Busy, busy week...wowza. Summer is a-winding down, and even though my schedule won't change much when the school year starts, I feel like I need to squeeze as much in my free time as possible. Friday Five for the week...
1. Last weekend was a Zac Efron weekend. Don't be jealous...feel free to have one of your own. It wasn't intentional, but it wasn't a bad thing. I kidsat my cousins from Friday to Saturday and they rented 17 Again for us to watch. Zac acting as Matthew Perry. Cute movie...I liked it- though the DVD cut out on us at the end and we didn't get to finish the movie...pretty sure I can guess how it ends. THEN, on Saturday night, I had a really crazy evening. Stayed in with the dog I am housesitting for, and we watched High School Musical 1 AND 2. I actually hadn't seen any of the HSM movies before (even with all my babysitting...I have seen my share of Jonas Brothers concerts in 3-D though), and I thought they were great! I mean, corny lines and such, but so well done. And I was never a Zac Efron fan..he has always seemed a little too cool for school, but he is a pretty decent actor (he does Matthew Perry amazing...mannerisms and everything), and the notes they gave during HSM about the cast working together and rehearsing...he seems like a fun guy. Won me over. Not in a actor boyfriend kind of way...but I like him.
2. Had book club on Monday- and we actually talked about the book a little bit. We read Molokai'i- which I talked about in one of my past blogs. It really is a great book club book- so many different topics to discuss...religion, family, coming of age, history, the leprosy disease itself...so much. I have started reading Julie and Julia...hoping to finish it soon so I can watch it in the theater. I'm not SUPER into the book...but I do like to cook, and I did love the French food, so it is fun to read all the crazy stuff Julie goes through to make all of Julia Child's recipes.
3. I mentioned earlier that I am housesitting. Well, earlier this week, I was washing some potatoes (I was doing my own cooking experiment...with Rachael Ray 30 minute meals...much easier than Julia Child!) and all of a sudden the sink spout just, EXPLODED. Yeah. The water stopped coming out of the spout and was spraying through the tube. I checked it out, the rubber hose inside the metal hose got a tear. Ian came over and took a look, took it apart, we made a trip to Home Depot, bought a new hose, started putting it back together and then realized it wasn't the right hose because the spout is an older version...blah, blah, blah...long story short, I am still rinsing dishes in the bathroom sink. Might not be invited back to housesit here again.
4. My mom is going back to the classroom this year, after several years as the President of her Association. She just got a new classroom, so we went to the school and began cleaning and decorating. She is teaching English and is doing an Imagineering theme...which is going to be really fun and creative...I spent about two hours cutting out different size black circles to staple on the wall in Mickey shapes where she will put up quotes and questions to get the kids thinking. I'm excited for her.
5. Today I saw the Avett Brothers play a short set for KMTT at the Starbucks headquarters. I have heard a little bit of them, and have heard great things from other people,l but hadn't seen them before. They were so much fun! Lots of energy. One of those bands that you don't have to know the songs to enjoy them. Check em out...I am going to keep my eye out for them some more.
One more week of summer (basically...next weekend is Labor Day!) which means Bumbershoot next weekend...exciting! Have a great week.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Friday Five 8/21
Yet again, Friday has arrived. Hope your week flew by as mine did...because it was full of fun and excitement. Was it? Well let me tell you about my week, in five short points.
1. Last weekend was Mountain Music Fest. Great lineup this year. I was spending the whole weekend with my mom, so she came along with me. We first stopped at the Marty Riemer Slumber Party...where they were broadcasting live, and had a few remote music lounge performances. We were just planning on stopping in to pick up out tickets for the show, before heading to a coffee shop to do some business brainstorming. And that's when he walked by...Mr. Howie Day. That's right folks...my original musician boyfriend. I haven't seen him play in a few years, and I was PUMPED. We hung out at the party to see his performance, and then watch as he and Ingrid Michaelson played Rock Band together...amusing.
2. Mountain Music Fest had a giant lineup this year, but we only made it for the second half of the show (we are busy ladies...places to be, people to see). We got there just a bit before Howie took the stage. I got some tickets from the radio station, and just expected them to be general admission tickets...oh no, we found ourselves seated in the third row. So good. Howie played solo...which I really haven't seen in a long time. He only played a couple new songs (not sure how I feel about them...I'm going to let myself listen to the new album all the way through a few times before I decide, once it comes out)...he did his looping stuff, and bird tweeting, and random conversation...it was a fantastic performance. All I was hoping for. Then I got up to the bathroom after his set...and heard some girl behind me say she was disappointed in Howie Day...so my ears perked up "really...I thought he was great, how was she possibly disappointed?"...her next line was, "he wasn't even playing live...it was a recording. I mean, when he was done, he just walked off the stage while it was still playing, he didn't even try to pretend it was live"...to which I felt the need to explain to this girl about his looping. How he recordds different sounds right there on the stage, and then layers himself. She apparently didn't get it, and told me "whatever, I'm a fan of LIVE music"...I had to turn around or I would have thrown my flip flop at her. Dumb girl. Ingrid Michaelson was alright...she is pretty funny- I think maybe she should be a comedian, rather than musician. And David Gray was amazing...of course. Is he ever not?
3. Later in the weekend, mom and I went to a movie. I don't go to movies very often...they are really flipping expensive, so I try to make it to a matinee every so often, but it has to be a movie I've really been wanting to see (you know, like Twilight)...but there wasn't anything especially exciting at the theater near the house, so we decided to go see the Ugly Truth. Oh man. Not good. Not good at all. Mom and I started counting our eyeball rolling. We did, however, stop at Cold Stone before hand and snuck some ice cream into the movie (in mom's movie bag, complete with tupperware to hold the ice cream...she is serious)...I was voting for a girl scout cookie blizzard from Dairy Queen...but Cold Stone it was. Don't go see the movie...there are plenty of others out right now.
