And by the way.....

Batter Blaster

2009-06-28T10:25:00.001-07:00

We got this as a promo with our last AmazonFresh.com order - Batter
Blaster! Not only can you spray premade pancake batter easily from a
can, but every ingrediant is organic, too!

Creighton had fun making mini pancakes, and I wrote our initials. :-)

The taste? Pretty good for coming out of a can, though I can't say I'd
ever buy this stuff on my own.

2009-06-26T16:33:00.001-07:00

Summer in Seattle makes everything feel just a little bit slower.

Hope At Last

2009-03-22T21:25:00.000-07:00

It's been a long, hard winter.

The sun is finally starting to come out, and a feeling of new beginnings has arrived. Oh, how we've been waiting a long time for this!

My container garden was looking pretty sad after getting blasted with snow, wind, and night after night of freezing temperatures. I went out there today to clean it up a bit, and look what I found!

Soon, this little ray of hope will look like this, again:

I can't wait for summer! We really earned it this time.

Snow Day!

2008-12-14T18:53:00.000-08:00

I've been pretty busy these days, but a blanket of snow and ice today put the brakes on any plans I had for rushing around to do Christmas shopping and running errands. Creighton and I had fun playing in the snow and walking up to the Junction for some food and people watching. We ended up getting a lot of Christmas shopping done there, but it never felt like a chore since we didn't have to step foot into a car. It really felt like one of those fun and light Christmas shopping movie scenes where everyone is smiling and saying hello while walking through the snow carrying their packages...

Here's Creighton enjoying the ice.

Isis enjoyed the snow today, too.

It's Stew Season

2008-11-09T20:57:00.000-08:00

Summer took a decidedly long time to show up this year, and we all complained about the dreary weather that was lingering well into June. Well, we finally got our payback - the most stunning fall I've ever seen. The city has been alive with rich hues of deep reds, warm oranges and bright yellows. Crisp air and actual sun made the season even better.

But, alas, the rain has finally come to Seattle, and I'm secretly happy it's here. I'm sure I'll sing a different tune in April, but I'm still able to appreciate the contrast of seasons at this point. With the emergence of the rainy season, I pulled out my spiffy new dutch oven and made a favorite stew recipe, with one new substitution. Even though this stew is based on Italian spices, I picked up some bok choy at the West Seattle farmer's market this morning when Creighton and I walked up to the Junction for Sunday lattes and light errands. I usually add celery, but thought that bok choy could add the needed greenery I was looking for. My new "fusion" dish (ha):

Tuscan Beef Stew

1 can condensed tomato soup
1 & 1/4 cup beef broth
1/2 cup water
2 lbs. beef for stew, cut into 1" pieces
1 can diced Italian style tomatoes
2 large carrots, cut into 1" pieces
1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium bok choy, roughly chopped
2 cans white kidney beans (cannellini), drained

Mix soup, broth, water, beef, tomatoes, carrots, seasoning and garlic in dutch oven, and cook on a low heat for around 2 hours. Stir in beans and bok choy, cook for an additional 10-15 minutes, until bok choy is tender.

(Note: "Italian seasoning" is a combination of marjoran, thyme, rosemary, savory, sage, oregano and basil for those that already have a good selection of this stuff in your pantry, and want to play around with the balance.)

While I'm on a culinary kick, I have to share a new subsitution I learned last week. I was making beans and cornbread for dinner (my favorite simple meal to make when Creighton's out of town since he's not a fan). It was late, I was hungry - it was then that I realized I didn't have any eggs to finish the cornbread mix. Shoot! A super quick internet search helped me realize that I could add two tablespoons cornstarch for the missing egg. I added the cornstarch with a pinch of sugar, and it worked perfectly!

Here it Comes!

2008-10-19T15:31:00.000-07:00

A trip to Target last week for Halloween supplies landed us in the pre-Christmas aisle. This picture is a week old, so there are even less days till Christmas! This is my favorite season of the year - beautiful fall weather with anticipation of the holidays. Love it!

Seattle Fall and Football

2008-10-19T14:06:00.000-07:00

Momix came through town this weekend, and Creighton and I decided to check out this year's show. Momix has toured a lot through the years, but I always enjoy seeing an evening of accessible modern dance that everyone can enjoy. Specifically, I think that Momix is the "illusionist" (prop-heavy, I say) company that develops good ideas for each dance. Many of the other companies (Diavolo, for example) tends to rely heavily on the prop itself, with each dance looking more like a workshop instead of a final product with a well-developed idea.

The concert was on the University of Washington campus, and we happened to stumble upon the homecoming rally before and after the Momix show.

For two people that only attended arts schools, Creighton and I were fascinated by the show of school spirit, enthusiastic band members, and even....cheerleaders. We walked through the nearby streets of fraternity and sorority houses with crunchy leaves on the sidewalk in the crisp, fall air. The UW campus is old and stately and has the feeling of a real-live, vibrant community. A community that didn't quite feel like KCAI or CalArts. We're both grateful for our unique experiences we had in college, but sometimes feel like we missed out on a classic experience that many others get to be a part of.

The best and most obscure muscle-pain reliever ever

2008-10-12T11:51:00.000-07:00

I was given a bottle of Ammeltz Yoko Yoko by a fellow dancer when I was a member of Los Angeles Choreographers and Dancers a couple of years ago. I was really sore from rehearsal, and she bought me a bottle of the stuff she normally uses.

I woke up with a really sore shoulder last week (no more greuling rehearsals for me, anymore), and remembered that I still had a bottle of this random stuff Kiyoko had given me in LA. I slathered some on my shoulder, and it started to work it's magic by heating up and soothing my super tight shoulder. What's great about this stuff is that it's a liquid with an easy pad applicator, so it's really easy to use. However, it has a REALLY strong scent, and Creighton was so affected by it that he had to go walk the dog just to get out of the house to get some relief. It doesn't bother me, but perhaps I'm just used to smells like Tiger Balm after a lifetime of dance related issues.
A quick internet search provides a few places to buy it online, but most are overseas. Apparently the smell bothered a few people since it looks like they are selling a "smell-less" formula.

Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Desmond Richardson

2008-10-10T19:52:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to see this guy in action when stage managing a ballet gala in Dallas a few years ago. Just beautiful.

Honey Mustard Chicken Breast with Panko Crust...Easy and Good

2008-10-06T22:32:00.000-07:00

Just like most people probably are, I'm always looking for a good chicken recipe. I've been a little intimidated by breading chicken, fearing it would come out soggy. Here's the recipe I tried tonight, and it came out pretty good! The breading was crispy, and the chicken wasn't dry at all. Here's the original link to the Kitchen Capades blog, where I found the original recipe.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

2 Tbsp melted butter
1/8 Cup Annie's Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 Cup Panko
1 Tbsp grated parmesan
1 Tbsp minced parsley
1/2 lemon
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

- To prepare the chicken, squeeze lemon over both chicken pieces. Mix together butter, vinaigrette and the garlic in one bowl, and Panko, parm and parsley in another bowl. Dredge chicken in butter mixture to fully coat both sides. Dip just the top side of chicken in the Panko mixture. Place chicken crumb-side up in a shallow baking dish and bake for about 25 minutes.

Since only the top of the chicken is breaded, the bottom doesn't get soggy, and the ratio of breading to meat is perfect.

My new digs

2008-10-02T21:50:00.000-07:00

After leaving a perfectly fine job in search of a better suited position for me during a time our economy decided to take a slow but deliberate down-turn, I finally found a spot to call home during the better part of my day. Phew! Meet my new digs:

OK - it's only an artist's rendering, but the Kent Events Center is still being built, and should be done in a couple of months. I'm the new event manager for the place. Here's a website with more information. A newer, better website is on the way, soon.

Here's what it looks like today:

You can follow the progress of the arena by clicking on this link. It's already in Wikipedia, too! I think this is going to be a lot of fun.

Seriously - how is she so good?

2008-09-25T16:13:00.000-07:00

Here's my horoscope from Risa D'Angeles for the week of Sept. 25 - Oct. 1:

LEO (July 21-Aug. 22): Everything will move faster than the speed of light. Should you be traveling, you will not move with the speed of light but with slow, precise movements toward your destination, which actually could be your destiny. Equipment, tools, computers, phones, even people will act as if they’re unable to function efficiently. As well as you can, tend to what’s broken. A group calls to you.

I've been reading her stuff since I lived in Ojai years ago, and I love her insight and ability to make just a little sense out of this crazy world. She's spooky-right with my life most of the time, too.

Reusable Bags - Start Now!

2008-09-25T10:26:00.000-07:00

I'm on the mailing list for ReusableBags.com, and just received a notification that they're offering free shipping over $50 through the end of September. I stumbled onto their website over a year and a half ago when I was researching what bags I wanted to buy to stop using plastic bags at the grocery store.

I ended up buying Chico Bags since they looked durable and they were really cheap, and so far they've held up well. They fold into a tiny pouch that fits into my purse. The pouch also has a small clip so I can clip a few more to the outside of my purse if I'm taking a few on a shopping trip.

In the year and a half that I've been using them, I'm most surprised at how useful they are for shopping trips other than to the grocery store. I use them when I go clothes shopping, to Target for odds and ends, etc. They've really come in handy, and I love the feeling that I get from knowing that I'm not contributing to the huuuuge waste using plastic bags creates.

To be fair, here's another website that sells reusable bags: Ecobags.com.

Seattle has recently been in political turmoil over the use of plastic bags. The city has imposed a 20 cent bag "tax" to discourage the use of them. Lots of people are against the tax, but since I moved here from California, where everyone pays a 5 cent recycle fee for each can or bottle consumed, I see the measure as fairly benign. Even if the measure ends up getting overturned, at least it got people to think about alternative options. It really is easy, and soooo much better for us all to use reusable bags.

RIP: Lindsay's Laptop

2008-09-25T09:28:00.000-07:00

Yep - it happened. The time in our lives that we all know will ultimately happen, but never think it will happen to us. My laptop is dead.

Of course I backup my stuff, right? Wrong. I always meant to. Really, I did. In fact, my computer started making random clicking noises last week (oh, tear - it was alive just last week!), and Creighton said, "Ooh! You need to backup your computer. My laptop started making that noise and died soon after!" So, it was on my "to-do" list to get done in the next day or two. Monday was busy. Tuesday was filled with a dentist appointment and other stuff, so I cleared my calendar to backup my computer on Wednesday. I was going to trouble-shoot some wi-fi issues we've been having with an external hard drive we have in the house. (We wanted to be able to store all of our data in one place - mainly so all of our pics are in one folder, easily accessible by both of us). Wednesday morning when I woke up - it happened. My internal hard drive wouldn't wake up.

I took my laptop to a local computer store, but I got the call yesterday saying they've been trying for two days to get the little drive to wake up, and it's not budging. At all. They even took it to another shop to try it on another machine. Nadda. Zilch.

Trying to make a mental note of everything I lost - pretty much everything created after 2005. Email addresses. Pictures - of me with students I used to teach, friends I've met along the way, my friends' children, old family photos, etc. Songs (I'd just cleaned off my nano to hold LESS songs since I had them on my computer. Doh!). Resumes. Spreadsheets that contain passwords to websites and lots of other info. Oh my lord - all of my MS Money information, which translates into HOURS of data entry to keep track of all of my spending. I was tracking loans, credit cards, tax receipts, etc.

I'm listing everything I lost as a reminder to everyone out there to backup your computer TODAY. They make really nifty flash drives that you can buy at Amazon.com (shameless plug) that can hold a LOT of stuff, and you don't have to worry about scratching a CD, dealing with confusing CD burning software, etc.

I think this is a good lesson in letting go. We all hold on to things as if we couldn't live without them. I'm sad that the pictures could've helped me remember some parts of my past (students I'll never see again, family photos of moments that have passed), but really - I'm going to be fine.

In fact, I'm already waiting for a nifty new replacement.

