A Holly Jolly Holly-day from STJ

West Indian Delight

Dinner last night:

Jason had mutton curry.
I wanted stewed oxtail, but they were out so I got fungi, goat water, and johnny cakes.

Love me some West Indian food.

Of glow sticks and whistling tea kettles

SHE'S BAAAAAACK. I heard the voice, Jason heard the voice. We could no longer live in denial when I saw the bright white outfit with neon accessories. Old Lady Candy Raver is here for season. Argh.

Before she moved in next door, she was simply the nutty and sweet old lady who dressed like a six year old with flourescent pink and green pigtails. But last season when she moved in next door and started singing loud church songs and letting her tea kettle whistle for upwards of half an hour (thought we might need to go poke her with a stick to see if she was still alive), it became much less funny and way more real. She saw Jason and I getting into our car yesterday and asked us if we were going to church. NO. And she was wearing white socks with psychadelic bright birkenstocks. I usually pick up hitch-hikers (with exception), but when I saw her this past Saturday I drove right on by and said "HELL NO" out loud twice.

Anatomy of an island weekend

Yes, the next weekend is nearly upon me once again. It will be filled with more parties than I can really comprehend at this point...more than I WANT to comprehend. But let me give a glimpse at last weekend. I realize that it may sound cool or exotic and exciting, but to me--after having lived here for 4 years--I would rather be chilling with my homies in Seattle and drinking a Pabst. Behold the apparent glory of last weekend...

Friday night...Sunset cruise with work. Complete with apps and an open bar. An Irish Car Bomb taken like an expert so that I would look cool in front of my co-workers sent me home to bed quite early (thankfully).

Saturday...attempt at recovery from previous night. Christmas parade which is unlike any Christmas parade in the States...pan music, trucks with loud Soca music, everyone in the community thinking they are part of the parade with drinks and children in tow. This was followed by a great holiday jazz concert in the park, where I was literally shaking from the cold (78ish degrees...pathetic).

Sunday...day 2 of hangover. Head off to a nearby island on a boat full of people to celebrate Captain Phil's 70th birthday. The island, Lovango, is really amazing...totally self-sufficient and off-the-grid, with 1 car and steep trails to houses. This is what is pictured below.

This here is a pic that only Virgin Islanders can totally appreciate. Wally has an amazing self-sufficient home, and this is its control center...fondly referred to as WAPA. hahaha. (that is the corrupt and defunct local power provider)



This one goes out to Theo...the chickens reside in the Pecker Palace or Pollo Club. Love it.


Captain Phil's birthday "potty", a gift for his new home.


View from the porch, with beautiful St. John in the background.


All of us packing on to Dan Boyd's boat for the short ride.



Is this a hibiscus? Whatever it is, the colours are amazing.

Welcome to the world

Sydney Joy Anderson! My oldest and dearest friend (and one of the 3 people I have told of this blog), Rainey, just had her 3rd precious little baby on Dec. 4th. At 31, I think I'm actually starting to think the baby thing should happen before too long (we're still talking YEARS, but it's all relative, right?). Can't wait to meet the beautiful whippersnapper.

Thankspigging

Games, drinks, and plenty of food with our friend Nancy.




This Ham is your Ham...This Ham is my Ham!

This Ham was made for you and me!!!!

A pictorial update

Check out these flowers. It's just one big round petal. I thought it was pretty cool. Our neighbor Tyler has had another plant spending spree to make his porch and yard into a little tropical haven, and even though the pic is kind of crummy, I thought it was pretty cool.


And here is our teeny little lizard that was temporarily living in the bathroom. He was so damn cute, but alas, he had to be captured and released. No, I am not shaving him...just for size perspective.

So there is my thrilling update. At the moment I am excited because Jason went to St. Thomas with a few of our girlfriends and has decided to stay the night over there and go to a party. That means I get the place all to myself! Just bought a frozen pizza, Perrier, and going to settle down to a movie. That's a good night!

My version of extending an olive branch

I saw Jason's old boss--the one Jason has nearly put out of a job by starting a competing business--with his wife at a cocktail party last night. It's always a little bit awkward seeing them, but since his wife is pregnant, I thought I'd go congratulate them. Here is the part where my idiocy really shines through. I told Will that he was going to be a great dad, that he would "totally kill it". Yes, I told him he would kill his baby. Moral of the story...do not use "kill it" as a compliment when talking about someone's unborn child. To their credit, they laughed it off.