4. On Wednesday I had the opportunity to stop in KMTT for a Mountain Music Lounge (I know, it was quite a rock star week) with Pete Yorn. I have a couple Pete Yorn albums, but have never really listened to them. I feel like I know his music, but I don't actually know anything other than his radio songs. So I decided I needed to go check this fellow out. And I have to say, I was impressed. He was great...and friendly in the interview. And then stayed and signed posters and took pictures and such after. He won me over when he signed my poster, asked my name, made sure to spell it right....then fifteen minutes later, after I left the area to go say hello to my roomie and print some stuff out, I returned...and he said goodbye to me...with my name. I'm always impressed when musicians remember names...they are meeting and seeing so many new people every single day, I feel like faces would just begin to blur. But he remembered my name. So, I'm a fan. Good work Pete. Now I need to go listen to his albums on my ipod. Ohhh, and he has a new album coming out next month, of duets...with Scarlett Johansen...how random is that?!
5. I started watching a new show this week On Demand...after I finished watching all the Mad Men episodes, I found a new series. Royal Pains. It has the kid that was Joey's nephew, on the Friends spinoff, Joey. I liked him on that show...he is dorky cute, and funny. And he is the same way in this show. I don't necessarily like the rest of the side characters...but the main guy (I can't think of what else he was in...though he has been in a few different shows) and the Joey kid are great...they have some pretty funny lines.
That's all for this week...next week is looking pretty busy, so i'm guessing I'll blink and will be writing up another Friday Five. Later skater....E
1. Last weekend was Mountain Music Fest. Great lineup this year. I was spending the whole weekend with my mom, so she came along with me. We first stopped at the Marty Riemer Slumber Party...where they were broadcasting live, and had a few remote music lounge performances. We were just planning on stopping in to pick up out tickets for the show, before heading to a coffee shop to do some business brainstorming. And that's when he walked by...Mr. Howie Day. That's right folks...my original musician boyfriend. I haven't seen him play in a few years, and I was PUMPED. We hung out at the party to see his performance, and then watch as he and Ingrid Michaelson played Rock Band together...amusing.
2. Mountain Music Fest had a giant lineup this year, but we only made it for the second half of the show (we are busy ladies...places to be, people to see). We got there just a bit before Howie took the stage. I got some tickets from the radio station, and just expected them to be general admission tickets...oh no, we found ourselves seated in the third row. So good. Howie played solo...which I really haven't seen in a long time. He only played a couple new songs (not sure how I feel about them...I'm going to let myself listen to the new album all the way through a few times before I decide, once it comes out)...he did his looping stuff, and bird tweeting, and random conversation...it was a fantastic performance. All I was hoping for. Then I got up to the bathroom after his set...and heard some girl behind me say she was disappointed in Howie Day...so my ears perked up "really...I thought he was great, how was she possibly disappointed?"...her next line was, "he wasn't even playing live...it was a recording. I mean, when he was done, he just walked off the stage while it was still playing, he didn't even try to pretend it was live"...to which I felt the need to explain to this girl about his looping. How he recordds different sounds right there on the stage, and then layers himself. She apparently didn't get it, and told me "whatever, I'm a fan of LIVE music"...I had to turn around or I would have thrown my flip flop at her. Dumb girl. Ingrid Michaelson was alright...she is pretty funny- I think maybe she should be a comedian, rather than musician. And David Gray was amazing...of course. Is he ever not?
3. Later in the weekend, mom and I went to a movie. I don't go to movies very often...they are really flipping expensive, so I try to make it to a matinee every so often, but it has to be a movie I've really been wanting to see (you know, like Twilight)...but there wasn't anything especially exciting at the theater near the house, so we decided to go see the Ugly Truth. Oh man. Not good. Not good at all. Mom and I started counting our eyeball rolling. We did, however, stop at Cold Stone before hand and snuck some ice cream into the movie (in mom's movie bag, complete with tupperware to hold the ice cream...she is serious)...I was voting for a girl scout cookie blizzard from Dairy Queen...but Cold Stone it was. Don't go see the movie...there are plenty of others out right now.
4. On Wednesday I had the opportunity to stop in KMTT for a Mountain Music Lounge (I know, it was quite a rock star week) with Pete Yorn. I have a couple Pete Yorn albums, but have never really listened to them. I feel like I know his music, but I don't actually know anything other than his radio songs. So I decided I needed to go check this fellow out. And I have to say, I was impressed. He was great...and friendly in the interview. And then stayed and signed posters and took pictures and such after. He won me over when he signed my poster, asked my name, made sure to spell it right....then fifteen minutes later, after I left the area to go say hello to my roomie and print some stuff out, I returned...and he said goodbye to me...with my name. I'm always impressed when musicians remember names...they are meeting and seeing so many new people every single day, I feel like faces would just begin to blur. But he remembered my name. So, I'm a fan. Good work Pete. Now I need to go listen to his albums on my ipod. Ohhh, and he has a new album coming out next month, of duets...with Scarlett Johansen...how random is that?!
5. I started watching a new show this week On Demand...after I finished watching all the Mad Men episodes, I found a new series. Royal Pains. It has the kid that was Joey's nephew, on the Friends spinoff, Joey. I liked him on that show...he is dorky cute, and funny. And he is the same way in this show. I don't necessarily like the rest of the side characters...but the main guy (I can't think of what else he was in...though he has been in a few different shows) and the Joey kid are great...they have some pretty funny lines.
That's all for this week...next week is looking pretty busy, so i'm guessing I'll blink and will be writing up another Friday Five. Later skater....E
Friday, August 14, 2009
Back to the Friday Five
Alright, I'm back with an actual Friday Five, on Friday. You've missed it, I know...your work week just doesn't have the closure you like it to have. You can breathe a sigh of relief.