Meet my new computer. I've always been a fan of Dell, and I always try to combine colors from nature with technology. I don't think it's going to ship until next Monday, so I'm trying to be patient while I wait for my new life-tool. I can't wait to get started with the reconstruction process.

Diet tips from a normal 30-something

2008-09-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

People that know me are probably rolling their eyes when they read that I want to loose a few pounds, but what woman doesn't? No, I don't think I'm fat, but I see the potential of going downhill fast. It's much better to stay on top of things now than to do damage control later.

Whenever I see the cover of girly magazines, I'm always enticed by headlines on the covers that proclaim to have ground-breaking tips that will change my life. "10 must-see tips to save hundreds at the grocery store!" turn out to be the same, tired tips we always see: use a club card, cut coupons, yadda yadda. The same holds true for healthy-eating tips - eat more fruits and vegetables, drink more water, start eating breakfast....it's always the same. Well, I really don't think I'm that much smarter than everyone else, so I bet my tips sound like everyone else's, too. Here's what I think helps the healthy eating habit:

1. Buy smaller plates - while I absolutely love the new plates and bowls Creighton and I registered for our recent wedding, the plates are bigger than I've ever had before. I never really thought about it before, but I've had to get used to what a real portion looks like on them. I find myself wanting to put twice as much as we used to eat on our dinner plates.

2. "No sugar added" hot chocolate is a great treat - Whenever I get that undeniable craving for chocolate that just won't go away, I love having a cup of no sugar added hot chocolate. The drink only has 50 calories, 8 grams of sugar, and zero fat. A Hershey's chocolate bar has 13 grams of fat and 22 grams of sugar. 13 grams of fat! I've found that I'm just craving the taste of chocolate, and really don't need an entire chocolate bar to fuel the craving.

3. Know the nutritional value of what you're eating AND drinking everyday - Speaking of hot chocolate - when I said it's a good treat, I didn't mean to go to Starbucks and buy a bucket of it every morning with a huge pile of whipped cream on top. A grande hot chocolate made with milk and whipped cream on top has 16 grams of fat and 40 grams of sugar!!! That's almost my entire daily goal for recommended grams of sugar, and it's still breakfast! And I haven't eaten anything! With the advent of a wonderful tool called the internet, I can pull up the nutritional value for anything under the sun in a matter of seconds.

4. Don't eat fast food. Just don't. - If you start getting a hankering to head down to McDonalds, just head to the nutritional page first to get a look at what you're eating. Don't forget to add the fries and coke to your totals (and then look up that huge Starbucks latte you had this morning). I eat fast food less than once every two or three months. I'm not going to say the word "never" because I have a weakness for Wendy's. However, I try to get chicken when I'm there, and skip the fries (though, that's pretty hard, sometimes).

5. Don't drink sodas. Just don't. - I've been on a kick lately to add lemon to my water, and I also buy sparkling water to have with dinner. I find that I like the carbonation, but don't need the tablespoons of sugar with my meal. There are tons of new options these days, so you don't have to buy expensive Pellegrino in a glass bottle.

6. Actually measure out what you're eating at home - I don't think you have to do it all the time, but most of us look at the total calories of what we're eating, and assume we're eating "about" a normal portion. For just one week, actually use measuring cups to portion out what you're eating. You'll probably be really surprised. I know I was.

7. Always have "safe" snacks at the ready - We ALL get to that point when we're ready to graze the entire kitchen. For me, I tend to wait too late to start making dinner, and then I'm super hungry before dinner is ready. I need to have a few options of tiny bites laying around since I'm going to eat whatever is in front of me at that point. Pre-cut carrot sticks (cheaper if you cut them yourself, but people rarely actually do that), low sugar granola bar, coupla cheese and cracker bites, etc.

8. More about portions - It's so simple, but I'm sooooo bad about it. I'll grab the entire "one pounder" bag of corn chips and start munching before dinner. And. I. Don't. Stop. What I need to do is pull out a small bowl to hold a handful of chips....and put the huge bag away.

9. Tell yourself that you can always get more later - I love the way people pile their plates at a buffet. I think most of this comes from a territorial feeling - people (myself included) are afraid that others are going to eat everything, so we hoard what we can to protect the supply. Now, there's no need to do that at home, too. Fill your plate with half of what you'd normally eat, telling yourself you're going to go back for more, instead of filling it to the brim so you don't have to get out of your chair later. I bet you won't eat as much food as you thought you needed.

10. Experiment, experiment, experiment - Food is the problem. Nobody knows how to cook anymore, so they grab take-out more often than not. There are a LOT of products out there for the culinarily impared. While I think pre-packaged salad is going too far (come on - it takes three seconds to chop a head of lettuce.....), there are short cuts out there that are way more healthy than eating Pad Thai three nights a week. Our problem at home is that it's hard to keep veggies fresh since our schedules may conflict, or I just don't feel like cooking with whatever I bought at the beginning of the week. So, I like to buy frozen veggies. They have tons of veggie mixes that are so simple to heat up to round out a quick meal. Trader Joe's has a great mix of soy beans, bell peppers and corn that is crunchy and sweet. Grocery stores have smoked salmon now that's ready-to-eat right out of the package - great for Creighton on those nights I can't get home to cook. So, go to the grocery store and spend at least an hour going down every aisle to see what new inventions they have in the food industry. You'll probably find more than one item that could change how you eat at home (and eat healthier than you have been).

Here's a great resource for finding out what produce is fresh in your area, AND it includes recipes on what to do with the stuff.

The real reason why McCain/Palin even have a chance:

2008-09-15T14:59:00.000-07:00

It's because there must be millions of people in the U.S. that are just like this:

Too fat, too thin, or somewhere in the middle

2008-09-14T14:33:00.000-07:00

Every now and then I find the need to take a look at what I'm eating, and track the nutritional value. Yes, it's dorky, but it started with reading the label of a cup of flavored yogurt - there's a lot of sugar in there! It's been a little over a year since I last did this, and I basically wrote everything down in a notebook. Motivated by the fact that I have a few pounds that I'd like to shed these days, I decided to conduct a little internet search.

