I am currently sitting outside, lounging in the sun with a beer, overlooking the lovely Puget Sound, and figured I should probably get the ol Friday Five up....I'm housesitting. Love it.
1. Last Sunday I visited my good pal that lives out in Snoqualmie Ridge...we were planning on going for a nice little hike in the sunshine. Every time I drive over there (okay, it had only been twice before Sunday), I feel like I am on I-90 for forever. I always think 'man, how does she do this commute into the city everyday?!' And everytime, I take the exit and am blown away by the view she lives with. The mountains and trees...amazing. Not to mention the adorable neighborhood feel, and the fact that they have a house with a yard...and she has a garden going on with all kinds of fun things to look at and pick to eat. Plus, we left her back door, walked to a trail and wandered along, finding a gorgeous view of Snoqualmie Falls and the Lodge (and scary bear warning signs!). Maybe life outside the city isn't so bad. And a bit of a commute for that view...probably worth it. I'm a fan...in fact, I am heading back out there this afternoon.
2. Ohhh, Treat Receipts. Have you visited a Starbucks this week? If you have, then likely you are familiar with the "Treat Receipt". If not...let me tell you. If you buy anything (drink, food, merchandise, etc) before 2pm, you get a sunshiney bright yellow receipt. You then return to any Starbucks location AFTER 2pm, and can pick ANY iced grande beverage- for $2! What a steal. You can get extra shots, flavors, soy milk, smoothies, frappacinos...for just $2. As you can imagine, as the clock strikes 2pm, there is a mad rush to the store...and everyone wants that drink they never allow themselves to buy. Fraps for days. And people are totally into the new Strawberry Banana Smoothies (I still prefer the Orange-Mango)...but then people want to add matcha powder to their smoothies or they want only half a banana, or they want soy milk and no protein powder. Sigh...though, I have to say- educating people on the first day, in the morning, ABOUT the treat receipts was MUCH worse than the actual chaos of making the drinks. It's almost fun to see how we work as a team to get everything out in a timely fashion. I work with a great team...for sure.
3. Went to the Seattle Art Museum on Thursday (first Thursday of the month is free...woo)...I haven't been to SAM in...I can't even remember the last time. And after being so immersed in art in Paris, I was really looking forward to going. And I gotta say...not overly impressed. I think it was more one of the current exhibits that annoyed me. Target Practice: Painting Under Attack: "an international, historical survey of the attacks that painting endured in the years following World War II. For the artists in the show, painting had become a trap, and they devised numerous ways to escape the conventions and break the traditions that had been passed down to them over hundreds of years. This phenomenon occurred in all parts of the world, and the exhibition documents why artists felt compelled to shoot, rip, tear, burn, erase, nail, unzip and deconstruct painting in order to usher in a new way of thinking." I get that they were feeling the need to break out of the conformity that had been passed down, that's fine. I just didn't enjoy destruction as a form of art. It just seems so angry...which is certainly an emotion that needs to be expressed...I just don't like it. Andy Warhol had a piece where people in his studio urinated on metal. And that was the art. No, peeing is not art. To me. Totally my opinion. Didn't enjoy it. And I am not super into the modern art, random stuff...I went to the modern art museum in Paris and while it was random..and perhaps interesting...I just don't find much of it to be ART. I was so annoyed at the big, purple ballon art dog that was up at Versailles...it totally took away from the place.
4. Same day, I met up with a couple friends for the free evening at the EMP (Experience the Music Project, for you non-Seattleites). They only do the first Thursday free thing from 5-8pm. We got there about 5:30 and wandered a little. There was a band playing, and people were gathered around the Michael Jackson jacket and glove (ohhh, the sequins!) After wandering for a little while, we decided to check out the temporary Jim Henson exhibit. Found ourselves in a huge line...should have gone there immediately. Not to worry, while we waited they had the Motown anniversary show where the Jackson 5 reunited...and Michael moonwalked across the giant screen. It was sweet. And really kind of sad. What in the world happened to him?! Anyway, we finally made it into the Sci Fi Museum part (the EMP and SCi Fi museum are combined now, and Jim Henson is in the Sci Fi half)...that was an interesting area. Hmmm. And then, another twenty minutes later we made it into the exhibit, which was really cool. Everything was done in really bright colors, there were furry walls, and they had the actual original muppets- kermit, bert, ernie, etc. Funny how I never thought of them as being such simple puppets when I watched them on tv. If you have some time before the exhibit leaves, I would recommend checking it out...really fun and nostalgic. Side note...the Liguid Lounge- the bar that is upstairs at the EMP- the only place I ever used a fake ID, so I could get in to see John Mayer for the first time- GONE. Closed. And the restaurant- gone...claims to be a cafe, but is really just a coffee stand and some seating. Very sad.
5. After the EMP, my pals and I made a dinner stop at Serious Pie...Tom Douglas' pizza restaurant. I know I have blogged about Serious Pie before. I just feel the need to discuss again. I decided to try a totally random pizza...with ingredients I would never think to not only put on a pizza, but really to use in a recipe at all. My pizza had porcini muchrooms (I'm not fancy enough to distinguish one mushroom from another in my cooking), soft egg (like a soft boiled egg) and wood violet (yeah, greens with flowers...huh)...and it was super delicious. But really, the highlight was the apricot and walnut cannoli...oh man. I'm not really a big cannoli person. There is a place in Boston (Mike's) and a place in West Seattle (that has them shipped from Mike's in Boston) with cannoli I like, other than that...not so into it. But I have a new favorite. It was sooo yummy. Go have some.
And that's it from me. Have a fantastic 4th of July weekend...PLEASE be safe with the fireworks- they STRESS ME OUT! Yay for America. Until next week....
You used a fake ID?!
ReplyDelete:-) Mom