1. On Fridays, at Starbucks, I go in an hour earlier than my normal shift and put away our weekly order...all the coffee that comes in, syrups, lemonade, juices, etc. It isn't my favorite way to spend an hour...I bump into things, the cardboard gives my arms rashes...but whatever, someone has to do it. Today...Pumpkin Spice arrived. We aren't serving it yet...it'll be holding it's place on the shelf in the back room for a little while...but it has arrived. Just like the "back to school" signs at Target, Pumpkin Spice at Starbucks means Fall is quickly approaching. How crazy is that?! This has been an awesome summer...the weather has been beautiful, I've been to a few outdoor concerts, traveled a little, adventured plenty...but it has zipped by (it's all those time travel Thursdays, I tell ya). I'm excited for Fall. I'm excited for cozy things...apple cider, pretty crunchy leaves, rain pounding outside while my polka dot raincoat a-waits its use, sweaters and layering, and Pumpkin Spice lattes at Starbucks...for pumpkin lovers (a not so clever promo campaign Starbucks did a few years ago).
2. Have you watched Mad Men? I didn't watch the first couple seasons...I heard things about it, people talking, and just assumed if it was getting so much buzz it must be an HBO show. I only recently discovered it is a basic cable show...so have caught myself up On Demand. I don't know how I feel about it. It's fairly depressing, and for a while I thought it was kind of boring...and yet, I just kept watching episode after episode...until I got through every one available On Demand. And I will certainly be DVR'ing it when the next season starts up this weekend. Check it out. While it is depressing, it is kind of nice to know that sometimes the people who seem like they have it all aren't happy...is that a terrible thing to say? To be glad for someone else's unhappiness? Probably. Honest though.
3. Finished my next book club book this week...Moloka'i. It was a pretty easy read, I'd recommend it (we read the one by Brennert, not Bushnell). It is about the small Hawaiian Island, Moloka'i, which used to be the location of the quarantined leprosy settlement in the late 1800's-mid 1900's. They didn't know very much about the disease at the time, there wasn't a cure, and people were terrified of it. So when it was discovered that someone in the community had the disease, they were taken away from their family and sent away to this island, basically to die. The book is fictional, but based on real people and real events, and tells of the different kinds of Ohana (c'mon people...Stitch told you, "Ohana means family") these people, and everyone really, have throughout their lives.
4. My wallet and backpack were stolen on Wednesday. Ugh...sooo annoying! There was nothing in the back pack...other than pens and stuff, but it was my favorite- had my initials, just the right size for packing things. So mad. And my wallet had about $2...and my random cards, which I cancelled before anything happened on them. Whoever took it got NOTHING...but it's such a pain to have to get a new license, get new insurance cards...my Disney ID was in there...so sad about that. Just annoying. And I realize, it was my fault and was bound to happen sometime....I left it under the seat in my unlocked car while I was running around Greenlake. But I have been doing that for FOREVER...grrr.
5. I'm spending the weekend with my mom...super excited. We have a few things planned...and we are going to work on a couple of our business plans (yay for creative brainstorming!)...can't wait. Of course, good weekends always go by way too fast...so Monday will be here before you know it. Sorry. That's a terrible way to end the Friday Five! :)
Have a fantastic weekend! And next week too! Later...
1. On Fridays, at Starbucks, I go in an hour earlier than my normal shift and put away our weekly order...all the coffee that comes in, syrups, lemonade, juices, etc. It isn't my favorite way to spend an hour...I bump into things, the cardboard gives my arms rashes...but whatever, someone has to do it. Today...Pumpkin Spice arrived. We aren't serving it yet...it'll be holding it's place on the shelf in the back room for a little while...but it has arrived. Just like the "back to school" signs at Target, Pumpkin Spice at Starbucks means Fall is quickly approaching. How crazy is that?! This has been an awesome summer...the weather has been beautiful, I've been to a few outdoor concerts, traveled a little, adventured plenty...but it has zipped by (it's all those time travel Thursdays, I tell ya). I'm excited for Fall. I'm excited for cozy things...apple cider, pretty crunchy leaves, rain pounding outside while my polka dot raincoat a-waits its use, sweaters and layering, and Pumpkin Spice lattes at Starbucks...for pumpkin lovers (a not so clever promo campaign Starbucks did a few years ago).
2. Have you watched Mad Men? I didn't watch the first couple seasons...I heard things about it, people talking, and just assumed if it was getting so much buzz it must be an HBO show. I only recently discovered it is a basic cable show...so have caught myself up On Demand. I don't know how I feel about it. It's fairly depressing, and for a while I thought it was kind of boring...and yet, I just kept watching episode after episode...until I got through every one available On Demand. And I will certainly be DVR'ing it when the next season starts up this weekend. Check it out. While it is depressing, it is kind of nice to know that sometimes the people who seem like they have it all aren't happy...is that a terrible thing to say? To be glad for someone else's unhappiness? Probably. Honest though.
3. Finished my next book club book this week...Moloka'i. It was a pretty easy read, I'd recommend it (we read the one by Brennert, not Bushnell). It is about the small Hawaiian Island, Moloka'i, which used to be the location of the quarantined leprosy settlement in the late 1800's-mid 1900's. They didn't know very much about the disease at the time, there wasn't a cure, and people were terrified of it. So when it was discovered that someone in the community had the disease, they were taken away from their family and sent away to this island, basically to die. The book is fictional, but based on real people and real events, and tells of the different kinds of Ohana (c'mon people...Stitch told you, "Ohana means family") these people, and everyone really, have throughout their lives.
4. My wallet and backpack were stolen on Wednesday. Ugh...sooo annoying! There was nothing in the back pack...other than pens and stuff, but it was my favorite- had my initials, just the right size for packing things. So mad. And my wallet had about $2...and my random cards, which I cancelled before anything happened on them. Whoever took it got NOTHING...but it's such a pain to have to get a new license, get new insurance cards...my Disney ID was in there...so sad about that. Just annoying. And I realize, it was my fault and was bound to happen sometime....I left it under the seat in my unlocked car while I was running around Greenlake. But I have been doing that for FOREVER...grrr.
5. I'm spending the weekend with my mom...super excited. We have a few things planned...and we are going to work on a couple of our business plans (yay for creative brainstorming!)...can't wait. Of course, good weekends always go by way too fast...so Monday will be here before you know it. Sorry. That's a terrible way to end the Friday Five! :)
Have a fantastic weekend! And next week too! Later...
