My Father's Eulogy (A poem I wrote to start the eulogy)

Life is a puzzle. 

As we go on our journey, we collect pieces to later put together. 

Some pieces are people we love or places we've lived 

and others are events or experiences we've had along the way. 

Each and every little piece carves and shapes 

who we are and who we will become as a person. 

Each piece contributes to the whole picture. 

Slowly, as we collect each piece and find where it fits into our puzzle, 

the big picture starts to take shape and it all begins to make sense. 

When it's all put together, we feel complete. 

Our life has run its course and it's time to move on to a better place.

Sometimes, life is cut short and that person's puzzle is left unfinished. 

Despite that, they may have impacted many others and become a piece of their puzzles.  

Through the pieces they leave behind

those lost too soon, will live on. 

They will be remembered for what they shared with others

and the relationships they built. 

My father's puzzle was almost whole but

We will never know how it may have turned out

Life is a puzzle and sometimes it just can't be solved.

Get to know yourself

Up until a few years ago, I believed that I had been discovering myself.  Since the age of twenty one, when I had almost died alone in a hospital room at Virginia Mason, I should have died. Figured fate had only been delayed slightly.  My mission was finding myself, learning to understand who I am and who I want to be if given the chance to live.  All along I thought I knew who I was and where I was going, in life.  In reality I was seeking approval from others instead of listening to myself.

I was just gathering other's input on who they thought I was, how I should be and who I should become.  These people I was seeking insight from didn't really know me at all.  I never showed my "true colors" to anyone.  And even if I had opened myself up, who were they to judge and decide what made me who I am?  Most of them were random acquaintances who floated into and out of my life without so much as a snap of the finger, barely noticed.  Especially not by my self-absorbed mind, too busy trying on different personas to pay attention to players exiting stage right.

Truth is no one outside of yourself can determine who you are and no one can tell you who you should be.  Its  not easy to get to know the true you, fear of what you might find will often delay your quest. 

Stop motion animation

The Last Lot Standing… post from 2013

My son and I currently live with my grandparents in the home I spent most of my childhood in. It is quite strange to be raising my son in the same house that I was raised in. The house is pretty much the same as it was when I was a kid but the neighborhood has changed so much.


Sometimes I find myself reminiscing about the carefree days of my childhood spent here.   Back when I was growing up here, our house was one of only a handful on the block.  There were Quail running all over the neighborhood, chattering in their unique Quail way.  Deer were around but mostly you saw them near wooded areas like in the park down the street. 
Kids were allowed to run in the empty lots, play with other neighbor kids (to which there were many) and visit with the older neighbors.  My favorite neighbors were a retired couple across the street; we would play cards sitting in their kitchen nook while eating goldfish crackers and sometimes they would take me golfing and then out for ice cream afterwards.  There wasn't a need for a lot of parental supervision because there was little threat of danger.


If you saw anyone out walking their dog or just going for a stroll you always knew them personally, there were no strangers in this neighborhood.  They would wave and say hi, most times stopping for a quick chat before resuming their walk. 


Now, the area is flooded with people and houses are everywhere.  It's still a very nice place to live with beautiful views and nice people but it isn't the nice close-knit neighborhood it was then. Many people have dogs and love to walk them now.  We have made friends with many neighbors but more often than not we don’t know the people walking in the area.

My son LOVES dogs and he asks every person that walks by our house if he can pet their dog.  To him a stranger is a new best friend he just hasn't met yet.  So I keep a close eye on him when he is outside and we have strict guidelines about where he can go and who he can talk to.  It sucks that times have changed so much that we have to keep our kids within arm’s reach in case a psycho kidnapper tries to take them.

Now, There are only a handful of empty lots left in the area. If you go to the beach down the street and look up the hill you can spot the few empty lots very easily, each sticks out like a sore thumb. One of those lots is right next door to us.

The lot next door has been a favorite place to play for over 30 years.  I played there as a child, my sister, my cousins and now my son plays there.  Him and I fly his kite in the lot next door and he plays fetch with the neighbor's dog there. Jamison calls it his field, he sees it as his personal playground.

