Autumn in Seattle

Surprise!

My blogging priorities got usurped.

For a very good reason.

His name is Cole.

:)

A Brief List of My Most Favorite Seattle Spots

Coffee
Seattle has a bajillion coffee shops. They're all pretty decent. These are my top 5:

1. Zoka
2. Stumptown (also my favorite in Portland as well)
3. Caffe Fiore
4. Cafe Ladro
5. Muse

Dining

• 5 Spot (Pretty much anything from Chowfoods is a winner)
• Hiroki (Great for dessert and tea)
• Dick's Drive-In (ONLY get the Deluxe with fries and a shake. Everything else pales in comparison. Trust me. I learned the hard way.)
• Peroshki Peroshki (Onion and potato is my favorite. On the north end of the market.)
• Jack's Fish Spot (Great for fish and chips)
• Pagliacci Pizza (Tasty local pizza chain. Excellent for late-night pizza.)
• Royal Grinders (FANTASTIC gelato and sandwiches!)
• Dad Watson's (Great beer. Be sure to get the cajunized tots to nosh on.)
• Jolly Roger Taproom (Another place to get great locally-brewed beer. Get a large plate of fries to share with 3-4 friends. Be ready to engage with surly waiters—part of the experience for sure.)
• Thrive (Raw food bar. Only enjoyed their raw juice, but it was spectacular. They work hard at having delicious food. They also take volunteers, if you've got some time to spare to pit dates or juice limes.)

Cupcakes and Donuts
This deserves a category of its own. Seriously.

• Trophy Cupcakes (Cardimum Chai is my favorite. The S'More one is pretty dang tasty too.)
• Mighty-O Donuts (Organic and delicious.)
• Top Pot (Expensive, heavenly donuts. Great place to work out of as well. True story.)
• Yellowleaf Cupcakes (Haven't actually been here yet. But I hear their tomato soup cupcakes are to die for.)

Attractions

• Archie McPhee (If you make a stop anywhere, go here. You'll thank me.)
• Byrnie Utz Hats
• Greenwood Space Travel Supply (A lovely front for Dave Egger's writing program)
• Easy Street Records
• Market Street in Ballard (Great for walking. Lots of great shops. Some kind of festival goes on weekly. Check out the Locks nearby. Think there's also a ship from the Deadliest Catch harboring there.)
• 45th in Wallingford (Also great for walking. Great eats and interesting shops all along here. Start at Archie McPhee's and go east.)
• Gasworks Park (Great to take a picnic to.)
• EMP (Attached is the Science Fiction Museum. Need I say more?)
• Open Books: A Poem Emporium (in Wallingford. A store full of just poetry. How...poetic.)
• Peter Miller (What design heaven looks like. Really close to a Design Within Reach Store)

Mustachio

Heart It Races

 

I have a heart condition called Superventricular Tachycardia.  It's an electrical problem that causes my heart to have extra beats, which in turn causes it to spaz out, beating way too fast (set a new record of 240bpm!).  I've got a history with this and have dealt with it since I was a teenager.  Usually comes in short bursts, remedied under a minute, and is typically brought on through a cocktail of dehydration, sleep deprivation, stress, and caffeine.  Been to the ER and seen cardiologists twice.  Was taking meds about a year ago, but it seemed to be under control and infrequent enough to not worry about it.

While shooting Chanelle's family portraits Saturday morning, it came on suddenly and unprovoked.  I tried some of the typical maneuvers that usually help break the shorter episodes.  We went back to their house, tried a few other things, but nothing was working.  Not having health insurance was pushing toward avoiding the ER at all costs, but nothing was working and our quick trip to urgent care turned into an immediate turnaround to Mercy Gilbert.  I was admitted right away (they took my pulse and the machine emergency alarm turned on), hooked up to the EKG, and given a nice dose of Adenosine which broke the rhythm, and put me back to normal, all within 15 minutes.

4 hours later, I met with a cardiologist, who gave me a recommendation concurrent with my other two cardiologists: radiofrequency ablation. Basically, they burn a little part of your heart.  (Seriously, how emo does that sound?  Thinking I should wear skinny jeans to the procedure.)  It's outpatient, simple, over 90% effective, and expensive.  It's necessary, but doesn't need to be done right away.  Dr. was comfortable with me waiting to sort out my insurance coverage before proceeding with this, which was a relief.  Between that and my traveling schedule, later this fall, October-November-ish looks to be the projected time.  Until then, I'll be on meds to help regulate my heart beat.

I've been able to rest through the weekend, but was pretty worn out from the whole episode.  Definitely feeling heaps better, but will be doing my best to take it a little bit easier this upcoming week.  Please pray for continued rest, financial provision, and a quick response from Access about whether I'm eligible for coverage or not.