Saturday, August 8, 2009
I know, I'm a blog slacker...
Yes, I know...I haven't written for three Fridays in a row. You are wondering if I am still alive. Or if I am out being productive, without time for silly online journals. Or if my life is so dull I couldn't come up with five things to talk about. Or if, perhaps, I have joined a traveling circus and they made me sign a confidentiality agreement. Maybe I've moved to a small town in France that hasn't found internet yet and forgot to mention it in my last post because it was such a last minute decision. I'm sure all of these thoughts have run through your head as you frantically check and re-check my blog site, hoping for an update. I'm sorry to have worried you. I am fine. I am neither more busy or more boring than the past seven months, when I have dutifully updated each Friday. I am still in Seattle (though did leave for California for a short period of time), and I have been making a serious effort to join the people at Disney, who will make me sign a confidentiality agreement, but isn't exactly a traveling circus. I just decided not to write. That's allowed.
And I'm in a rebellious mood, and will not be following the normal format today (Saturday...gasp!) of bullet points. I'm just going to write.
So I have enjoyed writing a blog- it was a fun way to keep everyone updated on my European adventure, and the Friday Five is a way to make myself write (since I have been majorly slacking in the book writing), while keeping my friends that I don't see on a regular basis a little updated on my life. But here's the thing about my blog. It isn't totally honest. I know that anyone can read it. Including people that might be annoying me, that I don't agree with, that I'm concerned about, etc...the things that I would actually write about in a journal. I don't want to offend anyone. Hurt someone's feelings. Or get in trouble at work. :) I re-read my europe blog and it sounds like the greatest time in the world...I even managed to make my bag getting stolen seem like no big deal, just a little inconvenient. Which, I suppose is a nice way to look back on the trip and remember it...because it was an incredible experience, but if I was honest, it was probably the hardest experience I've ever had. Worth it, definitely...absolutely would have done it even if I had known how hard it would be...but not necessarily the rosy trip I wrote about. And it's kind of the same with the Friday Five.
And that's all I have to say about that...I will continue my happy writing. Don't worry.
I went down to California last week/this week. I left last Friday. Spent a couple of days in LA (well, mostly Anaheim actually)..stayed about a mile and a half from Disneyland. I stopped in at the casting office and left them my spectacular Disney resume and chatted a bit. I love the people that work for Disney...they are happy to just chat away and share their info...always so friendly. I spent some time wandering around Downtown Disney...which isn't as good as Disney World's...much smaller, and just not as interesting...but is still Disney and free to wander through. Saturday I had lunch with my good pal Brian, who has been living in LA for three years and I never get to see. Very fun to see him...it was like we were never apart...him smelling my hair, making inappropriate jokes every five seconds. I've missed him! He had to leave to go make an offer on a condo (ohhh, what a grown up) so I went into California Adventure (this is where, if I was totally honest, I would talk about how a couple of my friends ditched spending the day with me...but I won't) and spent a few hours there...went on a couple rides, saw the Pixar parade...but mostly just happy to walk around and soak it in. They had an exhibit showing all the new plans they have for California Adventure between now and 2013...looks super cool. And it is nice to see that even with the economy the way it is, they are still doing alright and pushing forward on projects, continuing to add new magic for guests to enjoy (seriously people, shouldn't I be working there?!).
Sunday Briana flew in and I picked her up from the airport and we began our drive down to San Diego. We felt the need to make a stop in Laguna...hoping to find the surf shop where Stephen worked and perhaps have some kind of Laguna celebrity sighting. I know...dont judge. Sadly, we saw nobody, but did have some delicious ice cream. We continued the drive south. We stopped in...ummm, can't remember the name, to have lunch/dinner with a couple of Briana's friends. We ate at this cool little cafe in Del Mar (I think?) that overlooked the beach, was pretty cheap and totally delicious. And then we finished the drive, found our hotel, showered and changed, and headed out to explore the Gaslamp district.
Our hotel was pretty close to the Gaslamp district...just a few blocks...but those few blocks in between were scary as heck! B and I made jokes each night as we walked home, mostly to keep ourselves from being totally freaked out...we learned which side of the streets to walk on to avoid the o-so popular cricket store hangout of scaries...unfortunately crossing the street put us in this big parking lot that seemed to be the hangout of random hookers. They seemed less intimidating.
Monday we spent the afternoon in Coronado...really cute (and ridiculously expensive!) beach town. The ocean was FREEZING. Like Washington beaches freezing. There was no way we were going in past our ankles! Monday night we had dinner with my oldest pal from kindergarten...so fun to see Krissy! Her poor boyfriend and Briana had to sit there and listen to us laugh about old stories and talk about people they didn't know.
Tuesday I left super early and drove up to Glendale to meet with a Disney Imagineer to talk about what I need to do to get a job with Disney. It was a great meeting. Really inspiring...made me even more eager to continue pursuing that path. Though they are on a bit of a hiring freeze...whatev. The office was so cool...half of the place was a giant warehouse, where they were actually building stuff for the parks...
When I got back, we went out to La Jolla (pronounced la hoya...don't make the mistake of saying it out loud like it's spelled...luckily I kept it to myself, even though I didn't realize this "La Jolla" place on the map was the "la hoya" people kept talking about). This is a gorgeous beach and beach town...with cliffs, and seals and lots of snorkeling (word on the street was this water was warmer...I don't know, we didn't go in). We did some shopping. I was on a mission to find a delicious do it yourself frozen yogurt place...but after asking a sales lady was told there wasn't one in town...so I decided to just go with a bowl of gelato. Yeah, the second we stepped out of the gelato place, there- in front of our face, was a do it yourself frozen yogurt...I was pissed! Luckily my gelato was super yummy, so it wasn't a total bummer. Tuesday night we met back up with Krissy and Justin for the Padres game. Krissy takes pictures on occasion at the games, so she knows some people around, and we got to sit in a bar area that we weren't supposed to be able to with the cheap tickets we had. The game was lots of fun...how I love baseball games. We went out after the game, to some random happy hour with a waiter that was a little too eager and a total "hey babe" kind of guy....which was amusing.