That lot, the last lot in our neighborhood, was sold a couple of months ago despite never being listed for sale.

I met the woman who purchased it, She seemed very nice.  Her and her husband are from Maine, they moved to Washington a year prior.   Apparently they took a lot of time building a relationship with the owners of the lot in order to eventually purchase it.  Her husband and her are both therapists and they have a private practice located by the marina down the hill from the lot.  They also work with cancer patients at the local hospital. She assured me that they are nice people, good neighbors and that they will make every effort possible to make sure the building of their home easy on my grandparents.  They plan to start building in about a year.


My son and I are going to mourn the loss of that field, I call it "the last lot standing".  It will be a lot worse for my grandparents., I am sure.  They built this home 35 years ago and have slowly watched their gorgeous breathtaking view get covered by new homes going up all around them. My whole life I have looked out of my grandparent’s windows across that empty lot to the south at the spectacular view.  I remember losing the ability to see the actual beach when the house just beyond the last lot standing, was built.  

Well I guess in life there is only one thing that is always consistent and that is that everything will continue to change....  I think it's good to remember the old days but to know that everything happens for a reason.  Things have changed but there is a purpose in what seems random.  We have to find the meaning and go with the flow.

It's a Geek Girl Revolution!!!! GEEKS R CHIC!! Especially the female variety!!!

Recently it has become trendy to be a “Geek Girl”. I discovered this while I was reading some articles online. I came across an article about this "Geek Girl" movement. I learned that geeky chicks (intelligent, gaming and/or technology oriented women) are awesome! I mean, I already knew that, but it seems the rest of the world is catching on to this fact.

Maybe your geekery is something you have attempted to conceal in the past? Well, no need to hide it now. Let your freak flag fly for all to see!

So, HEY LADIES(Those of you who are nerdy, smart, goofy and are into sci-fi, comics, gaming and/or technology)!!!! TAKE NOTE:

FACT 1:     You are a nerd/dork/geek…
FACT 2:     It’s now cool to be a nerd/dork/geek!
Fact 1 + Fact 2= Your a cool ass chick!

Welcome to the “in” crowd! You are now a member of the CHIC ÜBER GEEK Crew!!!! (I MADE THAT UP, JUST NOW)

Okay so now that the celebration is out the way… I have one major issue with this whole Geek Girl Revolution and that is:
 (DRUMROLL PLEASE……)

I despise, reject and ABSOLUTELY avoid all things trendy and aspire TO BE the complete opposite of TRENDY!

The world is full of followers it’s like no one can think for themselves. All these brainless drones just DO WHATEVER THEY ARE TOLD OR WHAT EVERYONE ELSE IS DOING! Like a giant herd of sheep!!!

I refuse to be ordinary, only extraordinary!

So I am torn between avoiding trends and being who I am. I am totally and Utterly a geek girl but now that is trendy. Am I or Aren’t I, that is the Question! Also by choosing to be the opposite of trendy I have started a (or built upon an existing) trend… ??????

I ignore fashion trends, don’t watch television. Most of the time I am in the dark when it comes to what is “in” right now. I wear what I like and/or what looks good on me and is appropriate to the situation. I don’t buy a certain brand of jeans because others think it’s cool, I buy jeans if they make my butt look good and they are reasonably priced.

I wear lime green and bright blue eyeliner, even though I've been told that it is a no-no, especially for a woman my age. I adore crazy hats, my favorite being a giant frog head knit hat with a glitter encrusted tongue sticking out (See picture). I wear offensive t-shirts whenever I want, my favorite being a tee shirt with “Frock You” emblazoned across it, to which I added some sparkles (Frock is a dress shop in Seattle that Johnie & I visited after I aced my mortgage licensing exams).

Sometimes I can offend people without even opening my mouth just because of what I wear or how I look.