Sunny with a chance of more sun

I just realized today that the worst weather I will have seen in nearly two years occurred during August in Seattle. Weird, eh? I went completely unprepared with only flip flops, jeans, and lightweight long-sleeved shirts. This was definitely not adequate at the outdoor Radiohead concert that felt like the middle of winter to a gal accustomed to tropical living.

As for St. John weather, it is still hanging tight in the mid-upper 80s. It'll get a little "chilly" around the end of December and through February. By "chilly", I mean low 80s, possibly reaching as low as the 70s. I am so acclimated to the climate here that it actually does seem cold. Hard to believe. I continually wonder if I'll go into shock when I move back to Seattle. Seems likely.

Please enlighten me

I am so weirded out/confused. My friend Nancy and I were driving along this afternoon when we came across an older guy running. He had a whip in his right hand, and would occasionally hit himself in the behind. Um, what is that about?

Bye Lindy...a stolen picture

He's looking pretty coherent here. Man, people are sad he's gone. I did read a comment that his immune system should be studied. That is so true! For someone to live so long with such a lifestyle and illness, it is amazing. Although he didn't talk much in the nearly 4 years I've known him, there's no doubt that there was a lot of interesting things going on in his mind.

Swinging Doors

Yays and Nays galore in life.

Major HUGE YAAAAY to Obama becoming president. This is definitely a great moment in our nation's history.

Another Yay to a great Halloween weekend, including a Saturday night house party at our friend Jim Weller's newly built home. He is a master woodcrafter and has done the most exquisite job on this place he's built from scratch. I am totally coveting it.

Major serious NAY to everyone's favorite island personality, Lindy, dying yesterday. I cannot even attempt to explain this character, but he was adored by all. Sadly, he'd been circling the drain for awhile, so this is really no surprise. He may have the biggest funeral St. John has ever seen. He was everyone's Lindy.

Nay also to the fact that I have encountered the 2 most repugnant smells EVER today. I am not being at all melodramatic. They were permeate-your-nostril-and-stick-like-herpes bad.

Life is such a roller coaster.

Today at work

Laid off 4 of my fellow employees/friends (3 more the previous day...mind you, HUGE corporation, very small St. John division).

Had to track down one fellow employee/friend at a bar to drag her home so she can fly to the states for rehab tomorrow

Nothing I can explain in a few words can tell the full madness of today, but let's just say I discovered a wonderful Oregon Pinot to get me through...Argyle. Affordable, and delicious, and necessary.

Only for you, Ms. Rainey Jean

A Tagged entry...

8 Favorite TV shows:
1. The Daily Show w/ Jon Stewart
2. Passions (campy and wonderful)
3. Various Reality (Project Runway for one)
4. Curb Your Enthusiasm and other HBO series
5. Here is where things get shady as I don't have TV....um...Family Guy
6. Adult Swim shows on Comedy Central
7. BBC World News
8. Sorry, can't think of any more

8 Favorite Restaurants:
1. Cafe Roma
2. India Mahal (Tacoma rocks the Indian food)
3. Rhumblines
4. Tup Tim Thai
5. That one Sushi restaurant in my Seattle neighborhood that I am currently blanking on
6. The Mecca
7. The Breadboard
8. Dash Inn

8 Things that happend yesterday:
1. Had brunch at Sun Dog Cafe with our favorite bartender and friend, Tyler
2. Did a shot of Liquid Cocaine with said brunch
3. Read my current book, THE BOOK THIEF (Love it!)
4. Went to a pig roast at my favorite secret West Indian bar on St. John, where we did not, in fact, eat any pig
5. Drank a few IPAs at the Tap Room while eating Beef Carpaccio and a gorgonzola salad from neighboring Paradiso
6. Watched a really stupid movie, PINEAPPLE EXPRESS (don't waste your life)
7. Lounged on my futon on our screened-in-porch on a lovely 85 degree-ish afternoon
8. Made way more plans for next weekend than I am capable of actually attending