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Highlights:

- Clint and Chanelle's forbearance with all the all the home remedies attempting to get my heart rate back to normal. This included standing in their shower while they dumped ice water on me.  True story.  They're *that* good of friends.  :)

- Having my brother there through the whole ER experience was a huge blessing.  Great to catch up with him, laugh, dream, and have someone look after me.  We had definitely some great brother-sister bonding moments.  He also took on the responsibility for keeping everyone updated on Twitter/Facebook, texts. He's pretty awesome like that.

- After having my consultation with the cardiologist from Mumbai, she and I had a delightful conversation about our favorite Bollywood films and Indian musicians.  My referral card has medical information and movie recommendations.

- All the encouraging tweets, e-mails, wall posts, texts, and visits.  I am grateful for your prayers and feel your love deeply.  I am really blessed to have wonderful friends.

Posted via web from Luz's Posterous

Greetings, Wreckerators!

Hello, Cake Wrecks, visitors! Thanks for stopping by!

I wanted to take a moment direct you to the entire set of the original cake wreck instruction manual, Magic in Frosting. It truly is "magical". There's a few extra wrecktastic gems in there gawk and giggle at. Enjoy!

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For the non-Cake Wreck readers, you really ought to check Jen's fantastic blog. Highly recommended for her witty cake-oriented humor. http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/

Shall we quarrel with that which blesses us?

Here's the skinny:

· Been praying the last month and a half about moving to Seattle. A desire years in the making, revived while I was here in May. An unexpected, yet very evidently Providential turn of events. There's a long story around this, but this is the skinny version. Call for the long one. :)

· This trip is the penultimate one, deciding on whether Seattle is to be my next home. Would covet your prayers for clarity, specifically in the form of permanent work. It's been hard to think of leaving Phoenix, usually accompanied by a slew of tears. My home and heart is definitely there, but it seems pretty evident right now that this is where I am to be.

Tara e-mailed me this quote from Spurgeon today. It's been a great encouragement and conviction. My expectations tend to get the better of me and I've been dealing with a complaining heart, hardened toward God blessing me apart my expectations and preferred timing.

"Be patient, be patient, be patient, is the lesson to be repeated to our hearts many times. It is the Holy Spirit ever patient under our provocations who call us to be patient. We may well be patient under trials for it is the Lord who sends them. He is ruling in all our circumstances and He is blessing us by them. He is waiting to end them and he is pledged to bring us through. Shall we not gladly submit to the father of our spirits? Is not this our deepest wish, "Your will be done!" Shall we quarrel with that which blesses us? Shall we worry then the end of the trouble is so near? No! We see that the Lord is full of tender mercy and so we will be patient!"

Sorry to drop off on the updates. Much happened in Seattle Life: Week 4, as did Arizona Life: Weeks 1-3. Life has been happening at a gloriously rapid pace and am really excited about things to come. I'm on a much-needed vacation this weekend in San Diego with my brother, visiting our friend, Jmo, and perhaps there'll be some breathing time to share all the forthcoming adventures.

Happy Independence Day (early)!

Seattle Life: Week 3

A common misconception about Seattle is that it rains a lot. This is actually not true. New York gets more rain than here. As a non-native, I get why. What's often mistaken for rain is really mist (or what in Phoenix, we'd refer to as "spit"). No umbrella required. That said, there have been some incredible storms here since I've arrived. One in particular this past week shot lightning at the Space Needle—a mere 2 miles away from my place. (Video here.) Not quite the monsoons of Arizona, but definitely a spectacular display of creation.


Things I've Learned:

- That I'm a user experience designer. Had no idea until now. This will probably change my career in the long-run, but for now I'm exploring the options. (For more UX stuff, there's some good articles here, here, and here.) I'm currently reading Don't Make Me Think, by Steve Krug, which has been both delightful and informative about web usability.

- How to make chocolate-covered bacon.

Highlights:

- Seeing Around the World in 80 Days at Tap Roots.

- Sharing stories and dreaming about the future with Marie.

- Pipes + Cigars on the deck with Graham + Joe + Mark, discussing user experience design and the second commandment.

- Being moved to the bull pen section of The City means we now have a trifecta of awesome. The Josh + Joe + Luz combination involves some pretty hilarious dialog. Josh writes about it here.

avenues

Avenues run one way
Streets they run the same
Something in the air here
Still keeps me away

-- "Avenues" by Whiskeytown

Seattle Life: Week 2

Things I've Learned:
- There's just too much in Seattle that I want/need to do. Working on a list for future trips back here.

- Must stop at two cups a day. Even if it's the delicious Storyville Coffee, French pressed to perfection. Two is enough.

- Norwegian Constitution Day is May 17. I celebrated it with my dear friends Dustin + Marie, which involved watching one of the world's largest syttende mai parades. There was an abundance of traditional Norwegian dress, but few viking helmets.