I don't EVER wear anything because it’s what everyone else is wearing!!! I don’t pick up new hobbies because it’s what others do or what they think I should do. Don’t get me wrong, I am open to new products, experiences and hobbies. If someone shows me something I like, I am not opposed to adopting it into my arsenal of favorites. I will however only do this because I like it not because it’s what is socially acceptable or expected of me. If something is expected of me I usually tend to do the opposite.. Even as a child I would choose the road less traveled.

I don't care what most people think of me! It's the most freeing feeling when you can just let go and be yourself. Now, I care about what my loved ones think of me but they are also more willing to accept me as who I am.

The majority of humans that I come into contact with judge me based on ignorant surface observations. Some common assumptions: I am skinny so I must not eat, I am blonde so I must be dumb, I have tattoos so I must be a criminal! The truth is that I can put away quite a bit of food (especially cookies!), anyone who knows me will tell you that I am very intelligent and I have a clean criminal history, not a spot on my record!!!

These assumptions sound pretty absurd but it’s a knee jerk reaction for most to judge others based on so little. No one takes the time to learn anything concrete about who you are inside before passing judgment on you. That is exactly why I don't value other's opinion of me.

I actually get a kick out of people’s reactions to me. With my freak flag flying proudly people either duck and cover or they come out of the woodwork to talk to me. People either love me or hate me, they are either entertained and fascinated or completely disgusted by who I am. One thing I can say is that: I am always me, nothing more and nothing less.

I hope this whole Geek Girl trend does not create a bunch of fake she-nerds! I can just see a horde of insecure chicks rushing out to by glasses, gaming systems and computer equipment to imitate us. Might be good for the economy but bad for true geek girls.

I guess if they do try out the geek style, maybe some of them will actually find themselves buried under all the trendy bullshit. Once the avalanche is cleared away they may realize they have been a girly geek all along and just covered it up. Either that or all these “wannabe” geeks will totally ruin the name “geek girl” for the rest of us that are true to our geekery and always have been.

I have pretty much considered myself a geek for as long as I can remember but for sure I HAVE BEEN ONE from the moment I laid my fingers across my first keyboard, way back in the DOS days… I was probably plenty geeky before then but that would have been my defining "geek girl" moment...

Somehow I instinctively knew how to operate my mother’s computer (when I was probably 7 or 8) without any prior knowledge except playing Oregon Trail in the school library. I was enthralled with any machine I was able to use and my interest only grew as time went on.

When I was 12 my mother bought me my very own desktop with all the bells and whistles available at the time (She really couldn't afford it but I think she charged it to my ex-step dad’s Sears account, Oops!!!). I even had a feed through style compact scanner! So I of course got online and started messing around with chat rooms and the infancy of social media platforms.

Since then I have taught myself hundreds of programs, built databases from the ground up, built websites, tried my hand at various types of coding, fixed so many computers I couldn’t count them all, given a ton of computing advise and done my fair share of “hacking” this and that.

“Considering it’s "in" to be a geek now, Do I get geek girl seniority???”

I don't want to toot my own horn but I could run circles around most chicks (or dudes for that matter) when it comes to computers in most any capacity (software, html, coding, hardware, repair, diagnosis, etc.) See the photo above… I think this proves how much of a nerd I am… I have pretty much every file I have ever worked with or created on any of my personal computers since about 2000… Of course it’s all archived but available if I needed to access something.

In my research on the “Geek Girl” topic I came across a lot of “Fake Geek Girls” or mention of impersonations. That led me to thinking about why people pretend to be something or someone they are not, why just being themselves isn't good enough.

It’s strange how so many people (online) try to distinguish themselves from the masses. Some just exaggerate themselves to appear cool(er). Others create elaborate alter egos or even worse, they take on the identity of someone they wish they were more like. All because they don’t love themselves as they are.

When out in public in the real world, those same people try to blend in and not be noticed. Shy, self-conscious and meek here in the real world… Weird right??

The anonymity and false sense of security that the internet provides allows people to pretend they are outgoing, social individuals. They must believe that their internet alter ego is completely separate from themselves. That sense of separation must give them guts that they don't have in reality…

Does anyone remember that show “Freaks and Geeks”?