Oh and Wednesday. we were both flying out of LAX, so we left with plenty of time to get to the airport, even with traffic. I had been super organized the whole trip- printed out directions to everything I needed to be at...except returning to the airport. I figured we were going to be on the major freeway, there would be signs to the airport. Not so. Made it all the way up to Glendale before we thought we must have missed it...turned around, called Brian for directions, and then we were stuck in that terrible, horrible, no good, very bad traffic. Luckily Briana's flight was much later, so she could return the car...I truly thought I was going to miss my flight...I got through check in and security in record time (there was next to no line and I didn't have to check any luggage) and I made it to my gate as they were already boarding. Sigh.
I made it back...picked my car up, drove straight to work, straight from work to housesitting...and straight to bed to work early the next morning.
And here I am. Back in dreary, grey Seattle...it is so nice to have the sun gone. I know...but really, it is exhausting when the sun is out all the time. You feel like you have to be outside, going, being social...I just want to sit in my sweats, in a coffee house and write...which is what I'm doing now. Yay.
Hope things are well with you...and I'll return to the Friday Five next week...probably.
And I'm in a rebellious mood, and will not be following the normal format today (Saturday...gasp!) of bullet points. I'm just going to write.
So I have enjoyed writing a blog- it was a fun way to keep everyone updated on my European adventure, and the Friday Five is a way to make myself write (since I have been majorly slacking in the book writing), while keeping my friends that I don't see on a regular basis a little updated on my life. But here's the thing about my blog. It isn't totally honest. I know that anyone can read it. Including people that might be annoying me, that I don't agree with, that I'm concerned about, etc...the things that I would actually write about in a journal. I don't want to offend anyone. Hurt someone's feelings. Or get in trouble at work. :) I re-read my europe blog and it sounds like the greatest time in the world...I even managed to make my bag getting stolen seem like no big deal, just a little inconvenient. Which, I suppose is a nice way to look back on the trip and remember it...because it was an incredible experience, but if I was honest, it was probably the hardest experience I've ever had. Worth it, definitely...absolutely would have done it even if I had known how hard it would be...but not necessarily the rosy trip I wrote about. And it's kind of the same with the Friday Five.
And that's all I have to say about that...I will continue my happy writing. Don't worry.
I went down to California last week/this week. I left last Friday. Spent a couple of days in LA (well, mostly Anaheim actually)..stayed about a mile and a half from Disneyland. I stopped in at the casting office and left them my spectacular Disney resume and chatted a bit. I love the people that work for Disney...they are happy to just chat away and share their info...always so friendly. I spent some time wandering around Downtown Disney...which isn't as good as Disney World's...much smaller, and just not as interesting...but is still Disney and free to wander through. Saturday I had lunch with my good pal Brian, who has been living in LA for three years and I never get to see. Very fun to see him...it was like we were never apart...him smelling my hair, making inappropriate jokes every five seconds. I've missed him! He had to leave to go make an offer on a condo (ohhh, what a grown up) so I went into California Adventure (this is where, if I was totally honest, I would talk about how a couple of my friends ditched spending the day with me...but I won't) and spent a few hours there...went on a couple rides, saw the Pixar parade...but mostly just happy to walk around and soak it in. They had an exhibit showing all the new plans they have for California Adventure between now and 2013...looks super cool. And it is nice to see that even with the economy the way it is, they are still doing alright and pushing forward on projects, continuing to add new magic for guests to enjoy (seriously people, shouldn't I be working there?!).
Sunday Briana flew in and I picked her up from the airport and we began our drive down to San Diego. We felt the need to make a stop in Laguna...hoping to find the surf shop where Stephen worked and perhaps have some kind of Laguna celebrity sighting. I know...dont judge. Sadly, we saw nobody, but did have some delicious ice cream. We continued the drive south. We stopped in...ummm, can't remember the name, to have lunch/dinner with a couple of Briana's friends. We ate at this cool little cafe in Del Mar (I think?) that overlooked the beach, was pretty cheap and totally delicious. And then we finished the drive, found our hotel, showered and changed, and headed out to explore the Gaslamp district.
Our hotel was pretty close to the Gaslamp district...just a few blocks...but those few blocks in between were scary as heck! B and I made jokes each night as we walked home, mostly to keep ourselves from being totally freaked out...we learned which side of the streets to walk on to avoid the o-so popular cricket store hangout of scaries...unfortunately crossing the street put us in this big parking lot that seemed to be the hangout of random hookers. They seemed less intimidating.
Monday we spent the afternoon in Coronado...really cute (and ridiculously expensive!) beach town. The ocean was FREEZING. Like Washington beaches freezing. There was no way we were going in past our ankles! Monday night we had dinner with my oldest pal from kindergarten...so fun to see Krissy! Her poor boyfriend and Briana had to sit there and listen to us laugh about old stories and talk about people they didn't know.
Tuesday I left super early and drove up to Glendale to meet with a Disney Imagineer to talk about what I need to do to get a job with Disney. It was a great meeting. Really inspiring...made me even more eager to continue pursuing that path. Though they are on a bit of a hiring freeze...whatev. The office was so cool...half of the place was a giant warehouse, where they were actually building stuff for the parks...
When I got back, we went out to La Jolla (pronounced la hoya...don't make the mistake of saying it out loud like it's spelled...luckily I kept it to myself, even though I didn't realize this "La Jolla" place on the map was the "la hoya" people kept talking about). This is a gorgeous beach and beach town...with cliffs, and seals and lots of snorkeling (word on the street was this water was warmer...I don't know, we didn't go in). We did some shopping. I was on a mission to find a delicious do it yourself frozen yogurt place...but after asking a sales lady was told there wasn't one in town...so I decided to just go with a bowl of gelato. Yeah, the second we stepped out of the gelato place, there- in front of our face, was a do it yourself frozen yogurt...I was pissed! Luckily my gelato was super yummy, so it wasn't a total bummer. Tuesday night we met back up with Krissy and Justin for the Padres game. Krissy takes pictures on occasion at the games, so she knows some people around, and we got to sit in a bar area that we weren't supposed to be able to with the cheap tickets we had. The game was lots of fun...how I love baseball games. We went out after the game, to some random happy hour with a waiter that was a little too eager and a total "hey babe" kind of guy....which was amusing.