After finding a few good sites, I've decided to use EverydayHealth.com. This site has a great "journal" that allows me to find foods that are already in their database to automatically add the nutritional data to my daily log, and I can also add foods that don't show up on their list. The journal tracks a lot of info, such as sugar, sodium, fat, etc. I can also add activities I've completed that day and track the water that I've consumed per day. All of this data can be viewed in different reports to help track progress toward my goals.

While searching for healthy information today, I came across an interesting blog call Junkfood Science. The blog has an interesting argument that society's preconception about overweight individuals has created an un-substantiated shift toward the idea that thin is healthy. I personally think a lot of the blog's arguments are extreme in nature - eager to disprove popular thought. However, it's an interesting theory to mull over, especially since the Everyday Health BMI index showed me that I could gain 20 pounds and still be considered "healthy," even though I would probably be very depressed about my appearance if I truly did gain that much weight.

Perhaps we're just a little too hard on ourselves about what "healthy" really means in light of the constant media onslaught of stick-thin girls? It's an easy argument to fall back to (I hate blaming the media for everything), but it's a good example of how easily our culture can be affected. I'm definitely not succumbing to the idea that "big is beautiful" for my own aesthetic (I still want to loose about 10 pounds, or so), but I do think that it's a good idea for all of us to watch what we eat, exercise regularly, and chill out when getting too bummed about how we look in the mirror.

And he's cute, too

2008-09-10T16:08:00.000-07:00

Matt Damon on Palin, the "Trojan Moose":

Smelling the roses...last hurrah of summer

2008-09-06T22:46:00.000-07:00

Creighton and I have found ourselves taking more advantage of the warm(ish) days that we've had lately. I think it's because we know in the back of our minds that we're really lucky to have a few more days of tolerable weather before the....you know.....kicks in. You know.....the few months of "ahhhh - this is why we moved to Seattle" followed by "well, it sorta feels Christmas-y even if it is still raining" and finally, the long four months or so of "alright already!! I'm sooooooo deficient in vitamin D it's not even funny!"

So, last weekend we found ourselved at Seward Park and spent some Labor Day Weekend time enjoying the sights, sounds and sun on Lake Washington.

Today we found ourselves at Lincoln Park in West Seattle. While quietly watching the sun set, I felt that we were feeling the waning light of summer. Good bye tank tops, tan lines and long days.

Hello crisp air, comfort food and football.

Part of a Complete Breakfast

2008-09-02T11:52:00.000-07:00

Ok, maybe I shouldn't go so far as to say Lucky Charms is health food, but I happened to look at the nutrition facts section of various cereal boxes in my pantry this morning, and was actually shocked at what I found!

First, I have to preface this with the fact that Lucky Charms is only in our pantry because of Creighton. I'm totally blaming his secret (ok, not so secret, now) love of "sugary" cereals as a treat every now and then. Yes, I buy them because he likes them. But, yes, I eat them just as much as he does. However, I also buy Grape Nuts cereal, and I'm the only one that eats Grape Nuts with a banana every morning in an attempt at eating healthy.

Back to the Lucky Charms - turns out it has less sugar than Rainin Nut Bran, more zinc than Grape Nuts, and less sodium than both compared cereals. How weird is that? Here's a brief comparison of some of the figures (all are without milk):

Lucky Charms (3/4 cup serving size):
Calories - 110
Sodium - 190 mg
Dietary Fiber - 1 g
Sugars - 11g

Raisin Nut Bran (3/4 cup serving size):
Calories - 180
Sodium - 230 mg
Dietary Fiber - 5 g
Sugars - 14g

Grape Nuts (1/2 cup serving size):
Calories - 200
Sodium - 290 mg
Dietary Fiber - 7 g
Sugars - 4g

Now, I know that Grape Nuts has a lot more fiber and other nutrients that are good for you, but I'm just surprised that Lucky Charms is pretty much on par with Raisin Nut Bran with a lot of the stats on the box. I guess it's a good illustration that we may think we know the difference between "good" and "bad," but that if it comes in a box and is processed, most of it is going to be about the same in nutritional value.

I've already been on the lookout for high fructose corn syrup in regular food products (such as bread), but I know I really need to broaden my awareness.....

Classic Dance in Film....in the 80's?

2008-08-28T15:25:00.000-07:00

After posting a link to my pal's blog yesterday that focuses on dance in film, I ended up watching Girls Just Want to Have Fun last night on Fuse. Ha! It's kind of long, but here's a clip of the final "dance off" at the end of the movie. Spoiler alert: don't watch it if you don't want to find out how it ends....however, just know that there aren't any surprises in movies from the 80's.....

This brings me back to the last semester of composition that I had at CalArts (my pal from Move the Frame was in that class, too). We were lucky enough at the time to have the last year of composition taught by the dean of the dance school, Christyne Lawson. After years of super-artsy classes based heavily on exploration of new and unusual ways to find movement, a friend of hers stops by for a visit, so she asks him to teach a workshop with us. Her friend? None other than Kevin Carlisle, THE creator and choreographer for the Solid Gold Dancers! Yeah, even though every one in the class was an artsy-fartsy modern dancer, we all giggled like cheerleaders when we heard that not only was he coming, but that we were going to workshop with him! (Yes, I DO remember dressing up as a Solid Gold Dancer for Halloween when I was a kid).

He was really approachable, and had great stories to tell about yesteryear in dance/tvland, such as the first use of velcro as a quick-change costume gimmick during a big production "number" (they had some snafus) and the sultriness of Chita Rivera. He also told us how the dancers would come up with their own dance phrases for the show, and broke us up into groups to use the exact same techniques the original dancers did. I have to say that a highlight of my dance career is being able to say I choreographed with Kevin Carlisle and presented my group's creation to him. What a fun class that was....

Here's a clip from the first season of Solid Gold:

I haven't heard many people talk about it, but it's interesting that dance became so popular in the 80's - Footloose, Flashdance, Dirty Dancing, even Tap were all produced in the same decade. I wonder if there's some significance to the similarities to such cultural phenomenons between the 80's and this decade. There are so many dance shows on tv these days that I'm blown away by the popularity.

