Passion Pit

On Wednesday I am going to see Passion Pit. I can't decide if watching concert footage in preparation for a concert is a good idea before a show or not, but I am doing it anyway.

Holiday Romance

During the holiday season I spend a lot of time day dreaming about going on perfect Seattle holiday outings. In reality, December runs away from me as I dart from one obligation to another. This year rather than wasting my time dreaming about a lot of things I will never get to I thought I would share my ideas for wintry Seattle dates and hope they could be of use to someone out there.

1. Candy Canes, Christmas Lights and Bread Pudding: Dress for the evening chill. Start at NE 55th St and 30th St NE. Walk east on 55th down the hill, across 25th and veer to the right as 55th becomes Ravenna Ave NE. Walk north two blocks and stay on Ravenna as it veers left. Walk one more block and on the right side of the street you will see the entrance to Candy Cane Lane (The street is named NE Park Rd). Wander through Candy Cane Lane and enjoy the lights and decorations (you can drive this if it's bitterly cold). When you have had your fill of lights walk back to your starting point, hopefully you have worked up an appetite! You will conveniently be at Pair where they serve a mean bread pudding and many other delicious options (Pair is open Tues-Sat).

2. Escape the Chill: Head to the Volunteer Park Observatory to look at their winter display of Gardenias, Poinsettias, Azaleas, Forced Bulbs and enjoy the warmth of the greenhouse. The Observatory is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Bonus points: Enjoy a killer view of the city from inside the old water tower in the park, located directly south of the observatory. Climb up 106 steps to see a great city scape (and mountain view if the weather is clear).

3. Crafts and Cappuccinos: December 5th and 6th the Phinney Neighborhood Association puts on a wonderful winter festival filled with lots of unique gifts made by local artists. My highlights last year were a letterpress desk calendar and a cool necklace for my sister-in-law. At 5pm, after you exhaust yourself shopping, head up the street to Oliver's Twist (70th and Greenwood Ave N) for a mini grilled cheese, a tomato cappuccino and the best French 75 in Seattle.

4. Finding a Tree: Growing up my parents were always supporters of giving trees. We would go to a local shopping center and my brother and I would each pick one tag to and buy a gift for someone less fortunate. It's a tradition I still find enjoyable. I couldn't find much info about finding giving tree locations online, but I know the Olympic Athletic Club has one and I found this link for the Phinney/Greenwood Neighborhood trees. I think most malls still have them too.

5. The Best Coffee in Seattle and Santa (I think this might be heaven): Get an eggnog latte or a traditional latte at Monorail Espresso (520 Pike Street). Then wander over to 6th and Pine and watch kids get their portrait with Santa. Maybe you even head in yourself and get your own photo with Santa, this is a nonjudgmental blog.

Happy Holidays!

A Week

Although we only have three days at the office this week, it's been more than exhausting. We have had a restructuring and a lot of goodbyes have had to be said. I've been listening to Bon Iver to take the edge off.

Setting the Table

In a perfect world, I would have gigantic kitchen cupboards to fill with stacks of dishes for endless dinner parties. In reality I have a small kitchen with even smaller cupboards so I content myself with daydreaming of a pantry filled with items from Fishs Eddy like the below.

Happy Birthday Sesame Street!

Growing up we were only allowed to watch PBS and Saturday morning cartoons. I was (am) a huge fan of Sesame Street. The show had been educating and entertaining kids for 40 years now! I can't say I've adjusted to Elmo (I am more of a Grover fan) but I love the continual effort the show has put into holding the attention of each new generation of kids.

NPR replayed a great interview with Caroll Spinney, who plays Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, this week. He explains how he morphed Big Bird from a simple character to a more childlike creature. I couldn't help but include the below clip that I remember watching when I was little, I think it was one of the first times I learned the concept of death. The adult political conversation at the beginning is also awesome, I don't think they have scenes quite like this on the current show. I will warn you reader, that I still can't get through the clip without crying.

Lost in Translation

Last week I decided to be brave and joined an online dating site. I've spent a few days poking around the site and felt generally inspired. Reading profiles is a entertaining and dangerous way to pass time. There was one profile that I couldn't help but linger over. The profile started normal: general likes and dislikes, background, what he's looking for, etc. He ended with this, saying "now for some humor:"

A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he wants. is
A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item that she doesn't want

A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband.
A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.

A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.
A successful woman is one who can find such a man.

To be happy with a man you must understand him a lot and love him a little.
To be happy with a woman you must love her a lot and not try to understand her at all.

Married men live longer than single men.
But married men are a lot more willing to die.

Any married man should forget his mistakes.
No sense two people remembering the same thing

Men wake up as good-looking as they went to bed.
Women somehow deteriorate during the night.

A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't.
A man marries a woman expecting that she won't change and she does.

A woman has the last word in any argument.
Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.

Tip to guys creating profiles out there, sexist jokes aren't really that likely to make the ladies want to date you. Or at least not this lady.

In a Word, Awesome

Last Thursday, my roomie and I went to see David Gray in concert. I had never seen him live before and he is amazing! He played straight for over two hours with no breaks, even his band took a break, but he kept on playing. His voice was perfection and he seemed to truly be having fun on stage. I can't say enough about it. If you are a fan, I think you must see him live.

Lisa Hannigan, Damien Rice's former musical partner, opened for him. She was also great. Her new album, Sea Sew, is lovely (listen to the above interview for more details about this). During the show she also covered Personal Jesus by Depeche Mode which was very fun. I found the below video from an earlier stop on the tour.

Attention: it is October 29th!

Today is October 29th, I headed to my local drugstore, Bartell Drugs, for Halloween treats. While strolling the aisles, I noticed the music being played in the store. Christmas carols. I do love a good carol, but it's still October. Somehow the chorus of "snowflakes falling" wasn't quite as compelling as I was starring a bags of trick-or-treating candy.