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.

Advice for an Uncle

My uncle often tells a story about the day of his high school graduation. He graduated from high school in the early sixties. As he was walking to the ceremony in his cap and gown, an elderly woman stopped him on the sidewalk to congratulate him. As he thanked her, she offered him a piece of advice. “Savor these times,” she said, “high school was the happiest time of my life.” He remembers mumbling thanks and walking away and then thinking to himself that this is the worst advice he has ever received.

My uncle laughs a lot when he tells this story. He remembers being scared for a second and wondering, “What if this was the best time of my life?” Then he laughs a little more. In his sixties now, he confidently says that each year has been better than the one before. I hope in my sixties I can say the same thing with just as much laughter.

Current Listening

In a few weeks I am going to see David Gray in concert. I have loved his music since I was a barista at Starbucks in college. White Ladder was sold through the Hear Music station in the store I worked in. It was one of the few albums that wasn't painful after the 500th listen. Believe me, there were some bad ones!

I have been listening to the newest David Gray album, Draw the Line, in preparation for the show. I can't quite pick a favorite song, but Jackdaw is in the top three. I love the song opening more and more each time I hear it.

Light Bright

Last spring while shopping at a flea market I bought a giant glass lamp. I was attracted to the design in the glass and was sure it would look lovely when lit up. It was only $20 because the wiring was faulty, also because it weighed a lot and I am sure the seller just wanted to get rig of it. The lady who sold it to me urged me not to plug it in as it would cause the fuse to blow (I think she learned this the hard way). I heeded her advice and was sure my dad could teach me how to rewire it. It only took me about 6 months to buy all the supplies and get a lesson from my dad.

It costs an additional $15 to get the new wire, a more attractive chain, a new plug and a switch. I also had my dad help me hang the lamp to make sure the ceiling wouldn't fall down, but here are the results and I am quite pleased! Not too bad for a $35 investment and a little elbow grease!

I am old

This weekend I went to a housewarming party for some friends. Five young people renting a house with a fire-pit in the backyard, what could be better?

I arrived between 8:30 - 9:00pm; I hung out, ate some delicious food and chatted with people. Finally I started to feel sleepy, it seemed late. The party was still raging and beer pong was starting, but I was driving so I skedaddled thinking it was quite late. When I got in my car and looked at the time I saw it was only 10:30pm. I am officially an old person.

Would You Rather...

One of my favorite books growing up was Would You Rather... by John Burningham. The book is filled with ridiculous dilemmas like, "Would you rather... get crushed by a snake, swallowed by a fish, eaten by a crocodile, and sat on by a rhinoceros?" or "Would you rather... your dad did a dance at school or your mom made a fuss in a cafe?" I found the absurdity of the book hilarious (and still do).

If given a "would you rather" situation today I would be least likely to accept a karaoke challenge. I would much rather be swallowed by a fish. I wish I could sing; I love the idea of being able to hold a tune or have rhythm, but I simply have none. Last night, however, I was listening to an old music mix and I found a song that I think I could do in karaoke. It helps that I listened to this song endlessly in middle school. So without further ado, The Lemonheads. Make sure to note the awesome dancing in this video too.

Warning

Warning: the below song is a little corny, but I love it! I love the Carter and Cash, via Phoenix and Witherspoon, vibe of the video. Please enjoy!

Rainbow Connection

Last night I was talking to my roommate about kids music she could play for her kindergarten class that wouldn't be painful for her to listen to. I mentioned that Jason Mraz does a great cover of The Rainbow Connection from The Muppet Movie. She had never heard of The Rainbow Connection. I was shocked! So, I dedicate this post to her.



Also, here is the Jason Mraz cover.

On the Shelf

I don't like to read past the first few sentences of book jackets. I find the summaries frustrating, usually giving away far too much of plot of a book. In a slow book, one hundred pages into a story I wonder why I have bothered reading something that was eloquently summed up in a short paragraph on the back of a book. I like to see characters outlined in the way the author set out to do it, which in most cases is slowly.

I like the idea of a character to be exposed in pieces, like peeling back layers of an onion. Chapter one you meet Joe, chapter three you find out he lives alone, chapter five you find he is widower, chapter seven you discover his addiction, etc. Rather than the dust jacket which is likely to say; "Recently widowed, Joe lives alone, struggling with alcoholism." This is why when I picked up Love is a Four-Letter Word, I didn't really pick up on the theme of the short stories. I didn't read beyond the first few sentences in the jacket synopsis.