8 Things I am looking forward to:
1. Next weekend
2. Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays (even though I'm stuck on St. John)
3. Moving back to Seattle
4. Getting rich
5. Getting a puppy baby
6. Getting back to the job I love in Seattle
7. Our big Asian adventure (hopefully next year)
8. Next boat trip

4 Jobs that I've had:
1. Mini-golf/Ice-cream parlor (definitely good times, Rainey, but for whatever reason I don't really like ice-cream anymore, and I DEFINITELY do not like mini-golf)
2. Production Coordinator at a commercial photography studio (first real job, and still the most stressful I've had)
3. Matchmaker/Sales Coordinator at Dating Service (ahhhh...the stories I can tell)
4. Sales at Kasala Furniture in Seattle (BEST JOB EVER!!!!)

4 Movies I've watched more than once:
1. Six Degrees of Separation
2. The Sound of Music
3. Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas
4. Titanic (WHY??? I HATE this film)

4 TV shows I watch:

Uh...there's one...The Daily Show. OH! I guess sometimes the new 90210 and Entourage.

4 Favorite Foods:
1. Tim's Cascades Jalapeno Chips
2. Rajun Cajun Sandwich
3. Indo fries with aoli
4. Enchiladas

4 Places I want to visit:

1. All over Africa
2. All over Asia
3. All over South America
4. Australia and New Zealand

4 Things I love about my significant other:
1. He's funny
2. Smart
3. Ambitious
4. We want the same things in life

All done! (brushing off hands)

Hurricane Omar

After all was said and done, Hurricane Omar did pretty minimal damage on St. John...downed trees, one lost home, some screwed up boats, a 2 day hangover from drinking 1 and a half LARGE bottles of wine by myself (thank God for the Westin's heavenly beds). But it was certainly an interesting experience with the anticipation of what could happen. We got to spend quality time with our new neighbors who'd only moved here 2 days prior, and get some serious perspective from my co-worker and his wife who also stayed with us because the boat they'd lived on for 20ish years was in the harbor. Can you imagine that stress?? There was flooding on St. John like I couldn't believe, and SO MUCH WORK to get everything ready, just in case. There was one point where I ran to my apartment to get a change of clothes and just looked around at all my stuff and said, "Screw it." All replaceable, although I would have been devastated. The whole event was the closest this island has seen to a hurricane since the tragic Marilyn in '96 (?), so everyone has a new story to tell and an appreciation for good weather.

Lovely Phoebe, one of the two little dogs that kept us entertained

What we did a good portion of the night--watch the hurricane's track

Beautiful weather less than 24 hours later

At the moment...

Hunkered down in a two bedroom Westin villa. SWEET! Drinking a glass of wine and watching it RAIN, RAIN, RAIN. Look at this thing headed for us!

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/flt/t2/loop-wv.html

Yowza. Should be interesting.

Hurricanes are such an inconvenience

Well, I'm getting my first official hurricane tomorrow night, if all goes as planned. Hurricane Omar. What this means at this point is a Category 2 will be upon us late tomorrow night...lots of rain and wind. Sadly, my home does not hold up well. I REALLY, REALLY do NOT want to have to pack up all my belongings and head for safe cover. That does not sound at all fun to me. It is a bit incomprehensible for me to be looking around my small and sparsely filled apartment and think about choosing which of my meager possessions will make the safe journey with me. Eh! Hold thumbs that the storm will peter out.

Love to Love City

As much as I bitch and moan about living here, I have to admit that I am pretty lucky to have the experience of living in "Paradise". I mean, this is the life people dream of, right? After a great weekend of hiking with Jason and my friend Nancy, and house sitting at our usual place (view above), I thought it would be nice to make a list of pros of living in "Love City" St. John. It is a special and unique experience that I'm sure I'll look back on fondly...some day.