Oh and Wednesday. we were both flying out of LAX, so we left with plenty of time to get to the airport, even with traffic. I had been super organized the whole trip- printed out directions to everything I needed to be at...except returning to the airport. I figured we were going to be on the major freeway, there would be signs to the airport. Not so. Made it all the way up to Glendale before we thought we must have missed it...turned around, called Brian for directions, and then we were stuck in that terrible, horrible, no good, very bad traffic. Luckily Briana's flight was much later, so she could return the car...I truly thought I was going to miss my flight...I got through check in and security in record time (there was next to no line and I didn't have to check any luggage) and I made it to my gate as they were already boarding. Sigh.
I made it back...picked my car up, drove straight to work, straight from work to housesitting...and straight to bed to work early the next morning.
And here I am. Back in dreary, grey Seattle...it is so nice to have the sun gone. I know...but really, it is exhausting when the sun is out all the time. You feel like you have to be outside, going, being social...I just want to sit in my sweats, in a coffee house and write...which is what I'm doing now. Yay.
Hope things are well with you...and I'll return to the Friday Five next week...probably.
Friday, July 17, 2009
heartbroken in the best way...7/17
Hey, hey! Welcome to Friday, once again...
1. Last weekend I made the loooong drive out to Ocean Shores to hang out with some of the fam. My uncle and aunt have a house out there that they bought for the purpose of getting away and hanging out with friends and family. It is a beautiful house, and BIG...lots of room for lots of people. I had two sets of aunts and uncles, some cousins, grandparents, and a few others...and let me tell you, we had a FEAST on Saturday night! We had amazing salmon, and crabcakes (from crab my uncles and cousins caught), oysters, good wine...it was really, really fun. We walked across the street and made our way to the ocean, went into town and visited the learning center- which they have actually done a pretty good job with- there is some interesting stuff there (and the super eager lady that worked there informed us that she has had 22 people come in that have either seen, heard, or smelled bigfoot. True story.) The evening progressed into my aunts, grandma and I watching Singing Bee (seriously, have you ever heard me sing? Prob not because I avoid doing so around pretty much everyone...it's a horrible sound....and I most definitely got it from my mom's side of the family) we were all a-singing out loud to country tunes...not pretty, not pretty. My grandma did show us some of her old dance moves she used to do in high school...one that her mom dragged her off the dance floor for because it was too sexy. Whoa Grandma. I also got to spend some quality time with my newest cousin, Tyler...who has developed a little personality and is sooo adorable and smiley and giggly. Love him!
2. Moving on. Tuesday I had a dentist appointment. I had to get a cavity filled. Trauma! I try to take really good care of my teeth (I still wear my retainer from 8th grade!), so the cavity thing doesn't make me happy. Plus, I am a bit of a nervous wreck about that kind of stuff anyway. I nearly talked myself out of getting my wisdom teeth extracted my freshman year...I went to the bathroom and got myself so worked up about it, I was truly seconds away from sneaking out and waiting for my mom in the car...before I reminded myself I would just have to go back another time. Anyway...the cavity...the gal gave me two shots of the numbing stuff...but I wasn't fully numbed up, so I got another one...and oh my gosh...the left side of my face was out of commission for about five hours. I felt ridiculous...certain I was drooling out the side of my face. I decided to go sit in a movie for a bit, so as not to interact with anyone, but of course, my dentist is in Federal Way...so I ran into people I know. Jeez. Finally, about 7pm, my face started tingling and the feeling returned...though my jaw has been a bit sore since then. Despite the need for a filling, I still love my dentist mucho.
3. During my hours of numbness I went to see UP...because it's Disney, I'd heard pretty good reviews, and it was at a time that worked for me. Very cute movie. It wasn't quite as good as I was expecting (those darn expectations!)...several people told me how good it was and that they cried throughout. And yes, I did cry...a few different times in the movie (I know, who is this girl with feelings)...there was some really sweet moments that I loved...but I felt like there was also a fair amount of filler. That was just okay. Definitely go see it with your significant other...like I said, it's very sweet.
4. My facial blushing is OUT OF CONTROL. I have always had a bit of a condition...when cute boys are around, or I am giving a speech, or interviewing- no matter how comfortable I am, when the attention is on me...my face gets BRIGHT RED. (I "randomly" got assigned facial blushing in my anatomy class to give a presentation on...needless to say, I gave a perfect demonstration)If you read my blog, I'm guessing you know me, and have seen this occurance for yourself. It's embarrassing, but I'd like to hope, a little endearing. As I have gotten a little older, I have gotten better at controlling it so in the past few years it hasn't been too bad. But lately, it has returned. Mostly at work. Most of the people I work with are married or in long term relationships, so we like to pick a "boyfriend of the week" for me each week amoungst our regular customers. Even though I would be perfectly fine talking to these people the week before; as soon as the choice has been decided for the week, I can't talk to or interact with this person without turning a lovely shade of lobster. Because I know everyone I am working with is watching...Today, one such fellow mentioned that it looked like I had gotten some sun...I thought, "yes, go with it, it's just a sunburn...not blushing, sunburn" and then proceeded to ramble on to him about how my legs were all sunburned from sitting outside in short shorts...and then hearing myself and realizing I was talking about my legs...my face turned even darker...I could feel the heat radiating off. Oh, those are my favorite moments. Yes, the facial blushing has returned.