- Seattle has a *huge* Scandinavian population. This has resulted in Scandinavian talk radio and the Norse Home Retirement Community.

- There is also a large unicycle community here in Seattle. This is also an acceptable form of P.E. for elementary schools. True story.

- The City just gets better and better. Being able to be a part of its expansion is amazing. I'm so grateful for the people involved in this. I come home with a full head and heart resulting from these incredible people. Care for craft and care for the soul run hand in hand here.

Highlights:
- Learning about Don Cherry and his wardrobe.

- Meeting up with Toby and Rebekah during their stop in Seattle on their cruise.

- Discovering Peroshki Peroshki at Pike Place market. DE-LI-CIOUS.

- Gorgeous weekend weather. Upper 70's. Northwestern sunshine is unlike anything else!

- Arrested Development lunch at the office.

- Being asked for directions. Apparently, I look like a local.

- Zoka. Zoka. Zoka.

- Sunday's Scandinavian adventure with Dustin and Marie.

- Midnight pancakes with Emily.

- Late night pizza and coffee with Dan.

- Being able to participate in a community group here at Mars Hill. It's small and filled with lovely people. Very encouraging.

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To see life here the last two weeks, take a peek at my Flickr.

Seattle Life: Week 1

The view of the Olympic mountains from right around the corner of the house. Can be seen only when the clouds are high. Quite a treat.

Things I've Learned:
- Sunshine is a valuable commodity here. Locals take it to a farcical level.

- Shopping at a small grocery store down the street is as glamorous as I imagined it. Carrying my goods back via public transit, however, is not.

- My acquisition of an iPhone becomes more imminent the more times I get lost on the bus.

- The current season is late spring, and 58° is not unusual here. [This messes with my desert mind in so many ways.]

- "What's Love Got To Do With It" is sung by Tina Turner, not Janet Jackson.

Highlights:
- Being at The City. This has been nothing short of a rad experience. There's some pretty amazing people here and it really is an honor to be able to work with them. I've been greatly encouraged by some great life-giving conversations about community, design, and bacon. There's much I can learn from these wise and knowledgeable folks.

- Finding out that a box of donuts were a means of grace. True story.

- Drinking lots and lots of Storyville Coffee. Delicious and beautifully designed.

- Design project research has been nothing short of a dream! It's involved lots of mid-century modern infographics, and playing with lots of Archer and Gotham.

- Currently reading Total Church and The Ode Less Traveled. Both are fantastic books and have gotten me very excited about living life more fully.

P.S. I've been sick for most of the week, which has hindered the projects I need to finish up for Hello Luz clients. Haven't had much energy to do anything but crash when I get home. Would appreciate your prayers for my health.

Packing Up Again

The last week has been absolutely crazy. The last month, really. But much surprise has visited me in the last few days. I came home after two weeks traveling to Washington and San Francisco on Sunday. Tuesday, an opportunity to go back to Seattle to work for the rad guys at The City arose. This upcoming Monday night, I'm flying back up there for a month to be their onsite print designer! It's a short-term project, but it's totally a dream come true. The last few days have been spent with much grinning and squealing. Guess I finally get to live in Seattle and live in Phoenix!

I can't believe how perfectly this has all come together. The timing came at a point when my projects were beginning to dwindle down and my finances also. My friend, Sara, is letting me stay with her at her awesome apartment, which happens to be very close to the office. I've already got a great church to be a part of and relationships already built there. I'm already a pro at navigating the King County Metro, so transportation is totally covered. Not to mention work is going to be amazing! I've been a huge supporter of what The City has been doing and it's a huge honor to partner with them in strengthening churches. I get to work with some amazing designers, too. Can't wait to learn from Graham and Joe!

I can do nothing but marvel at God's kindness to me. Getting laid off was the best thing ever.

Happy Bokeh Wednesday

From Dustin + Marie's wedding. Also the last time I was in Seattle.

Cherry Blossoms

I'm traveling for the next few weeks. Right now I'm in Seattle. Will be heading to Bellingham at the end of the week. Then to San Francisco with Fallon! You can keep up with me as I take pictures, tweet, and check-in. Ciao!

Neeeeed coffee.

Took me 4 tries this morning to get my coffee cup from the basement where I live to the upstairs kitchen where the coffee lives for my second cup.

Twice, I walked into the wrong room. The same wrong room. Twice. Both times remembering that the coffee cup is the the in the room TEN FEET AWAY.

Once, I walked into the right room, but didn't bring the right thing out. I mean it's an honest mistake, right, because MY BATH MAT LOOKS JUST LIKE MY COFFEE CUP.

[Le sigh.]

