heard mumblings of, “I don’t know if he can wear that”…”Maybe these?”…”He can wear mine”…

I chuckled at my curiosity. Finally we got back in the car and drove to our destination. Getting wound through an industrial complex, I was back to joking about them plotting to kill me before finally iLan surrendered to asking me to tell him if I saw anything awesome around while we drove. We got a little turned around before finally pulling into a parking lot. A giant building was in my peripheral vision. I caught a glimpse of an open garage door and nearly emptied my bladder in excitement. A freaking warehouse filled with trampolines!! I completely forgot that I had just said on Twitter a few days before how I really wanted to go to a trampoline house. Vanessa had taken it upon herself to plan an amazing surprise. Needless to say I was like a kid at Christmas. I was a little hesitant at first, but after seeing everyone having such a great time, I “jumped” right in. The building was subdivided into a birthday area, a dodge-ball area, open jumping, a foam pit for doing crazy flips, and a supervised area for kids 8 and under.
I felt really old when I had a passing thought of, “Sheesh, insurance for this place must be pretty expensive.” The old guy in me took a backseat almost immediately after my second or third bound off the bouncy walls. I did front flips, side flips, back-ish flips, and face-plants into the foam pit. I’m still sore from how much jumping occurred. 2 hours later we left, and I had burned, in my approximation, 60000 calories. Hunger had set in.

We then retreated to Safeway for snacks, drinks, the works. The night ended watching old Sealab cartoons from Adult Swim and eating nachos. I passed out almost immediately.

That concludes one of the most beautiful days of my life.

Later Taters.

-G

Next up: Spunky Monkey Junky

This is such a bizarre and interesting time.

I’m not one to let the readers of this blog, or the readers that are ported over from facebook, into my deeper personal affairs…because frankly, it is silly and unnecessary. However, I suppose it is appropriate for certain things…?…non?

For a little over the last 5 years I was dating a wonderful girl named Lesa. Her links are on the side bar…and you should click on them rapidly to see awesome pictures, stories, and be inspired. We’ve since evolved away from each other. Living together in that circumstance, among many other mental and physical issues that I deal with on a day to day basis have made life a little tricky lately. Lesa told me tonight that she is going to move out in a bit as it will make our friendship easier and her head hurt a little less. I totally understood…so we are trying to figure out where we are both going to live. She wants to stick around “here”…and I think I might either move a little closer in to downtown, or I might take up temporary shelter in a shared home situation or something to save a little green. Either way.

With that said, things just got a little more real. I am entrenching myself in work and creating a social wall. I was thinking about peoples walls on the way home. Some of my friends have walls made of cider block and steel while others have walls that are kind of like Tribbles. The tribble type wash you over with adorable character traits. They distract you with that so you’ll never be able to touch their reality; because…well…that is what those walls are built for. After analyzing this further. I realized that my wall consists mostly of a steep muddy grass hill that is so slippery it is almost not worth the effort so you’ll just walk around the side and avoid me altogether. I like the people that walk on my grassy hill; the people that have good boots, aren’t afraid to get muddy and can appreciate the view from the top once they’ve gotten there. That sounds a little contrived, but again, this is my blog…and I’ll say what I want.

“And all the effort that it took to get here in the first place, and all the effort not to let the effort show”…EBTG/Downhill Racer/Temperamental…great track. Look it up.

Part of me wants to disappear. I don’t know where I could go that my internal predator couldn’t find me. I need to unplug…to much screen glare, polygons, code, and pixels. I want to go camp. Get eaten by a bear…that’d be nuts. Poorly play my crappy guitar on a beach out the back of my van in the spring…too cliche. I could just shut up and get off my ass…but that wouldn’t be as self gratifying as complaining.

My thumb is no longer mutilated. This is a very significant thing. I remember exactly where I was and how old I was when I started doing this habit. I was 4 years old in the front seat of my mom’s car in Dearborn, Michigan driving to a fast food joint. I saw a little dry skin on my thumb and ripped it clean off. Ever since, that emotional connection to such a seemingly insignificant moment was one of few positive moments I’ve had with that lady. Comfort comes from the weirdest places. I think past that, this is the first time in my life that I concurrently have been single, out of school, with a job, and not much connection with anybody in a long long time. Perhaps since I was 4.

Life is silly.

So I thought I’d textually vomit some fun facts about myself, as I am looking to open up a little more this year to the human race.

+:

• washing my hands in warm water-It is like a hug for my hands
• vegetarian dishes
• ultra meaty dishes
• floor napping
• lasers
• robots
• collecting dust bunnies in swooping hand motions
• drawing congruent triangles
• climbing things unnecessarily-such as a half wall in mid-walk…ya know, just to mix it up a little.
• driving at night listening to jazz that I think my dad might like with the window down; especially if there is no particular destination
• walking in mud
• puddle jumping
• the duality of heart and earth by moving the ‘h’
• 1950′s era sci-fi styling
• really salty ham
• watches and wallets
• my eternal struggle with coming to terms with gaining control of surrendering control in life
• I secretly enjoy my social awkwardness…it makes me who I am
• artists that aren’t afraid to not use gradients when illustrating shadows…*see animation styling.
• the process of mental evolution
• being a glutton
• cross hatching to the point of ruining the drawing
• rubbing my face
• cutting construction paper
• unnecessarily shiny surfaces
• Rocco’s employee that blesses my food before I eat it with a magical wave of his hand
• the shape of cartoon hearts…I find them strangely erotic
• icy cold water to drink
• water that has been sitting out to drink
• ripping off my toenails
• kicking gathered snow out of wheel wells of cars-even better if it breaks off in huge chunks
• getting the impression of carpet in my face when floor napping
• thick yarn

-:

• dropping my keys
• pre-frothed hand soap…seriously…what is up with that…are we really that lazy?
• intolerance on any level
• Rob Lowe
• C and D cell batteries
• lemon flavoring-except lemon heads; those are okay
• planned obsolescence
• ‘mingling’
• ‘double butt’-ask me to draw it for you sometime
• zip-lock baggies
• breaking my shoelace
• pickle boy (ask me)
• Hunan Restaurant-Can’t tell if I’m in it or not…I can explain
• UPS Guy (again…ask me)
• thinking I’m going to fold corrugated cardboard with the flutes, and wind up going against the flutes…*grrr
• cell phone videos
• brown glass-there is an exception to this which is that if it contains root beer, I can deal with it
• shallow jean pockets

I’ve just exhausted myself. I’m sure I’ll think of more later.

~G