5. And I've saved my last point for my re-falling in love and having my heart broken in the best way with music. Lately I have been pretty uninspired by music...it just hasn't been exciting to me. I have been going about much of my day without music on because there isn't anything I care about listening to. It was always such a big part of my life, it was getting depressing. But last night I went and saw Counting Crows and Augustana at Marymoor and it was exactly what I needed. First of all, it was a great show...the two bands played together pretty much the entire night...it wasn't an opener and headliner kind of thing. Adam and Dan (the two lead singers) took turns singing versus to each others songs and there were a plethora of great covers. Very cool format. And their voices went together so well. I have to admit, while I absolutely loooove Counting Crows (August and Everything After....c'mon!), I was really excited to see Augustana because I haven't before, and their song "Boston" has been a sort of theme song of mine for awhile. I listened to that thing over and over and over as I was packing to move home from Chicago, and when I was getting ready to move to Europe. My passport photo is terrible because the song randomly came on the radio on my way to getting the picture taken and I pretty much started sobbing. I know, I know. It's just one of those songs that hits me. Breaks my heart a little bit every time. The singer's voice just kills me. And the two bands together hit that music thing that does it for me...I don't know...I was (and most definitely still am) thrilled to have found that love again. Yay! Though I did turn on Augustana when I got home last night before I went to bed, and I had to turn it off because it just breaks my heart...I'm probably going to need to put Boston on a few times in a row and just cry it out here soon.
So there you go folks. Big happenings this weekend...going to see Andrew Bird and the Decemberists tonight, and big Adventurers Club game day on Sunday. Hope you have fun plans for this beautiful weekend. Talk to you soon! E
1. Last weekend I made the loooong drive out to Ocean Shores to hang out with some of the fam. My uncle and aunt have a house out there that they bought for the purpose of getting away and hanging out with friends and family. It is a beautiful house, and BIG...lots of room for lots of people. I had two sets of aunts and uncles, some cousins, grandparents, and a few others...and let me tell you, we had a FEAST on Saturday night! We had amazing salmon, and crabcakes (from crab my uncles and cousins caught), oysters, good wine...it was really, really fun. We walked across the street and made our way to the ocean, went into town and visited the learning center- which they have actually done a pretty good job with- there is some interesting stuff there (and the super eager lady that worked there informed us that she has had 22 people come in that have either seen, heard, or smelled bigfoot. True story.) The evening progressed into my aunts, grandma and I watching Singing Bee (seriously, have you ever heard me sing? Prob not because I avoid doing so around pretty much everyone...it's a horrible sound....and I most definitely got it from my mom's side of the family) we were all a-singing out loud to country tunes...not pretty, not pretty. My grandma did show us some of her old dance moves she used to do in high school...one that her mom dragged her off the dance floor for because it was too sexy. Whoa Grandma. I also got to spend some quality time with my newest cousin, Tyler...who has developed a little personality and is sooo adorable and smiley and giggly. Love him!
2. Moving on. Tuesday I had a dentist appointment. I had to get a cavity filled. Trauma! I try to take really good care of my teeth (I still wear my retainer from 8th grade!), so the cavity thing doesn't make me happy. Plus, I am a bit of a nervous wreck about that kind of stuff anyway. I nearly talked myself out of getting my wisdom teeth extracted my freshman year...I went to the bathroom and got myself so worked up about it, I was truly seconds away from sneaking out and waiting for my mom in the car...before I reminded myself I would just have to go back another time. Anyway...the cavity...the gal gave me two shots of the numbing stuff...but I wasn't fully numbed up, so I got another one...and oh my gosh...the left side of my face was out of commission for about five hours. I felt ridiculous...certain I was drooling out the side of my face. I decided to go sit in a movie for a bit, so as not to interact with anyone, but of course, my dentist is in Federal Way...so I ran into people I know. Jeez. Finally, about 7pm, my face started tingling and the feeling returned...though my jaw has been a bit sore since then. Despite the need for a filling, I still love my dentist mucho.
3. During my hours of numbness I went to see UP...because it's Disney, I'd heard pretty good reviews, and it was at a time that worked for me. Very cute movie. It wasn't quite as good as I was expecting (those darn expectations!)...several people told me how good it was and that they cried throughout. And yes, I did cry...a few different times in the movie (I know, who is this girl with feelings)...there was some really sweet moments that I loved...but I felt like there was also a fair amount of filler. That was just okay. Definitely go see it with your significant other...like I said, it's very sweet.
4. My facial blushing is OUT OF CONTROL. I have always had a bit of a condition...when cute boys are around, or I am giving a speech, or interviewing- no matter how comfortable I am, when the attention is on me...my face gets BRIGHT RED. (I "randomly" got assigned facial blushing in my anatomy class to give a presentation on...needless to say, I gave a perfect demonstration)If you read my blog, I'm guessing you know me, and have seen this occurance for yourself. It's embarrassing, but I'd like to hope, a little endearing. As I have gotten a little older, I have gotten better at controlling it so in the past few years it hasn't been too bad. But lately, it has returned. Mostly at work. Most of the people I work with are married or in long term relationships, so we like to pick a "boyfriend of the week" for me each week amoungst our regular customers. Even though I would be perfectly fine talking to these people the week before; as soon as the choice has been decided for the week, I can't talk to or interact with this person without turning a lovely shade of lobster. Because I know everyone I am working with is watching...Today, one such fellow mentioned that it looked like I had gotten some sun...I thought, "yes, go with it, it's just a sunburn...not blushing, sunburn" and then proceeded to ramble on to him about how my legs were all sunburned from sitting outside in short shorts...and then hearing myself and realizing I was talking about my legs...my face turned even darker...I could feel the heat radiating off. Oh, those are my favorite moments. Yes, the facial blushing has returned.