It aired starting in 1999 and the setting was a high school in the mid-west? in the early 80’s. It centered around Lindsay (dark haired girl in the photo) who didn't really fit in so she hung with the “freaks”, her little brother hangs with the “geeks”. The show was genius but for some reason only ran for a season or maybe half of the second season before it was cancelled. I think it should have continued on. It was one of those great shows no one knew about until it was too late!

Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment, I would love to hear your thoughts on the Geek Girl subject!

Goofy Bubble Blowing in Chicago

Just your average dumb blonde

 For most of my life people have assumed me to be a typical dumb blonde.  They have labeled me as stupid and useless without any investigation. I won't lie, I have had my fair share of blonde moments (I will be the first to point them out and joke about them, when they occur) but not enough to be judged and dismissed so quickly.

Blank Cover = Dumb

Judging a book by it's cover, people have decided they can walk all over me and I wouldn't even realize what they were doing much less take action to stop it. 

J's Jumping Rope for Hearts

http://jumphoops2016wsa.kintera.org/jamisonprice
Posted by Stacy M Price on Friday, January 8, 2016

Little Man is the cutest dork ever!

This video was from summer of 2012 so Jamison would have been about to turn 6... 

My Facebook Movie

Post by Stacy M Price.

The Difference is Why...

"They laugh because I am different... I laugh because they're all the same! I'm proud to be a geek but I am no sheep!" -Malibu Ninja

---

SoulPancake Activities - The Difference is Why- 1 month ago
Quiet people listen more. Shorter people are more grounded. Bookworms are more well-read.  Wallflowers smell better. OK, maybe not necessarily that last one.
Embrace your inner oddball. List all of the best things about being different.

---

I am not capable of being ordinary, only extraordinary. I have always been a little different.  Like a mis-matched shoe that is obvious to anyone who cares to look. 

Have never followed the path those before me have beaten but instead set out on my own to blaze a new trail.  I can’t say that it was always the best option but it was always my decision, rarely influenced by anyone or anything outside of myself.  My route was not the path of least resistance but most of the time it was that of most resistance and often my own choices kicked me in the ass and punched me in the eye!

Goofy GIFs Courtesy of Google+ Auto Awesome

This was the only “Almost” snow day so far this winter, meaning school was not cancelled but delayed by two hours!

"Everything, Anything, Something, Nothing"

I choose to be your girl, meet all your needs with my one body

I want to be your thrill, the reason you feel a tingling chill

I need to be your world, the axis that you revolve around

I wish to be your light, when it’s dark and around you it draws tight

Because, because, because…

Baby, you are mine, you are my thrill,my spine tingling chill

You are mine, you are my whole world, spinning around you forever

Baby, you are my light when all is dark and I’ve lost my way

Head Scratcher

My sister Rachel & I,
Photo was taken at a friend's wedding in 2006

So this crazy thought popped into my head the other day, which is not odd in any way because that happens all day long...   But this one is about my siblings, which I have more than I can count on my fingers I would have to use my toes too! 

Anyways my little brothers were over and we were talking about nieces and nephews and I realized our unusual situation and I decided to share it.  I sat down to write out a post about it and then wasn't sure how to even explain it.  So I slept  on it for a couple of days and now here it is, my random head scratcher.

I don't know how common this type of family situation is but I am sure many others have weird families right?

My baby brothers, Aaron, Chris & I
Taken August 2013

I was fourteen when I became an Auntie for the first time.  My youngest brother, Aaron, was a year old when my oldest sister, Rachel, gave birth to my niece.  Aaron however, was an Uncle before he was even conceived.

So how is it possible that Aaron was already an Uncle before he was born but I became an Aunt the first time almost a year after he was born?

2nd Grade Looks Good on Little Ninja

My adorable little man... his 2nd grade school pic! pic.twitter.com/f7U1Wyhesz
— Stacy M Price (@stacymcprice) November 9, 2013

Just got Jamison's "Digital Download" School Picture!  We had retakes done because he had his fake "I was told to smile" smile in the first ones but this smile looks genuine and I am very happy with this picture!
2nd grade looks good on him, would you agree?