These days, my favorite show is actually America's Best Dance Crew. It's the only show where the kids themselves create their own movement, and I love where the show gathers inspiration. In a discussion about dance styles in film and television throughout the past 20 years, it's interesting to see today's kids interpret older dance styles into their own movement choices. This clip is pretty long, but has lots of great movement choices. The dance crew is called JabbaWockeeZ, and they won the first season. It's easy to see why:

Dancer in New York - Time to Help

2008-08-27T13:56:00.000-07:00

I just saw this posted on my pal's blog, Move the Frame, and want to spread the news. Since I've been dealing with my father's health issues all summer, I'm really aware of the need for health care reform. It's astounding to think about how many people are without health insurance in the U.S., and how their lives can change in an instant. Jillian Pena's story is tragic, and a classic case of what could happen to many of us. I'd like to pass on her story, as lifted from Move the Frame:

Please see this heartfelt email from Miguel Gutierrez about dancer/choreographer/video and performance artist Jillian Peña who sustained critical injuries after being hit by a car two weeks ago. The driver was unlicensed, and Jillian, like many of us in the dance community, does not have health insurance. She needs all of our support right now. Please consider giving a donation. Details below.

Hello

I hope this email finds you well.

I am writing you to ask you for your support for my dear friend Jillian Peña.

You may or may not know that Jillian, who is a dancer, choreographer and video artist, was hit by a car in New York 2 1/2 weeks ago in Brooklyn, NY. This article in the Post has some of the basic information about it: http://www.nypost.com/seven/08122008/news/regionalnews/promising_dancer_hit_by_auto_124057.htm

Since then she has been at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan. She was admitted with two hematomas in her head, underwent multiple surgeries, and is now progressively waking up from a coma.

Despite the gravity of the accident and the anxiety of the past few weeks, I believe that Jillian is definitely on the road to recovery. I have been inspired and heartened by the amount of improvement in her condition in just the past 3 days. Yesterday she was transferred from the Intensive Care Unit to the Rehabilitation floor of the hospital, which, in and of itself is cause for celebration.

For updates and info on her situation, you can go to friendsofjillian.blogspot.com

Unfortunately, as with so many artists and working people in this country, Jillian doesn't have health insurance. The medical costs will be staggering. In addition, her parents have re-located here indefinitely from their home in New Mexico, and it will be a huge expense for them as well to stay in NY during Jillian's rehabilitation.

A paypal account has been set up to receive financial donations to alleviate the financial hardship that Jillian and her family are experiencing at this time. Please consider making a donation on her behalf. ANY amount, any number of times that you can give it, will be invaluable for her and for her family. I know this is hardly a time when people have extra cash, but please know that this donation will provide immediate and much needed assistance. No donation is too small or too large.

To donate, go to paypal.com and sign up for an account (takes literally about 2-3 minutes) and then go to the "Send Money" tab and make the donation to:
donations4jillian@gmail.com

Again, please consider making a donation on behalf of Jillian and her family today. With help from as many people as possible, we can keep the focus on Jillian's recovery.

And of course, feel free to pass this email on to as many people as you like.

Thank you
Miguel

www.miguelgutierrez.org

Soggy Seattle - Silver Lining

2008-08-24T15:50:00.000-07:00

I found this video on Seattlest.com, a local blog that's a part of a world-wide network of blogs that keep me up to date on the odd, everyday and noteworthy in cities all over the world (Chicago, LA, San Fran, London, Shanghai, etc). Since I was complaining about the rain in my last blog, I thought I should share some of the wonder and beauty I get to enjoy in Seattle because of the soggy weather. This is just spectacular.

I love the idea that beauty found in nature is fleeting, so we must enjoy every moment as it passes.

video: "Rainbow timelapse sat_8-9-08" by harry.hastur

Trip to Texas (and Soggy in Seattle)

2008-08-23T09:52:00.000-07:00

Just got back from about a week in Texas to visit the family. First, I have to vent about the weather. After experiencing "June-uary" in Seattle and taking a trip to Alaska in July, I was REALLY looking forward to some good-old 100 degree weather days in Texas. Ahhhh - to feel so hot that I want to wear shorts and eat popsicles.....something I NEVER feel in Seattle. After a day or two of "mild" 90-degree days, it starts raining!! Everyone was sooooo happy that I brought my Seattle weather with me to Texas since they'd had nothing but 100 degree weather for weeks and weeks. What was it like in Seattle while I was chilly in Texas? Hot. Yep. Of course, it was raining a chilly by the time I got back home, so I'm apparently not supposed to feel the warm sun this year. Sigh. (Yes, I did go to Maui earlier this year - yes, it rained most of the time there, too).

Even though I was bummed by the weather, I did manage to have a great time. The first place dad and I went when I landed was a hole-in-the-wall barbecue place that had fried okra - my absolute favorite (I think fried squash might be on equal grounds, but you can never find that anywhere). Texas has lots of dead things on the wall in the restaurants. My dad was wondering why I took a picture of a dead animal on the wall, and I had to explain that you don't really find stuff like this in Seattle.

Dad and I took a trip out to Waxahachie (just south of Dallas) to see the ten acres of property he had plans to develop. Those plans have changed now because of his health issues, but I was glad to be able to see it while the sun was still shining. He's selling it if anyone is interested!

I had fun seeing what friends I could during my busy week. These gals are the best tap dancers in Dallas!

Cool moon over Downtown Dallas.

Mom and I spent a day antique shopping in Mineola and I was able to pick out a couple of great lunch boxes for my birthday gifts. (OK - lunch boxes aren't really antiques, but they've always been a weakness of mine....). Mineola is a sleepy town with lots of antique shops, friendly people and a great soup and sandwich place. Perfect for two gals to spend an afternoon!

Then mom made me lemon cupcakes for my birthday - my favorite! (Yes, this is the scene of a birthday celebration for a 31-year-old...not a 12-year-old - I swear!)