National Poetry Month

"Goodnight" by David Ferry (via, from the book Of No Country I Know)

Lying in bed and waiting to find out
Whatever is going to happen: the window shade

Making its slightest sound as the night wind,
Outside, in the night, breathes quietly on it;

It is parental hovering over the infantile;
Something like that; it is like being a baby,

And over the sleep of the baby there is a father,
Or mother, breathing, hovering; the streetlight light

In the nighttime branches breathing quietly too;
Altering; realtering; it is the body breathing;

The crib of knowing: something about what the day
Will bring; and something about what the night will hold,

Safely, at least for the rest of the night, I pray.

[via Steve McCoy]

Scoooodah

Joe Johnson let me snap a few of his Lambretta and Vespa scooters this morning for a project I'm working on, and oh! what a delight it was to spend some time admiring these beautifully crafted machines!

Now that my car is close to biting the dust, the call to own a scooter is growing louder and louder. Must contemplate this more seriously.

See the rest of the set.

You Will Miss It.

We begin to see that the completion of an important project has every right to be dignified by a natural grieving process. Something that required the best of you has ended. You will miss it.
— Anne Wilson Schaef —

Belated context here.

Ira Glass really did do my voicemail.

Ira Glass Voicemail by Luz Galusha - Luna  
Download now or listen on posterous

ira glass voicemail.mp3 (550 KB)

Two years ago, Ira Glass did my outgoing message on my voicemail.  I felt so cool and made all my NPR-listening friends jealous.

Today, I begin work as a full-time freelance designer.  Which means that it needs to be my voice and not Ira's.  Perhaps he'll do another one for me someday...

Posted via email from Luz's Posterous

New Mediums

I love to play and am grateful for a job that allows me to play and try new things. One project I'm working on right now is a stop motion video for the church. I've always admired this particular medium and am now trying my hand at it. Here's a sneak peek:


A production still.


Stop Motion Test Reel from Luz Galusha-Luna on Vimeo.
Some test "footage".

I've got a ways to go, but in the meantime, you can also enjoy some of my favorite stop-motion pieces that have inspired this project.








A SHORT LOVE STORY IN STOP MOTION from Carlos Lascano on Vimeo.

Brother Birthday

Paz and I headed down to Tucson this past weekend to go listen to Andrew Bird. We ate crepes and walked around the city a bit. It was nice to road trip with such an awesome dude.

Loosely

Source material for a collaging project I'm working on right now.
View on black for most dramatic effect.

This speaks to this particular season of life I find myself in, holding things very loosely.
Ready to receive and ready to let go.
Whatever is given is good and whatever is lost needed to be laid aside.
Surprise and provision will come at the right time.

Until then,
I wait gratefully
with open hands.

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.
— Ps. 130:5-6

Ballard via Holga

Posted via email from Luz's Posterous

Oh! Rain!

Aspirations of Grand Ideals

Last autumn, I was telling my dear friend Ruth about my grandiose ideas of being wed in a theater, entering in to Thomas Tallis' "Spem In Alium" as a reader calls out the order of creation, full lighting and a set, historic liturgy interwoven throughout, and the wedding party dressed in accordance with the days of creation. One of my favorite books of all time is The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton. In this tale is a beautiful description of a ball in which the men attend each dressed in this manner. This idea has always stuck with me, but I've never been able to describe the imagery I've maintained in my mind on how this would look. Ruth got so excited, she spent the rest of the weekend designing and painting out these very images. The following is one of the most beautiful birthday presents I have ever received.

Are these not just breathtaking? When she showed me the final product, I could do nothing but gasp. There were so many elements that I'd imagined, but never articulated to anyone, she crafted EXACTLY. It was as if someone has reached into my brain and pulled out my most vivid dreams. Isn't she incredible? I am thoroughly blessed to have such a talented, imaginative friend. Also, if anyone knows of an incredible costume designer, let me know. Would love to auction them off post-wedding as art pieces and donate the money to charity.

Meanwhile, I'll enjoy my images while waiting to find a man who thinks this would be an amazing idea, too...

Sometimes I just want it to slow down

But I love it when you come to the house
I love it when you come to my house.

"Rainy Day" by Coldplay

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All my crazy travels (and crazy dancing friends) have now returned home. I'm ready for things to slow down just a bit, take some time to breathe. Even though it's not raining here, the 75° weather has been just as delicious, making it just a little bit easier to stop and just be.

It's always pie time.

I shot a wedding this last weekend. This is from the most delicious rehearsal dinner I have ever attended. There was a pletora of delicious homemade pies. I'm not too much of a pie fan, but these were notably amazing.

Bokeh Square

Trains + Planes

I've done quite a bit of traveling in the last week or two...

Phoenix Light Rail
(view the set)

Colorado Frost Over
(view the set)

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Speaking of sets, I've got 1.5 years worth of photo sets on Flickr. It's like a personal documentary. Many memories reside in those collections. Faces and places. Cheers for many more new ones this year!