Memories of Birthdays Past

My buddy Brian's Birthday Reminds Me of Birthdays Past...

So firstly, Happy Birthday Brian!  

I can't believe it,  my buddy Brian's girlfriend dumped him, today of all days, His Birthday!!!  Who does that?  Have you ever viciously broken someone's heart on their birthday?

I called Brian to sing him Happy Birthday and he told me what happened, he was devastated and heartbroken, so in an effort to cheer Brian up I created this image for his birthday...

Brian's birthday nightmare makes me think back to the summer I met Brian.  I was 15 or 16 and we met on Alki Beach in West Seattle (Where I lived at the time) and were immediate friends.  We hung almost continually from that point on and I began to date Brian's friend Carlos.

My neighborhood fan club... (Working outside and the Associated Side Effects)

I work on a bunch of projects constantly...  Mostly I work outside because there isn't a lot of indoor space available but more importantly my grandfather has an allergy to cut wood. Papa also has asthma which makes him extremely sensitive to paint fumes and such.

Let me tell you, this last winter I had gotten really used to numb fingers!  When the weather warmed, I was thankful for Spring and I am very thankful for summer!

Not Your Typical Dumb Blonde… I am Trashing the Stereotype!

I refuse to conform to anyone's idea of who or what I should be; I am proud to be me, I am different and totally unique. I allow my freak flag to fly freely! I am incapable of being ordinary, only extraordinary!

For most of my life people have assumed me to be a typical dumb blonde, based solely on the way I look.  Okay, so I am blonde.  I never embraced it until a few years ago though, I spent much of my life trying to ignore and/or hide that fact.  I think it is so unfair to be considered ignorant simply because I am blonde and pretty.  

Anyone who has taken the time to speak with me at any length realizes that I am the exception, not the rule to the dumb blonde stereotype.  Unfortunately, most people don't invest any time in finding out who I am inside, they just believe the outside is sufficient to pass judgement.

Who is Malibu Ninja?

A brief summary of where I come from....

(Super Nerd, Techie Geek, Computer Nerd, Crazy Person, Whichever you prefer)
Also a Mom, Artist, Craftsman, Fixer of all Things Broken, Dreamer, Writer, Bookkeeper, Productivity Consultant, Mortgage Loan Originator and Caregiver!

"I refuse to be ordinary and fall into the category that everyone places me in... I am no sheep but I am a Geek!!!! Some find me to be strange, some attack me because I am different, others relish in my self-expressive nature. You either love me or you hate me, not many fall in between." - Malibu Ninja

Welcome to my blog, a work in progress. Please check back often or subscribe to be updated when new content is available, as I am adding new stuff everyday and some day it will reach a state of awesomeness to which nothing can compare!!!

I am much more than just a bunch of labels, of course. I have lived an interesting life so far, have learned many skills and many lessons, most the hard way. I have plenty of good stories to tell and I hope to enjoy many more colorful years ahead. My Great Grandma Lucy lived to be 94 so based on genetic history, I think I may have a few years left (hopefully).




My name is Stacy, I was born in Mt. Vernon in the beautiful state of Washington. I spent most
of my early childhood years with my grandparents in Anacortes, WA but grew up in many different places all over the Pacific NorthWest including Ferndale, Oak Harbor, West Seattle and Silverdale.

I have a diverse professional background in Bookkeeping, Property Management (Vacation Home management including repairs & maintenance and I managed a 32 unit apartment complex where I performed most of the maintenance and upgrades myself), Small Business Management and Consulting, Mortgage Banking and Loan Modification Negotiation. I ran my own consulting business for 6 years while concurrently maintaining employment elsewhere.


My son Jamison is awesome! He is adorable, super smart and I love him more than life itself... I try not to tell him how great he is all the time, so he doesn't get a big head. He is my little man, my small male clone, my mini me!!!