So here it is. A list of positives:

-Scenery. Hard to beat it.
-Temperature. Ooh lala. I am sooo spoiled.
-Environmental awareness. Living in such a small, pristine environment, with about 75% National Park, really makes a community come together to maintain its coral reefs, beaches, and forests (at least SOME of the community). And I have learned an invaluable amount about water conservation. It literally hurts me to see someone running water wastefully in the states now.
-Drinks EVERYWHERE! No liquor laws. Take your drinks to the streets, into the stores, into other bars, into cars, NO ONE CARES!! Even the cops drink on duty while driving around. And don't freak over the drinking and driving. There are rarely accidents since the max you can drive on these narrow winding roads is about 25 mph.
-Boat trips. The absolute most important reason I enjoy myself living here is getting out on the water and enjoying other islands. It is like a whole vacation in one day.
-Knowing everyone. Has its ups and downs for a gal who likes her big city anonymity, but it is nice to be in a place where everyone knows your name.
-Iguanas. Boy is it a bummer to run over these big lizards, but they really are stupid--yet wonderful.
-Strong, cheap drinks. Back to alcohol. It is unbelievably cheap.
-Thunderstorms. I thought we had good ones growing up in WYO, but they are unbelievable here, echoing off the steep hills. No comparison.
-Gnips and tamarinds. It is nice to live in a place where at any given time you can just pull a healthy tasty treat off a tree.
-Flamboyants. I think it is my favorite tree...when in bloom.
-Amazing beaches. Seriously now. I am so lucky. So spoiled. There are a lot of well traveled people around here, and apparently the only comparable beaches are in Bali (or was it Fiji?), where I have yet to go. When people think Hawaii beaches are nice, I chuckle to myself and feel highly superior.
-Nighttime chorus of frogs, insects and birds. The best sound to listen to when the barge dock and town below our apartment quiet down for the night.
-Indo fries with spicy aioli. Chicken gorgonzola and walnuts with ravioli. Vodka penne with sausage. Seared fresh tuna. I am a foody, and when I leave there are definitely places I will crave. Mouth watering.
-Last but hardly least, the reason for loving 'Love City', is because this is where I met my love...just after moving here nearly 4 years ago, Jason and I instantly became best friends. The rest is history.

Crying inside

Just finished off the last bag of Tim's Cascades Jalapeno Chips that Jason brought back to me from Seattle. Oh how I love those chips and my burning face after munching it down to the crumbly crumbs (eating these is honestly a true passion of mine in life). My personal charity is now accepting donations...send directly to the Virgin Islands. And get that package insured.

One more thing

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/factchecking_debate_no_1.html

Seems to be a very impartial check of what the political candidates have to say during their debate. Can't wait for Palin to talk. This website will have its work cut out.

What to do

Jason has been bugging me about my lack of blogging. I have nothing really to say! Jason suggests maybe talking about how my "friend" tried to make out with me while Jason was out of the room TWICE last weekend. Nah. No thanks. Don't want to relive that again. Or maybe I could talk about my wasted employee party complete with inappropriate story-sharing. Again...no.

Instead I will share some of my favorite internet finds as of late...

http://www.geekologie.com/2008/09/awesomest_jesusbased_song_ever.php

The above will make you laugh hysterically and get stuck in your head for a long, long time.

This picture, I just love, compliments of Cute Overload:


And finally, please track down Bill Clinton's recent appearance on Jon Stewart. I've never heard Jon with so little to say. No matter your feelings on Bill, he totally killed it. Please bring us back an economic and environmental powerhouse as president!

Stormin'

Since I really have nothing to say, I thought I would post a picture that would remind me of happier times...sunnier times. It has been raining for the past few days. A storm is forming above us. Last time I remember it being so wet, our tropical rain turned into Hurricane Katrina. Hopefully that won't happen this time. This is the time of year I want to be at the beach...the water is glassy and warm and the tourists are mostly gone. I've been spoiled, obviously.

Rawk and roll rodeo

Well, a month later here are a few pics of Wyoming. Good times, very tiring. How will I ever deal with kids of my own when my nephews and niece wear me out so much. It was great to finally meet little Allison, my cousin Stacey's little girl. She was such a sweet little girl compared to her boy cousins who were rowdy and wrestling, but they all really loved each other. Eli got the cast off his broken leg the day after I arrived, and he is talking a lot more and LOVES to run and wrestle. And sooooo cute in those thick glasses with his long eyelashes pressed up against the glass. Landon was so excited about starting kindergarten that he was waking up at 4 am and asking if he could go to school each day. He is a very witty and loving little boy. I love to take naps with him because he still cuddles up and rubs my thumb, just like when he was a baby.

