Photo by Tara Lemm

A friend and I drove out to the Olympic Hot Springs entrance to the park, just past Port Angeles, hoping the snow might be keeping the tourists away. When we arrived to find the guard house empty but no blockade it seemed our plan would work, but a mile later, a locked gate blocked the road. We were too far from the trail head to make it all the way to the springs, but we decided to just follow the road for awhile on foot, which turned out to be great.

The vistas I've seen a dozen times during the summer were suddenly snowy, winter paradises. With the thick trees that dot the Olympics and the ferns that grow all year, it's enough to make you believe in Narnia.. And with the hordes of people gone, the deer were happy to munch on vegetation a few yards away. 

My friends and co-workers have been giving me lot of crap for spending Halloween weekend in Columbus, Ohio. "Why would you want to go there?" was the overall incredulous response. Having never been to the Midwest and still being unable to let go of my college partying days, flying here to reunite with my partner in crime from Wazzu and partying at OSU seemed like a grand idea.

What shocks me the most is how many gay people live in Columbus (as I'm sure the photos above indicate.) I've never seen a gayer place in my life. Seriously, there is a West Hollywood like gay party scene in Ohio and it blows my mind. (And destroyed my self esteem, given that I was virtually ignored every night.)

However, I am in love with the slew Abercrombie & Fitch-type model in Columbus (straight, thankfully). I'm seriously contemplating going to grad school here.

On a more serious note, the college campus has been really interesting to see giving the upcoming election. Over the weekend, though, my friends already received a slew of Facebook messages from their peers urging them to vote for McCain over Obama, due to their "suspicions" over him being Muslin. There were also several outspoken Obama supporters on campus, my favorite being the "Smurfs for Change". I don't want to betray the Cougs, but I seriously love the Buckeyes.

GO BUCKEYES!

*Forgive me, as this post is probably poorly written. I'm quite brain dead, having celebrated Halloween Wednesday-Sunday.

Qingdao International Beer Festival

Weekly filmmaker Jason Reid and his friends/collaborators Ian Connors, Sean Wellnitz, and Kevin Griffin are in China, where they're in the midst of a 1,000 mile bike ride from Beijing to Shanghai, the end result of which will be a documentary entitled 'Man Zou'. They're blogging as they go, providing stories of lucky encounters with resourceful welders, nights drinking beer with Chiefs of Police, and other most excellent adventures. Moreover, they're posting plenty of high-res photos of China's rarely seen hinterlands and their inhabitants. I've posted a few after the jump.

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I just got back from Las Vegas last night — Theta Delta Chi fraternity convention — and, being my first trip there and factoring in my company, I’m a little impressed that I survived it. I never thought I’d be “lucky enough” to say this, but I am now one of those people who did and observed things in Sin City he’ll only admit to a handful of people. What happens in Vegas…

Though Vegas is often referred to as “Disneyland for grownups,” my sub-21 status didn’t hold me back much. While some bouncers weren’t about to let me go anywhere without valid ID, most didn’t ask. Of course, I couldn’t gamble, which both made me miss poker and gave an odd feeling to the whole trip. Visiting a place that built its foundation on the vice but not partaking made me feel as though I was missing part of the experience, but also allowed me to return home with a few dollars left in my pocket.

The city is a ridiculous compilation of excess and debauchery, alcohol and sex, and one that is deadly efficient at milking bank accounts dry. The incredible amount of construction going on up and down the strip proved that there is no recession in Vegas. Things might slow down there, but never for long.

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An amalgam of two of my favorite things, the neighborhood Ballard and the show Gossip Girl (don't laugh, just watch: the show is more Desperate Housewives Jr. than Hills East), I just became aware of the Ballard Gossip Girl blog, which brings us news of the hotly-anticipated meeting of gays and Scandinavians (or, in BGG lingo, Scandi-gay-vians) at BalMar. One question: where's the "xoxo" signoff, or a more localized facsimile of it? Still, I xo this blog.

Area waitress Antonia Greco, who, as noted in this week's cover story, has a knack for sharing intimate moments with international celebrities like Gary Busey and James Blunt. Here, in a Thread Count exclusive, she recounts an intimate moment shared with a local celebrity: the Fremont Bridge. Writes Greco:

Two years ago, for no good or apparent reason, I moved to Seattle from a small town in New York. Since then, I have lived happily ever after in the Emerald City. I have always been a runner, so no matter where I am in the world, I am always in search of good running routes.

When I lived downtown, my running route used to be along the piers on the waterfront; a lovely run, might I add. About a year ago though, I moved into the Queen Anne area, so naturally, my running route would have to change. Being new to the hood, my friend, who happened to live in Queen Anne, suggested that I run along Lake Union or to head over the Fremont Bridge and pick up the Burke-Gliman trail.

Even after living in Seattle for over a year, I would still confuse all of the bridges. There was the Aurora Bridge, the Fremont Bridge, the Ballard Bridge, the I-5 Bridge, etc. I didn’t have a car. I never drove in Seattle. Why the hell would I care which bridge was which. Heck, I’ve still never even been to Northgate!

Anyway, I decided to take the advice of my friend and head into Fremont and run on whatever this Burke-Gilman trail was all about. Apparently, this involved crossing the Fremont Bridge.

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Got a note from our far flung summer intern emeritus, Maggie Mertens, a Smith College undergrad and Bothell native who is studying abroad in Italy this term. Turns out Mertens took my advice and visited Cinque Terre, which is how Old World Europe looks in people's dreams. Mertens has a blog chronicling her Italian travels, and it's well worth a read. Live vicariously through Maggie -- it beats the hell out of suck-ass drizzle and gray October days.