I was glad to find the time to squeeze in a trip to see Kris' new classroom and have lunch with a friend here and there, but most of my time this trip was spent with family. I learned a lot about dealing with Parkland as a public health system for outpatient and prescription services, and still think the people that work there are stellar human beings. Since Parkland is a learning environment, I loved being involved with a small group of nurses that came into our room to study the head nurses' movements, and chatting with a young doctor that wasn't burned out by years of being overworked. Everyone was respectful and helpful, and listened to both my father and I whenever we had a question, concern, or just needed a friendly face to chat with to ease the mood. Even though I was a little bummed about the weather, and wished I had more time to see more family and friends, I was grateful to be able to spend the time I had with my immediate family and catch up on the little things.

Seattle Cinerama

2008-08-04T13:08:00.000-07:00

I've always wanted to check out the Cinerama in Downtown Seattle, after somehow stumbling onto their website, and reading about the rarity (there are only two of it's kind!) and coolness of the technology housed in the theater. So, when I had the urge to check out The Dark Knight last week, we decided the Cinerama would be a great place to see such a movie.

There were throngs of people already lined up, even though we got there an hour early so that we could grab a bite to eat across the street before the show. Since there's only one showing, the space is huge. I enjoyed being a part of the huge crowd, since The Dark Knight feels more like an amusement ride than an actual movie. It was fun to laugh when the crowd laughed, and jump when they jumped (ok - I might have jumped way more than the average audience member....). Since I'm 5'11", the seats didn't leave much for legroom, nor were they super comfy. However, I do appreciate that a vintage theater will probably always have vintage seats.

We even got popcorn - something we usually pass on when going to the movies.

I really thought The Dark Knight was a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed seeing it on the big, curved screen at the Cinerama. I don't think I'd want to go there for an intimate indy flick, but it sure is fun for the rambunctious features.

Alaska Trip - Part 3 (Fin)

2008-07-30T10:09:00.000-07:00

First, Creighton put together a huge slide show complete with captions for a whole bunch of photos (249!). If you have a moment and want to see more of Alaska/Yukon/B.C., then you should definitely visit his site.

So, we had to get off the ferry in Prince Rupert at 4am. Though, we were technically in Alaska when we were on the boat, and Canada is in a different time zone. We lost an hour just by getting off the ferry because of the time difference, which meant it was 5am when we hit land. This was good, since we needed gas, and the closest gas station was just opening their doors when we rolled in at 6am.

Yep - it took an hour for us to get off the ferry, go through customs, and try to dry off in the terminal. It was pouring rain, so I decided to walk off the ferry with some of our stuff since we didn't have that much time to pack when we made it down to the motorcycle, and we weren't sure what the ramp would look like for driving the bike off. Our plan was to regroup as soon as we got up the ramp and out of the way before going through customs and getting on the road. What we didn't realize is that you have to go through customs as soon as you disembark. So, I went through the foot passenger customs building, waited in the pouring rain for a few minutes, then went back inside when I realized it was going to be a while. Creighton makes it through thirty minutes later, but his jeans have gotten soaked in the meantime.

We tried to dry off as much as possible before putting on our rain gear over soaked clothes, but the rain was really cold, and so we were shivering to the bone for the next couple of hours while we drive through some amazing scenery. Waterfalls of all sizes were everywhere, huge mountains jutting toward the sky draped with misty clouds. I kept expecting a unicorn to leap in front of us, or maybe Tom Cruise with long hair on a horse....

A couple of hours later, we finally stopped at a small town to get breakfast and found a laundromat to dry our clothes.

That night we ended up at a wonderful B&B on Burns Lake called Wulf's Inukshuk Gifts and B&B. Long name, but small and quaint property right on the lake. Audrea is an amazing gardener with beautiful peonies everywhere. The breakfast was amazing, and we were glad to have a good night's rest after such a long day.

The next day we stopped in Quesnel at the Billy Barker Days festival. We got a good taste of what a small, blue collar town in the middle of B.C. is like. Seems like everyone there works for the lumber mill.

We stayed in a really interesting B&B that night in Lac La Hache in the Cariboo Log Guest House. Even though it kind-of looked like a hotel (with only 6 rooms), this is a small family-run place. We were the only ones staying there, and she even offered to whip us up a "dutch pancake" if the restaurant next door was closed by the time we ran over there for dinner. I'm not sure what's in the water in Lac La Hache, but the greasy-spoon diner next door had the best pot roast and mashed potatoes ever, complete with bread pudding with a Chantilly sauce! Our breakfast the next morning was spectacular, too.

The landscape starts changing dramatically, and I'm curious as to why we saw so many brown trees. Are they drying out because of unusually warm weather? Is this normal?

We're making our way to Whistler, which means hours of the most twisty and windy roads we've seen the whole trip, with bursts of breathtaking views. If you expand this pic, you can see the road we took - a warm up for what was ahead.

See the railroad track? It's right next to the water!

We saw a lot of these signs....

The Four Seasons in Whistler. Not much I can say about it but ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. OK - so I didn't bring my Louis Vuitton luggage with me on this trip..... 1970's flower pillow cases are SO in style this season.

Energized by our stay in luxury, we decided that we didn't want the trip to end by sitting in traffic through the busy border crossing onto the busy 5 freeway. So, we took a ferry from Vancouver to Vancouver Island, and camped close to the ocean just outside of Victoria. B.C. ferries are WAY nicer than their American counterparts.

Camping on the island.

And another ferry ride the next morning, home to Washington.

Chatting with another motorcycle couple. They're on their way to explore the U.S. - from Montreal.

Thinking about the trip we just experienced.

Alaska Trip - Part 2

2008-07-28T12:01:00.001-07:00

So, last I blogged we were driving to Skagway through a spectacular mountain pass. We went through a border crossing, and ended up in town with enough time to wander around until dinner. We stayed in an efficiency-type apartment a couple has built in the back yard of their property just a short 5-minute walk from town, called the Granny Flat. This was a great deal, since it was the same cost as staying in a motel in town, but we got our own fully equipped kitchen, claw foot tub, tv with cable (something we hadn't seen in a few days), and a murphy bed that folded down at night.