Jamison is eagerly awaiting his 7th birthday coming up in August. He just finished 1st grade and has never missed a single word on all his spelling tests!!! Considering I am an awful speller, I think this is an accomplishment to be celebrated! He is very bright and so entertaining. Everyday he is surprising me with his abilities, talents and the witty, random things he says.

Jamison is quite a little lady's man too. Up until recently I thought being a sweet talker was a skill you learned but apparently it is passed on through DNA because his father hasn't been around to teach the craft but the boy has it down.

He has a little "girlfriend" Naomi, which he has had a crush on since we first moved here but has called his girlfriend since last July when they began to have regular play dates. Their first play date was just after he surprised her on her birthday with a super sweet gift at the vacation bible camp they were attending. She is blonde, wears glasses, her favorite color is green (just a little like his mommy!) and she is so much like him sometimes I wonder if I somehow unknowingly had a daughter too!

Anacortes is on Fidalgo Island which is located west of Mt. Vernon right next to the San Juan Islands (The ferry to get to the San Juan Islands leaves from Anacortes) but not considered part of them. 

Location of the San Juan Islands (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

My grandpa “Papa” was a commercial fisherman, he owned a 65’ fishing vessel named “Alma” and was based out of Anacortes. Papa ran the boat and crew and my grandma “GG” ran the business side of things like taxes, payroll and other office matters.

I have always thought that my grandparents' marriage is the perfect example of how marriage is supposed to work. They complement each other so well, GG’s weaknesses are Papa’s strengths and visa-versa. They love unconditionally provide support in any way they can, they listen to each other, value the other's opinions and have stayed in love for over 50 years!

I have many hobbies including woodworking, painting, sewing, writing, among others but I especially love writing poetry/lyrics.

Completely randomly I began writing music in February of 2012, prior to then I had never attempted to write music. I was sitting with my friend Alex listening to him play guitar, we were talking about how many songs he has with no lyrics. Then he says to me "You should write some lyrics for my wordless songs". I told him I couldn't write lyrics and he replies with conviction "Sure you can, I know you can".

So I started writing, within about an hour I had a really good rough draft of "Changeling". We worked on it for a couple of hours and had a decent song! Unfortunately, "Changeling" is the only song I have written that I have been able to put to music. All in all, I have written about 15 to 20 songs. Most are as complete as they can get without music but some are at varied stages of completion.

Some believe I have a natural talent for lyrical writing; I have gotten nothing but positive feedback when I share my lyrics with others. A lot of them I am still hesitant to share with the world, I believe that music (lyrics) expose your heart and soul and are very personal, that and I'm not sure they are any good.. I have always found writing to be cathartic but writing lyrics is even more freeing than I ever imagined.

I am a super geek and pride myself on learning as much as I can about whatever I happen to find interesting at the moment. I am a software junkie, I love my computers and can waste hours on end tweaking them to perform better. My computers have been my partner in business for years but now I use them to create photo art, videos or new song lyrics. Friends and family are constantly asking for help with their computers, which for the most part, I don't mind. Although many seem to think that if you know something about computers that you know everything about computers and can solve their problem without even seeing the machine in question, which can be bothersome.

This past year I have learned several new skills and have dabbled in a few random areas of interest. I have taught myself a ton of new software programs, I have revisited my woodshop days building furniture, repurposing and/or refinishing old furniture and using wood to create all kinds of things. I have allowed myself more creative freedom than ever before.

After I master the blog realm (HTML & Such).... I suppose my next big adventure will be to re-learn to play violin or learn to play guitar, ukulele or mandolin, so that I may write the music to accompany my lyrical creations.

Quote of the Day:
"The conventional view serves to protect us from the painful job of thinking."
--John Kenneth Galbraith
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons license.

A Re-Purposeful Geek

A Re-Purposeful Geek- Reducing landfill waste one up-cycle at a time!

Welcome to my crazy blog where I share my Geekery with you.

I will post about all my various creative endeavors as they happen. I am excited to share my knowledge about painting, writing, building furniture and more with you!