Natasha's blog - A boring title for a not boring blogger

"Be what you wish you were" - as I crown myself in my bathroom mirror I haven't posted a blog update in a few months. I will commit to posting more regularly (once every 2 weeks - or bi-weekly as the high brows call it) starting in March. I refrained from regular posts and updates because there seemed to be too many moving parts. Trying to capture them in a linear blog format was too much to concisely translate. Quick Recap   September Moved to Seattle (Green Lake), found a part time job as a Swim Instructor. October Casually dated a guy from CDA, maintained my Swim Instructor job, started as a Marketing Rep for HelloFresh, promptly quit within 48 hours (not what I was looking for), celebrated by 26th birthday with my roommates, who I affectionately refer to as the "Party Kittens." Experienced one final imploding meltdown (ugly crying, in bed until 3 p.m., doubting every decision I have ever made in life - you know the drill). November Was off...

I was a badass. And you know what I love about saying that? No one wants me to prove it, they just want to know what kind of badass. Or they just laugh. Cool, I'll take it.   What kind of badass doesn't matter, though. The truth is that I am not a badass right now. So to all my tough girls (and guys -- I do love gender equality) who are on the mend:  This is for you.   Temporary, low expectations, don't try retail therapy This Is Right Now. Not Forever.   Dani's job was ripped out from under her while she is crushing it over in China. Dani is a bouncy, loyal, adaptive human, but this hit her hard. So discouraging. She had a plan, she secured some future. Gone. "I feel like I am moving backwards, now." Oh, I understand that feeling. Chasing something with all my heart only to look down and watch the treadmill burn out beneath me. Then I trip and slam my face into the ground. Inevitably.   The backwards feeling is just for right now. Thi...

Every time my Instagram blows up with baby photos, announcements, gender reveals, videos, status updates, ultra sound photos... I stalk you like you are my ex-boyfriend's new girlfriend. And now I gots things to say... Isn't it nice when people with no children judge other people with children? 1. The Dwight Reaction "We need a new plague." Don't we all hate traffic? I thought the point was to SPREAD. OUT. There are enough humans, why do we need more? What if you replaced all that time and phone storage with good music? I like music. I could probably handle a few more people in my life suggesting decent bands, taking photos of symphony concerts, and telling me about how difficult reading music before bed is. More music, less people. 2. The Liz Lemon Reaction "All God's children are terrible." Children are the worst, and all the adults know it. No one's children are the exception. I say this BECAUSE I AM OFTEN PAID TO HANDLE YOUR CHI...

Orthodoxy, Jane Bennet, Triathlons, moving to Seattle I prefer to attend Orthodox church. After the service (which is beautiful, and healing, and you can sit on the floor and smell the incense), the lunch hour begins. The congregation of 60-80 people primarily over the age of 60, drifts around the room and settles into their chosen seats around large circular tables. I like to root first. I have found that when I root first, others tend to root more quickly. I suppose it might be a game of elimination -- when 1 chair is no longer an option, I work to claim my own so as to avoid disappointment. Since kindergarten, I am disappointed when I don't get the chair I want. This is a theory; let's will move on. I always claim my spot first, primarily so that my mentor can come find me when she is ready. We will call her E. I sit and sip my tea and watch the regular members try to recall whether or not they have seen me before. Sunday mornings demand that everyone feel welcome. ...

#331 If you aren't familiar with Ironman, this is an endurance triathlon  Swim 2.4 miles Bike 112 miles Run 26.2 miles  Natasha's Race Info Race number: 331 Sunday August 21st  Swim starts at 6 am. I will enter the water I think around 6:25 am.  Transitions are around Independence Point. Finish Line is on Sherman, I believe at 1st Street. Might be 3rd street.  Estimated finish time : 9 pm There are Cut Off times through out the race. So if I disappear at some point unexpectedly I am either hurt or disqualified.  ------------------------------ --------------- Spectator Tips Swim: The swim is boring once all the racers are in the water, which will be by 7 am.  Bike: The course runs 2 loops. Starts at Independence Point, runs up to Higgins Point, then back down onto 95, up 95 about 20 miles past Mica Grange. Turn around at Setters Rd. *This is where I was recently stung by a bee.*  I think I should be on my bike...

Poverty, cups, and education -- they all matter Being that Visiting Voluntourist I obsessively read articles on voluntourism . If you aren't familiar with this term: volunteer + tourism = voluntourism. My family (please read: 2 parents, 2 high school siblings and 2 adult siblings) returned from voluntouring in Uganda 1 week ago.  All of the articles I have read up to this point criticize voluntourism. Why do rich Westerners spend thousands of dollars for a feel-good experience and then wave goodbye to an economically dependent, famished community? That money should be spent on established programs built to sustain the community and provide long-term SUCCESS. Any millennial can sip her imported coffee, admire her Afriheart tattoo and know she doesn't need to voluntour to impact the world. We visited Uganda for 2 weeks, focused our volunteering efforts on a rehabilitation program for trafficked minors, and focused our tourism efforts on thousands of photos with ...

Death, Spiders, Tumblr, and Uncertainty Writing a blog post after my brother dies feels dumb. As though I am pretending the right words can bring him back. Or at the very least, make me feel like I can control my environment by writing about it.  The day after his funeral, my family and I flew to Africa for a 2 week trip.  So this post will have two parts: My Brother Died  and  All the Layers of Uganda [with the Cheeley vibes]  My Brother Died Zach was 29. As I write this, tomorrow is his birthday. I never thought he would turn 30... 2 weeks ago, I high-fived him and told him I was proud of him for making it this far. He chuckled, drank some wine and said, "Me too! Thank you!" He liked wine. I went to bed a few minutes later, after a brief conversation about his road trip with our grandparents and how much he freaking loved Sasquatch - Music Festival. He lived for music festivals. Especially Sasquatch.  That conversation...