I really felt like Skagway was a Disneyland version of an Alaskan town - sure, it had a great sense of history, but the main drag was filled with trinket shops, and was overflowing with cruise-ship crowds. Luckily, they all have curfews, so the town went dead at 8pm, in time for us to find a nice pizza place for dinner that was virtually empty. We got up the next morning, and headed to line up for our 2 and a half day ferry trip through the Inner Passage.

I have to admit that I started to worry about getting stir crazy after we'd been on the boat for a few hours, but I finally settled into the leisurely pace of our ferry, the MS Matanuska, and found myself finally relaxing for the the first time in a long time. We'd brought a tent because we'd read online about people setting up tents on the deck - in fact, the pictures we'd seen looked like there would be a race for finding space with all of the other tents. On our sailing, there wasn't anyone else with a tent, and we decided to sleep in the recliner chairs under the solarium, since the wind was really strong at times, and the solarium had really warm heat lamps.

We found ourselves reading magazines, chatting with fellow travelers and really looking forward to the periodic lectures given by the on board naturalist. They also had movies showing, but we were always so entranced by the surrounding land and seascapes unfolding in front of us, that we never wanted to be indoors for long. The lower decks were almost like a different world - our solarium was quiet, had few people, and the ones that were up there were adventurous types.

We thought we would be able to check out Juneau, Haines, and Petersburg, but the Alaska Ferry terminal was too far from the center of town for us to hop off the boat and get back on in time. I didn't feel like I missed anything, however, since we still got to see a lot from the boat, and were able to stop in Wrangell and Ketchikan.

Here's a glacier we were able to spot from the ferry:

The cafeteria served warm food, and had a pretty good selection if you include the basic offerings (burgers, chicken strips) with the specials for both lunch and dinner. We ended up scheduling our days to be there right when it opened for lunch and dinner to avoid lines, and to have the best choice since they ran out of things regularly. The food was ok - nothing to write home about, but it was nice to have a warm meal. We were also able to grab fruit for breakfast, and hot chocolate to warm up before going to bed.

Here's a picture of the turkey dinner - pretty bland, but tasted alright. The beer was Creighton's way of wishful thinking. There is a bar area on board, but we never made it in there....

We were in Wrangell for just under an hour, but long enough for a morning walk around the tiny town.

Our stop in Ketchikan was for a full 5 hours, so this was our longest stop. It's two miles to the city center, and while there's an easy bus to catch, it was stuffed with ferry passengers that just disembarked with us, so we decided we needed the walk, anyway. Ketchikan is known for being rainy, and it poured most of the time we were there. Another cruise ship stop like Skagway, there are tons of touristy-shops, but lots of neat history if you veer off the main drag. We found a tiny Chinese restaurant for dinner, and walked around a LOT.

Like I mentioned before, there were a lot of interesting people on the ferry, and we had a great time. If you want to see the Inner Passage without getting on a huuuge cruise ship, this is the way to go. We never got to see what the rooms looked like down below that you can rent, but there was a tour group of older ladies (older meaning over 70), and they all seemed to be pretty comfy the whole time - even playing Skip-Bo in the the cafeteria! (I remember playing Skip-Bo with my grandmother when I was a kid). There were families with kids, older vacationers and travelers of all types. We met people with U-Haul trucks on board using the ferry to move south, people with huge RV's, regular sedans, and even hitchhiking German boy scouts.

As for wildlife, we saw tons of birds (bald eagles, for one), we might've seen a whale at one point, but definitely saw a lot of Dall's porpoises, which look like mini orcas. Finally, it was time for us to get back in the saddle at Prince Rupert at 4:00am in the morning, in the cold and pouring rain. More on that next time.

Alaska Trip - Part 1 (of about 3)

2008-07-25T12:55:00.000-07:00

We're back! Creighton and I are finally home after a week and a half on a motorcycle, driving down from Anchorage to Seattle. We had no idea what to expect, and really didn't plan that much - we wanted to let the universe tell us where to go. Well, the universe was kind, and we were blessed to have a spectacular time around every corner.

Of course, the landscape was stunning. The scenery was beautiful. However, what will stay with us forever are the great memories of everyone we met along the way. We fell in love with practically everyone we met, and they each had a great story with a wonderful vibe. Everyone was friendly and open, and loved life, and loved living where they were.

I think I'll try to break the trip up into three parts:
1. Alaska and Yukon
2. Ferry through the Inner Passage
3. B.C. to home

We have TONS of pictures, and will eventually put together a tiny slide show. For now, I'll try to post a few pics to give an idea of the great places we stayed.

We landed in Anchorage, and picked up the bike at a Suzuki dealer/mechanics shop. Scott and Christina drove the bike up from Seattle, and we all had it serviced before Creighton and I started our own adventure.

I think the best view we had of a glacier was on this first stretch of road between Anchorage and Glennallen (well, maybe we had better views when we were on the ferry).

We stayed at Grizzly Lake our first night. Besides the owners and one other camper in another part of the grounds, we were totally alone. Ahhhhhh. The "RV park and campgrounds" at Grizzly Lake were very rustic -we could hear the generator needed to run power - but the bathrooms and showers were extremely clean, as were the cute cabins right on the water. They offered fire pits for each cabin, but Creighton and I were too pooped to enjoy a fire. Plus - it doesn't get that dark at night this time of year, so there wasn't a real need, either. They had a few horses, and cute dog, too.

Here's Creighton enjoying the view from our cabin.

The roads to Tok were filled with long stretches of construction. The gal in the truck next to us gave us brownies while we were waiting for the pilot truck to lead us through one of the construction zones. A nice treat while waiting in the warm sun!

Close to the Canadian border, we ran into a couple from Japan that are riding their bikes from Fairbanks to South America. We continuously met wonderful people that were on inspiring journeys of their own. We gave them our contact information - I wonder how long it'll take for them to make it to Seattle, and where we will be in our own lives when they finally make it here?

