I'm enjoying life in western Washington State, and I've taken up a new hobby. Watercolor painting is my newest love! It's so fun and therapeutic. I'm thinking about taking a class or something, but for now it's fun to plunk around with my paints and brushes.

My boyfriend is deploying to Iraq in a month or so, and so we've been spending every possible minute together. Things are good. We don't fight, argue, or even disagree, really. It's a very happy thing--for me and Alex.

Work is still work. Fixing planes is fun, rewarding, and still the dream job I always wanted.

Overall, things are good. How's YOUR world?

It's 0225 local. I work third shift, and so this is mid-morning for me. But I have a rare night off, and so here I am, tiptoeing through DA to see how much has fallen off the walls since I was here in September.

My life, for those of you who care to know, is pretty stable. I spend my nights in whatever weather is out there, working on planes so large that I can stand inside the engine intake and not touch the sides. There is a certain suckiness, if you will, to spending hours outside in 5-degree weather, being covered in jet fuel and grease and Skydrol and God knows what else. You're cold, you're tired, you're probably half angry at the plane for not doing whatever it is that you wanted it to do.

Then again, there's a certain pride to be had standing in front of it, marshalling it forward, making those final motions to send it on its way. Seeing the landing gear lift off the ground for the first time ever...that's a rush.

I spend my days sleeping. Or up in the mountains, taking pictures. Or down on the docks by the Sound, listening to the waves, watching the ferries, and eating fish and chips while the seagulls contemplate divebombing me for a piece of my food.

My son is learning violin, and we're having fun playing together. We did the family pic thing yesterday with each of us holding our violins. Corny, but when he's all grown up it'll mean something to me.

I also got a dog. He's a Pomerkie, Yorkiepom, whatever. One of those little designer dogs. I swore I'd never get a foofoo dog, and I doubly swore I'd never put my dog in clothes, but Howitzer (yes, I named my dog after a huge weapon LOL) gets COLD up here.

Life is good. Dream job, dream guy, dream location. Now if I could only get rid of the hobo population and the nutjob liberals I'd be stellar.

I'm currently in Great Falls, Montana working an aircraft contract for Aerojet Support on deHavilland -8 and Canadair Regional Jets.

While I am crazy homesick for Washington, the trip has given me an excellent opportunity to visit new places--and therefore get some new photos. Hope you enjoy the additions to the gallery.

I'm going back up to the North Cascades Highway this weekend. This time I plan to drive about another 50 miles past Diablo Lake, to the highest point of the mountains. Should get some great shots.

Today, however, I'm going to an ocean spot that a friend of mine says will blow me away. Will post those pics later as well.

In the meantime, I have a question for the photo gurus. I have a Canon Powershot. I want to upgrade the camera wang, but I don't know anything about lenses and such. I just know where to point it. Any help as to what I can get for a reasonable price?

Thanks! Stay tuned for more photos of Washington scenery. On the list to visit:

- San Juan Islands
- Vancouver
- Leavenworth, WA
- Winthrop, WA
- Alki Beach

Warning: Language alert ahead. Don't read it if you don't like the F word.

Last night when I was in Seattle, I was walking around looking at all these people laughing and drinking and having a great old time, and it occurred to me that right at that second, on the other side of the world, there is a Marine fighting for his life on a makeshift operating table while people he's never seen before do everything in their power to keep him alive. There are soldiers sleeping in mud and going without a hot meal or a shower for a month or more at a time. I just stopped right there and said a prayer for all of them.

And yet…these people, it's like it doesn't matter. Such selfishness and excess and shamefulness. I'm walking by these trash cans overfilled with garbage, trash on the ground, trash everywhere…but then I see that people are still taking the time to recycle their fucking cans and bottles. How ridiculous is that? They'll throw their trash on the ground in the park, and then they'll make sure to recycle because after all, we have to save the fucking earth. What the fuck is wrong with this world?

I see this 60-year-old guy standing there with a sign advertising Hempfest, totally stoned out of his gourd, and I wanted to go ask him what in his entire miserable piece of shit life has he ever done to contribute to the freedoms he pisses all over every day. What possible thing can he look back on and say "I did this to preserve what was purchased in blood." Not a fucking thing, that's what. His entire existence is based on "the exertions of better men than himself." And it sickens me. Does no one know what honor is anymore? Does NO ONE in this wretched fucking world give a fucking shit about what is right and true and what kind of conduct we are to aspire to as Americans..hell, as PEOPLE? This guy's talking to a bunch of young kids about how great pot is, and I wanted to walk up to them, smack the guy in the back of his bald, toothless head, and say "Hey kids! Smoke LOTS of pot. Hell, you might be able to end up like this guy! Missing your teeth, looking like a homeless bum, and straight stupid! Woooooo! Yessiree, here's your high point right here!"

I am so disgusted with it all. I'm sick of getting flipped off on the freeway because some liberal pansy took offense to my bumper stickers. Although cutting them off gives me a strange sense of satisfaction. Nothing better than forcing them to drive 35 on the highway while staring at the back of my truck, which loudly proclaims that "I support Waterboarding" and "Doing my best to piss off the heathen Left." I'm tired of watching all these assholes walk around with their $8 cup of coffee and pontificate about what they think the fucking meaning of life is. I've been here two months and already I've had enough of Seattle. I'm perfectly content to stay up here in Everett, near my mountains and the ocean.