I knew the idea of the book was supposed to be love told from the other side. However, I didn't realize that all the first person narratives were going to take one of two veins. Either they would focus on a significant other who turns out to be a complete asshole and hurts the author or the narrator would be the one inflicting the hurt on their lover. I had picked Love is a Four-Letter Word thinking that some stories would be ultimately be redeeming, but this was not the case. In the end the reason I had picked up the book, focusing on the word love is what I walked away not wanting. I would only recommend picking up this book if you want to feel that nothing will ever quite work out.

Autumn Evening

Sometimes I feel myself slipping into a complete and utter funk. I wish I had the ability to sit down and just have a good cry and get over it, but I don't. I apt to wallow until I am able to kick my thoughts of despair.

Last night I felt myself slipping. I thought in order to kick this mood, I would go watch a movie that I knew would make me cry. I thought crying about someone or something else might help put things in perspective. I chose "The Boys Are Back," the story of a sports journalist, Joe, played by Clive Owen, who finds himself being a single parent after his second wife dies of cancer. Joe has spent his life traveling the world covering sporting events arriving home to play with his six-year-old son and deliver "pressies," but has never had to really discipline his son. Joe's teenage son from his first marriage also arrives from overseas wanting to get to know the father he has only know from afar. Joe caves under the pressure of being a single parent to two boys he doesn't really know while dealing with own grief and non supportive in-laws.

Joe creates a "just say yes" philosophy, trying to make up for the loss of his wife and his inadequacies as a father. Ultimately, as you can imagine, this does not work. However, the film goes about showing this in a creative and non-cliched way. Joe seeks to build a family with his boys that will not crumble under the strain of everyday life.

In the end, this movie did not quite create the tears I thought it would. The story focuses on moving on with life rather than grieving. I walked away from the theater satisfied and in a little less of a funk.

Sideways by Citizen Cope

My lovely friends Sara and Jay used this song as their first dance at their wedding last week and now I can't get it out of my head.

It is a good day when

You receive the following e-mail:

Congratulations! You have officially ordered delicious, freshly-baked cupcakes over the internet!

Thanks Internet (and Cupcake Royale)!

Back to reality...

You don't have to be Peter Pan to have a distaste for getting older. For the most part I have loved getting older (and hopefully a little wiser), but I do have one complaint. The lack of vacation time.

Every June, I feel like I am missing something. It gets harder to go into work as I know kids everywhere are getting let out for summer vacation. However, this summer I was able to remedy that a little bit. I took vacation for 2 1/2 weeks to Norway and France. This is the longest vacation I've had since 2002. It was a great relief. I haven't fully gotten back to Seattle time, but I am working on it.

Here are a few photos from my time in Norway.

First Train Home

I can't wait for Imogen Heap's new album to be released. I'm hoping she comes to Seattle again soon.

Coffee of the Day

Available at tableandhome.com.

Some day...

I hope to have a wedding this awesome.

Doctor, doctor

Yesterday I went to the doctor. I saw a new doctor and as she was getting familiar with my chart, she piped up with, "Oh, I'm twenty-eight too!" The first thing that crossed my mind was, "Damn, what have I done with my life?" The idea that someone my age could have both figured out what they want to do with their life and finished all the schooling necessary to go into the profession was a little humbling to say the least. Regardless of my intimidation, my doctor was great and it was nice to have someone my age to talk to.

Her Morning Elegance - Oren Lavie

28 Things

Today I am turning the big two eight. As I officially move into my late twenties, I have decided to reflect on things I have learned throughout my twenty-eight years.

1. I have learned how to make delicious oatmeal chocolate chip walnut cookies.
2. I can not brush my teeth without ending up with toothpaste all over my face no matter how hard I try.
3. Rattlesnake isn't a totally revolting meat.
   
4. In a car vs. marta battle; the car always wins.
5. I can run 13.1 miles as long as I can take it slow.
6. When trying to be health conscious it's not really a good idea in all recipes to substitute apple sauce for butter, no matter how many cookbooks endorse this. Right, Elizabeth?
7. Travel is great as long as you have home as the final destination.
   

I wish my stuffed animals did this

Heard on KUOW today: "Today's day sponsors are lion and polar bear wishing Rosa a happy 9th birthday."

National Cathedral

I was in Washington DC over the weekend and visited the National Cathedral for the first time. I found the whole building breathtaking. Growing up in Seattle I haven't seen many buildings of such grand scale.

Flexible and Mellow

Today I was standing in line at Trader Joe's and the girl in front of me in line was flirting with the checker. She was telling him how she was really into yoga and had just been to a great class. He said he'd never tried yoga, but he thought he would be good at it because he was very flexible. She said, "Oh yeah?" He said, "Yeah, I'm very flexible and mellow."

It was then my turn to check out and they both turned towards me; I made the mistake of saying the first thing that popped into my head. "Wow, that sounds like quite the personal ad."

Well Played, Internets, Well Played

The newest and most entertaining time waster I've seen yet.

texts from last night

Now, where is my phone?