Also big ups to Miss Sadie who drove all the way from Idaho to hang out with me what amounted to about 1 day. But one GREAT day as we enjoyed the parade and debauchery that occurs around Fair and Rodeo in small town Wyoming.

With my sweet Sadie at the Century Club

The Munchkins...Landon, Allison, and Eli

Hypocrisy at its finest

Check out the clip from the Daily Show about Palin. It is not so much about Palin (who, as a VP choice should certainly be mocked), as it is about the idiotic reporters who should really check themselves before throwing out their opinions. Oy vey. They must have some short term memory.

http://perezhilton.com/2008-09-04-stewart-on-palin

Pondering

Why would one pour milk into his eye?

Why would one stand in a grocery store, open a jug of milk, pour milk into the cap, and put it in his eye?

I made sure he purchased said milk and didn't put it back on the shelf.

Itchin'

The mosquitos here are bad. Beyond bad. I have been fairly lucky to avoid what most people are dealing with, due to a somewhat windy home and indoor work, but still...not good. Imagine just walking through a thick cloud of mossies. Wyo never knew the extent. I would count my bites, but that may get boring. If I were to guess, I would say around 60. I used to count, but that was when I was new to tropical life. Now I just try to refrain from itching so that they don't turn into big nasty sores. A little On St. John blog...

http://www.on-stjohn.com/2008/08/26/mosquito-bite-looks-like-st-john/

I heart Seattle

Long time no write. Luckily, I had a prolonged visit to Seattle due to a canceled flight, which allowed me to get to a Radiohead show and see about 10 more friends than I would've had I flown home on time. I had a fabulous time hanging out with the best friends a girl could ask for and going to Tim and Laurie's wedding. A few highlights (more than a few--it was hard to narrow)...

Me and my girls at Timmy's wedding

Jason and Mike chilling before the wedding

Beautiful lakeside wedding vows

Victoria with her little doll, Pilar

Joy and I hanging with James in the LQA

We love our Ragin' Cajun sandwiches

Hanging al fresco at Mike's

So long since we've shown love to our Seth

Some of my favorite people in the world...all in one place again!

Timmy and his ladies, pre-wedding

Yes!

This is brilliant. I think I need to get in some serious practice time over the next week just in case I end up at Neighbors again when I get to Seattle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyqUj3PGHv4

Hustling off to Buffalo

Leaving Monday on a 2 week vacation and I cannot wait. The old home town of Buffalo, Wyoming to hang with the family during Fair and Rodeo week, then to Seattle with all my favorite homies for my dear friend Tim Morelli's wedding. Good times ahead. Here are some pics of my nephews from when I visited last summer. These are certainly better than looking at dead lizards. Landon is now 5 years old and is the class clown and very smart and funny. Eli was 9 months old in these pictures and was just starting to walk around without help a year ago. Now he is such a loving and rowdy little boy. He'll be getting a cast off his broken leg the morning after I arrive. Wild children. Pics from vacation will be posted in a few weeks.

For your viewing pleasure

See photo descriptions in next post. Sorry for any gag reflexes.

My 30 years never prepared me for this housesitting job

I am exhausted due to my new job, and well, also due to the fact that I woke up at around 3 am last night with my face being eaten by ants. Not kidding. It happened to Jason the night before, but he got it even worse. Let's just say we are in the midst of housesitting for one of the most ant and cockroach infested places ever. It is not that our out-of-town friend is a mess, it's just that in this tropical locale, bugs can move in and aren't too keen on moving out.

My admiration for my dear Jason has really reached a new level as of late. I think he has killed around 15 huge cockroaches and an innumerable amount of small ones, carried away dead lizard bodies and a dead rat (thanks for the presents kitties), and just all around stepped up to the challenge of staying in a place where we are outnumbered by some very pesky and bold creatures.

I have been chased down by a super-sized insect while screaming and jumping in a small bathroom and seen one of the cats play hacky sack and then chomp down on a cute little baby mouse in the living room, but at least I have interesting stories to tell my co-workers each morning.

Now I am rambling. I wanted to share 2 disgusting pictures of dead lizards--one from tonight that the ants were just starting to invade, and one from the other night that was reduced to its skeleton--but my computer isn't wanting to upload them. Another day.

