Echo also knows that era of my life, although she and I hadn’t met yet. The photo has been cropped, and the other people in the shot include my friend Travis (wearing his cute “farmboy” tshirt), my then-boyfriend John (looking incredulous, as always), and a friend’s then-boyfriend (looking dumb as a rock, as always). Also cropped out of the picture are several illegal substances and related paraphenalia, which might go a long way towards explaining that slightly-wild look in my eyes. Yes, I was telling a good story, but I was also, um, a little altered.

That was the summer that I moved back to Seattle after my year of partying in San Francisco. The day before this photo was taken, I’d flaked out on the last retail job I ever worked…since Travis was coming to visit from San Francisco, I decided I didn’t need the $5.85/hr and simply didn’t go to work. I was dating a recovering junky (who had dyed my hair that lovely straw color a few days before), living with friends like Dani and Tim, and preparing to head back to school. I was also Lotus Magazine’s Seattle scene reporter, and newly appointed “Northwest Editor,” a title I’d given myself.

The photo was taken six months before I fell in love with Andreas.