Literary Journal Publication

One of the photos I took on my recent trip to California was published in Wanderlust, a great new online literary journal focused on travel. You can see a larger version of my photo in Wanderlust here.

For information on submission guidelines read the FAQs here.

Redesigned Designs

Astrid Chair, Naive Tropical from Anthropology $1298

Gerber Upholostered Chair from Target $299

Canary Print Armless Chair from Target $299

Risk

I have thinking a lot about risk lately and what makes me afraid to take it. I have spent the past few years struggling to figure out what I want to do with my life, but when push comes to shove I find myself inextricably stuck. I think about where I would like to be and try to visualize my future, but I find myself unable to make the leap. I am full of excuses and I seem to hold myself back. I thought making a list of some the excuses I make might be helpful.

Excuses for not making potentially life changing risks:

• Fear of failure
• Not being financially secure
• Dreams not being the reality
  
• Having to start climbing the ladder again
  
• Being afraid to be away from family and friends
  
• The unstable economy (I feel I should be grateful for the job I have, but I still fell stuck)
• Fear of the unfamiliar
• Not wanting to do things alone
  
• Fear of embarrassment
  

On Tuesday evening I got a haircut. I've been going to the same person for about 5 years and have had a number of different cuts and colors with her. For some reason we started chatting about where to part your hair. She told me that I should really be parting my hair on the other side as that is my "softer side." I don't really understand why, but I went along with it. For the past couple days I've been trying to get used to having my hair on the other side, it feels a bit like I have a comb over. I would like to apologize to all the people out there that I've been facing with my hard side. I hope the new soft side of me will treat you much better.

Wine Country Snaps

This is What is Not

My division at work has a new leader who decided to start a 'fun committee.' The group will be responsible for planning events, volunteer activities, and building team spirit and community. I thought it was a cool idea, even if the name was lame, and signed up. We had our first meeting yesterday. I can confirm one thing after the meeting, having a two page agenda with time allocations for each item is not really my idea of fun.

It could have been a great beginning.

Yesterday I was excited to learn that Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett is being made into a movie. I told my boss how cute the trailer was and she paused and said, "Great title, but I have no idea what you are talking about." I was sad because she has a little one and I decided that it's a book he needs to grow up with. So last night I went to remedy it.

I went to Half Price Books on Capitol Hill and poked around the kids book section for a while until I realized I had no idea who the author or any hope of finding it. I went to the front desk and asked the very cute guy working at the desk for the author. I said the title and he gave me a surprised look. I said, "It's a kid's book." He said, "No, I know! I was just thinking I should know the author, I totally remember that book!" I explained to him why I looking for the book at 10:00pm on a Wednesday, which I'm sure made me look even weirder. After I got the author I wandered back to the section and found one copy. I sat on the floor and read the book cover to cover, reveling in the story of the people of Chewandswallow. I then walked by the front desk as I was going to the lower level to look in the adult books.

As I walked by the desk, the previously mentioned cute guy said, "Oh, did you not find it?" I said, "No, I found it. I was just reading it. It was still good." He smiled. I asked him if he wanted to read it while I looked downstairs. He looked a little hesitant, I said, "You know you want to*." He said, "Yes, I do." When I got back upstairs he was changing shifts at the front desk, but telling the guy taking over for him to make sure to give the book back to me. He thanked me for sharing the book. Sadly, this ends my tale, but as Carrie Bradshaw would say, "I couldn't help but wonder..."

* Author's note: Clearly reading a book from the 1980's transported me back to my elementary school manners. I should have just pinched him and ran away.

This is What I Actually Love

Recently one of my co-workers accused me of being a hater (in an over the top sort of way). As many people around the office started to weigh in on my the things I abhor I started to think about all the stuff I like. This evening I found myself digging through some old boxes to find my happy thoughts list. My friends and I all started making list in eight grade when 14,000 Things to Be Happy About: The Happy Book was really popular.

Here are some excerpts from my personal list, most of which was written in 8th & 9th grade, but I still agree with:

• leaves changing color
• Q cards
  
• thunderstorms
• soccer
  
• snow near Christmas
• ... and they lived happily ever after. The End
  
• cherry trees in bloom
• otters
  
• tea time
• the smell of summer rain
• vegetable gardens
• soft wool socks
• frost
• coffee
• getting mail
• skeeball
• hedgehogs
  
• clothes fresh out of the dryer
• valentines
• fro yo
• sidewalk chalk
• art classes
• phone calls from friends just to say hello
• fresh mint
• weekends
• Queen Anne's lace
• family
• yoga
• waking up in the middle of the night to the sound of rain
• Mariner's 1995 season
• road trips
• the Garden of the Gods
• Westminster Chimes
• freesia
• secret compartments
• saving the best for last
• giving people presents
• the edge of sleep
• scarves
  
• taking pictures
• friends
• snorkeling
• mix tapes
  
• home
  

Ab Time

I joined a new gym three weeks ago and yesterday while I was there I decided to look at the class schedule to see if there was a class I wanted to attend. This comes with the caveat that I have an intense fear of any aerobics type class. I have no rhythm and find that these classes provide much more stress that they are worth for me. By the time I finally get the hang of any move the class has invariably moved on to the next step and it's always awful to be watching yourself in a mirror and see you are the one always the one person on the opposite beat of everyone else.