5. And I've saved my last point for my re-falling in love and having my heart broken in the best way with music. Lately I have been pretty uninspired by music...it just hasn't been exciting to me. I have been going about much of my day without music on because there isn't anything I care about listening to. It was always such a big part of my life, it was getting depressing. But last night I went and saw Counting Crows and Augustana at Marymoor and it was exactly what I needed. First of all, it was a great show...the two bands played together pretty much the entire night...it wasn't an opener and headliner kind of thing. Adam and Dan (the two lead singers) took turns singing versus to each others songs and there were a plethora of great covers. Very cool format. And their voices went together so well. I have to admit, while I absolutely loooove Counting Crows (August and Everything After....c'mon!), I was really excited to see Augustana because I haven't before, and their song "Boston" has been a sort of theme song of mine for awhile. I listened to that thing over and over and over as I was packing to move home from Chicago, and when I was getting ready to move to Europe. My passport photo is terrible because the song randomly came on the radio on my way to getting the picture taken and I pretty much started sobbing. I know, I know. It's just one of those songs that hits me. Breaks my heart a little bit every time. The singer's voice just kills me. And the two bands together hit that music thing that does it for me...I don't know...I was (and most definitely still am) thrilled to have found that love again. Yay! Though I did turn on Augustana when I got home last night before I went to bed, and I had to turn it off because it just breaks my heart...I'm probably going to need to put Boston on a few times in a row and just cry it out here soon.
So there you go folks. Big happenings this weekend...going to see Andrew Bird and the Decemberists tonight, and big Adventurers Club game day on Sunday. Hope you have fun plans for this beautiful weekend. Talk to you soon! E
Friday, July 10, 2009
Feeling Lazy
I'm not feeling especially blog chatty today...I think it'll be a short Friday Five.
1. 4th of July was great. Had a few different options, and really didn't know where I was going to end up when I left the house. I made some delicious brownies (from the barefoot contessa) and figured I could bring them wherever I showed up. I decided I would meet up with Darby and Friends out on their boat, for a little while and then go meet some other people. Well, I got to the park where D&F (Darby and Friends) were...and had to kayak out to the boat (good thing I forgot, and left the brownies sitting in the car). Well, it was so nice out on the water and the company was delightful (and there was promise of good food to come), I never made it off the boat...we went over NEAR Lake Union (close enough to have a great view of the fireworks, far enough to not get stuck in boat traffic after the show)...the fireworks were awesome...some really cool ones that I've never seen before. And yeah...some delicious BBQ with all the sides. Mmmm.
2. I've been doing a lot of deck sitting and reading since I have been housesitting and it has been super nice out. I've been doing a bit of gardening (well, more like watering, and picking raspberries and tomatoes...don't know if that constitiutes gardening), watering plants, feeding a cat...it's kind of fun having a house to stay at. Though I find myself being really lazy (like how I REALLY don't feel like writing up the blog right now, even though I don't have anywhere to be for another hour) and overall not being productive. Reading counts as productive, right? I haven't turned on the tv since I have been here.
3. Speaking of reading, so I have book club on Monday and hadn't started the book yet. I put it on hold at the library, but there are like 50 holds before me, so I'll never get it in time for book club. Soooo, I have visited Barnes and Noble a couple of times in the past week, grabbed the book ($25, c'mon!) and read for an hour here and there in the cafe, before returning it to its shelf. My friend that worked at Barnes and Noble said that if I return it to it's shelf, they don't really care that much. It is a little bit like stealing though. We are reading 'Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet'. I'm only about 100 pages in, so I'll give the review next week. It is about the Japanese Internment camp stuff that happened here in Seattle.
4. So I lied a little bit earlier (stealing and lying all in one blog, man)I said I haven't watched the tv since I have been here...which is technically true. I have been watching a few shows on my computer though. I checked out Cupid...which has been cancelled, but I enjoyed. And Samantha Who? I've never watched it before...but it's like all the side characters from other shows I have loved...Suki from Gilmore Girls, one of the sisters from Related, and Barry Watson from the show What About Brian (you could also say 7th Heaven, though I never was into that show)...so I am enjoying Samantha Who?
5. What's my last point? I don't know...and I'm too lazy to think of something. Have a great weekend/week. Later....E
1. 4th of July was great. Had a few different options, and really didn't know where I was going to end up when I left the house. I made some delicious brownies (from the barefoot contessa) and figured I could bring them wherever I showed up. I decided I would meet up with Darby and Friends out on their boat, for a little while and then go meet some other people. Well, I got to the park where D&F (Darby and Friends) were...and had to kayak out to the boat (good thing I forgot, and left the brownies sitting in the car). Well, it was so nice out on the water and the company was delightful (and there was promise of good food to come), I never made it off the boat...we went over NEAR Lake Union (close enough to have a great view of the fireworks, far enough to not get stuck in boat traffic after the show)...the fireworks were awesome...some really cool ones that I've never seen before. And yeah...some delicious BBQ with all the sides. Mmmm.
2. I've been doing a lot of deck sitting and reading since I have been housesitting and it has been super nice out. I've been doing a bit of gardening (well, more like watering, and picking raspberries and tomatoes...don't know if that constitiutes gardening), watering plants, feeding a cat...it's kind of fun having a house to stay at. Though I find myself being really lazy (like how I REALLY don't feel like writing up the blog right now, even though I don't have anywhere to be for another hour) and overall not being productive. Reading counts as productive, right? I haven't turned on the tv since I have been here.
3. Speaking of reading, so I have book club on Monday and hadn't started the book yet. I put it on hold at the library, but there are like 50 holds before me, so I'll never get it in time for book club. Soooo, I have visited Barnes and Noble a couple of times in the past week, grabbed the book ($25, c'mon!) and read for an hour here and there in the cafe, before returning it to its shelf. My friend that worked at Barnes and Noble said that if I return it to it's shelf, they don't really care that much. It is a little bit like stealing though. We are reading 'Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet'. I'm only about 100 pages in, so I'll give the review next week. It is about the Japanese Internment camp stuff that happened here in Seattle.
4. So I lied a little bit earlier (stealing and lying all in one blog, man)I said I haven't watched the tv since I have been here...which is technically true. I have been watching a few shows on my computer though. I checked out Cupid...which has been cancelled, but I enjoyed. And Samantha Who? I've never watched it before...but it's like all the side characters from other shows I have loved...Suki from Gilmore Girls, one of the sisters from Related, and Barry Watson from the show What About Brian (you could also say 7th Heaven, though I never was into that show)...so I am enjoying Samantha Who?
5. What's my last point? I don't know...and I'm too lazy to think of something. Have a great weekend/week. Later....E
Friday, July 3, 2009
Happy 3rd of July
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....
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....
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