I may go vomit.

Whaaaaaa

Once again crying inside because I don't live in Seattle

http://www.bumbershoot.org/lineup.htm

Know when to say 'When'

Several glasses of wine before a dinner with my friend Crystal, where we then drank a bottle of Prosecco and another big glass of Merlot, was a bad idea. Usually, not a problem. Jason showed up toward the end of the evening, which is when my brain got a little hazy. Not too many people left in the restaurant, but I still managed to make an idiot of myself when I loudly proclaimed, "I'm going to RAPE YOUR BALLS!"

The only table with people seated was right next to us. A tourist family with 2 little kids. Jason pointed that out to me, and I proceeded to say, "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" As in...Oh no, why did I say something so offensive in front of this poor family, but I am now being even more offensive. Sheesh. With my luck they were guests here at the Westin, which I see a lot of them around town quite regularly. I don't really remember this, but was fortunate enough to not have a hangover the next day. Praise the sweet baby Jesus. I know the locals in my company will forgive me, since they are all a bigger mess than myself.

Please, show some mercy!

I am becoming afraid of the unthinkable...another Republican Whitehouse. Nightmarish, right? But also a possible reality. I am begging and pleading and will even consider sexual favors for anyone who is complacent about voting to get out there and support Obama, if for no other reason than to not support McCain. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. The downward spiral must cease. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE. Favors granted upon request.

Maybe it's just me

I keep seeing this lady around town that I long took to be an "old" (50s or 60s) drunk. Well, she is now pregnant. And still drunk and smoking like a chimney. Any thoughts about that unborn baby? And how did she get pregnant at her age?!

Another person I know is smoking weed the whole time she is pregnant. I know we kinda tend to think of marijuana as null and void, but it is not great for you lungs (the poor babies?). A stoned fetus! Why chance it? I am amazed and disturbed.

When I lose my mind...

I want to be just like Roland! He is my favorite homeless drunk crazy person ever. He loves to wear costumes and completely absorb himself into their respective roles. It makes me giddy with anticipation of all the possibilities when my senses begin to falter. Here is one gem as him of a pimp. Sadly, I think I accidentally erased the others. Such as him dressed as a wizard, at one point carrying around a huge book of Shakespeare which he dramatically read in the middle of the park, and at another point held a huge silver tray, arms outstretched as though he was casting a spell while following behind one of the most decrepit slow-moving homeless old person I've ever seen (that's another story in itself...old unwashed sailor with a rotting leg who thought he was Jesus and only wore a wetsuit). He also loves to chat away to his imaginary friends on an old phone attached by its cord somewhere on his pants. I could go on and on, but maybe I'll just have to try to find some more pictures. What a character.

Christmas in July

Always nice to do a little something different for a change. We spent yesterday hanging out at a "Christmas" party overlooking Coral Bay. Met a lot of people (such a small island...no clue there were so many I didn't know), serious potluck eating, Christmasy fun watching Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas (a personal favorite since I was a wee thing), swimming, drinking (of course).

I am soooo excited that we got invited to a party in September for a British guy in Coral Bay who will be made a lord and Duke (Lord Maunder of Hillborough, Duke of Beltinge to be exact). It will be a 300 or so person party where he has to build a bridge and heard 4 sheep over it. Random! Sounds like a good time to me.

There were two distinct groups of kids and old people (we realized that when we were discussing the adults showing up, that we actually qualify as adults ourselves, being in our 30s and all). Randomly at the small party...3 Nasa scientists who did not previously know one another. Also cool to hear people getting introduced and having a *ding* moment of realizing that my peers are really cool people that all own their own successful businesses...Jason with his computer biz and publishing company, Cheech and Kevin with their successful brewery, Colette with her ice cream shop. Nice to see people pursuing their passions and doing well instead of living the cubicle life.

Knew the party was over when a tourist showed up and proceeded to get into the hot tub naked with us (we were wearing proper bathing suit attire) while he ate a plate full of food. Time to go.

A big thanks with hugs and kisses to the Doves for hosting such a great time at one of their beautiful properties.

A view of Coral Bay and the BVIs in the distance

So thrilled about my Christmas present...a denim pouch

Great view from the pool

Rooney and Colette so happy together