On the class schedule there was a 25 minute class entitled "Awesome Abs." I figured that this class wouldn't have any aerobics or dance moves I could screw up and if it did I could handle 25 minutes of humiliation if I was on the road to "awesome abs."
I showed up at the class which is held on the gym's basketball court, I looked all around and couldn't figure out who the instructor was going to be so I asked one of the students what I needed for the class. She told me I'd need a mat, step, barbell, band and hand weights. The class started and about 15 minutes into the class we had only used the mat. I thought it was a little odd. What I did not know was that "Awesome Abs" leads directly into "NRC Bar." I still don't know what NRC stands for, but what I do know that it was an hour long class full of crazy aerobic moves while you are holding a barbell, hand weights or jumping on and off a step.

The best part was that I got a barbell without really knowing what I was going to be using it for, thinking that in a 25 minute ab class I could go for a heavier barbell. This was a big mistake. I also have terrible balance which made the whole experience even more interesting. In the end, I couldn't help but just laugh at myself and enjoy my totally uncoordinated workout.

Changing It Up

Spring is in the air (or at least I hope it is) and I've been gearing up to do the annual spring closet purge and try to sort through the detritus I seem to gather. I have a bit of a hard time getting rid of stuff and always feel daunted with the piles of stuff that accumulate around me.

As I was trying to sort through stuff I realized I wanted some sort of change in my room. It came in the form of a new bedside lamp. I purchased a couple lit branches from the University Bookstore and put them in a vase I had. The pictures don't quite do the best job because I had to turn off the flash for the "after" shot, but hopefully you'll get the idea.

Before:

After:

This is What I Get

My office is extremely casual. We have a large concentration of computer engineers in our building and we don't share any common space with other businesses which makes it even more casual. I routinely see people walking around in sweatpants, there are even a few who walk around in socks or bare feet. If you dress up it breeds a level of suspicion. I been hounded with questions about it I am going out to interview just because I've worn a skirt.

I wear jeans to work quite a bit, but I also try to dress up a few times a week just so I stay in the practice of looking somewhat presentable. Today, however, it bit me in the butt. My boss comes into my office and comes to my side of the desk to see what I am wearing. She says, "Oh good, you're dressed up today." I immediately sense trouble. I am wearing black flats, black slacks, a gray and black striped sweater, and little pseudo blazer made of sweatshirt material from H&M. Apparently I now have to go to what I've sure will be a very painful meeting with a potential client and one of our sales guys because I wore something nice.

Tomorrow I am going to wear sweatpants!

Happiness

It's been a down couple weeks for me. After growing up in Seattle I thought I was immune to the winter blues, but I think working in a windowless office has finally done it to me. I went to the doctor and got a recommendation of a combination of vitamins to take and that seems to have helped a little bit. However, I have finally found something to cheer me up...


Griffey is coming back to Seattle! While I personally was always a little more smitten with Dave Valle (I met him at a fan forum when I was 7 or 8), I will always have a soft spot for Griffey and all the fond memories he provided for me and my family in the Kingdom. I especially loved seeing him play with his dad during the 1990-1991 season. I'm hoping this means the Mariners will be back in top form this season.

Somebody's Baby

Last night on NPR I heard a story I can't stop thinking about. It starts with Charlie LeDuff, a reporter who gets a call about a body at the base of an elevator shaft encased in ice. He goes on to investigate to see if it a hoax and find the body there exactly as it was described to him (you can listen to the story on All Things Considered). As LeDuff investigates further he discovers that the body has been there for a month and nobody made a move to call the police to try to get the body out or identify it. LeDuff was able to get the police to come after two calls and they exhumed the body and are now waiting to conduct an autopsy when the man thaws out. He has committed to do an obituary for the man. As he said on NPR, "Everybody is somebody's baby, right?"

Here is the original story (warning: it does contain images of the body),Frozen in indifference: Life goes on around body found frozen in vacant Detroit warehouse.

Yes We Can

Florida Photos

Please enjoy a few miscellaneous photos from my trip to Florida

Not the best photo, but there was a pod of dolphins with a baby offshore.