The next place we stayed was on Kluane Lake, in Yukon, Canada. We stopped for dinner in Destruction Bay, and was surprised to see how crowded it was (the food wasn't that great, either). We decided to trudge on to see what lay ahead, and we found this super cool place called Kluane Base Camp. (I didn't know they had a website until just now!) The owners are from Lyon, France, and just come to Yukon in the spring and summer to run the camp. They use solar power, and offer breakfast in the morning. The bathrooms were super clean, and the camp even had a kitchen area with tables and chairs to lounge in with a gorgeous view of the surrounding mountains. Just like the night before, we were the only ones using the cabins. There was one other couple camping in a tent, but the rest of the campgrounds were completely empty.

Here's our view from the porch.

Pretty cozy room, even though there were uber-cute teddy bears and grizzly pictures all over the place. Ha.

Well rested and fed, we're off for another day on the road.

The best stretch of road we encountered on the whole trip was the mountain pass through to Skagway from Whitehorse. We both thought the land felt prehistoric in a way - giant rocks jutting out of the ground, large patches of snow, misty waterfalls, pools of water of all sizes, and mountains coming and going in all different ways. Phew! It all started with this beautiful lake that looked like it should be in the Caribbean with the deep sky blue water.

It was one of those places that was impossible to get on film, but we tried. Just a few yards down the road was the "Welcome to Alaska" sign that our picture from my last entry was taken.

Just a few more miles, and we made it to Skagway, the start of our ferry adventure. I'll share our stay in Skagway with the next section.

On Holiday

2008-07-20T23:42:00.000-07:00

Gone to Alaska. Be home soon. :-)

And MORE Waffles

2008-07-10T08:53:00.000-07:00

I told myself I would stop blogging about food so much, but I have to share my latest waffle experiments. I wanted to make waffles on Sunday, but find it hard to keep buttermilk just lying around ready to go whenever the mood strikes me for waffles. So, I searched the net for a good, simple recipe (who reads books anymore? Ha...). We like this recipe the best, so far. I'd passed over it in the past since the vegetable oil listed kinda grossed me out, but these are super light inside, and crispy outside. I'd like to modify the recipe a bit to sub some butter for the oil, but we'll see what happens with that....

I got the recipe off of Allrecipes (located in Seattle - this town really is the center of the Universe!), and I love the added feature of being able to change the servings to automatically calculate the new ingredient amounts. Here's the direct link.

INGREDIENTS

2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

Preheat waffle iron. Beat eggs in large bowl with hand beater until fluffy. Beat in flour, milk, vegetable oil, sugar, baking powder, salt and vanilla, just until smooth. (Actually, I only added the egg yolks, beat the egg whites separately and folded them in last).
Spray preheated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Pour mix onto hot waffle iron. Cook until golden brown. Serve hot. Makes 6 servings.

You wanna know the BEST part? Well, I decided to make the whole batch, since sometimes a "serving" can mean different things to different people. It made so many waffles that I decided to freeze the leftovers, kinda unsure if they would really taste as good, like everyone says. I just heated a half of one up yesterday, and it was super tasty!

Parkland Hospital in Dallas - A Real Gem

2008-06-26T12:13:00.000-07:00

My dad just got home from a two and a half week stay at Parkland Hospital. Turns out he had (and is still getting over) an MRSA staph infection on his leg - it was so serious it required surgery, and was under a light quarantine. That's my way of saying that no other patients could stay in the room with him, and all visitors had to wear funny gowns and caps.

With the health care system the way that it is in the U.S. (don't get me started......), the fact that hospitals like Parkland can still exist is outstanding. They're a public hospital, which means nobody is turned away - the staff just treats the sick. Bottom line. Their trauma center is world-class - it's where JFK was rushed after he was shot in the motorcade while driving past that grassy knoll.

My dad left the hospital with a much deeper respect for nurses, and has plans to make them a big batch of banana pudding the minute he's able to cook again. :-) I'm thankful for the help Parkland gave our family, and want to encourage everyone to give to their local public hospitals as often as they can. Many areas don't have a public hospital, so here's a link to the Parkland Foundation - it's SUCH a worthwhile organization.

Easter M&M's

2008-06-24T13:22:00.000-07:00

Easter M&M's - that's what our heads are going to look like on the road. See?

I like the fact that we will be really visible on the road. I'm thinking about getting the super stealth visor to shield the sun like Creighton has (that is Creighton in there), but I'm afraid the darker visor might make me sleepy after a few hours on the road. Unlike a road trip in a car, I won't be able to curl up in the passenger seat of the motorcycle with a pillow and take a nap.

Finding the perfect fitting helmet was a pain, but totally worth it. I shoved my head into so many helmets, my ears were red by the time we showed up to the last place where I finally bought this blue helmet. The sales guy could tell I'd been trying on helmets all day.... I did learn that I have an almost perfectly round head, which is "unusual" according to the helmet sales guy. Ha.

We're going to Alaska!

2008-06-20T08:45:00.000-07:00

First of all - good job, Department of State! I wanted to get a new passport with my new married name on it eventually, but was suddenly in a rush when we decided to go on a trip that will take us through Canada. Seriously - I went into the local neighborhood center to apply for a new passport last Monday, and it showed up in the mail yesterday. It only took 10 days for regular processing! It makes me think that either the DOS is really on top of their game, or sadly - fewer and fewer US citizens are traveling internationally. (Although, it's not like Canada is really international - ha). I was impressed to hear that you can track your passport progress online. However, it still needs some work. I still get a message saying that they are unable to find my application....

So, I think you can pass through the Canadian border if you have a birth certificate and are driving (I'm not sure about flying, anymore, since they just changed the rules across the board). However, I really like to make things as easy as possible, so I wanted to be on the safe side and have my passport with me.

Why are we going to Canada? Because we're riding a motorcycle from Anchorage back to Seattle! Creighton's really excited about it, and tells the whole story. I'm super excited, too. We think it'll take around 10 days, with 2 days spent on a ferry going through the Inner Passage. We're leaving in just under a month, and there's still a lot of planning left to do.

I just think it's cool that we're going to both the 49th and 50th states in the same year.

On Friends and Lasagna

2008-06-19T15:48:00.000-07:00

My friend Jessica is in town this week working with the dance department at University of Washington which is perfect timing since I have a little bit more time on my hands, these days! (Look! She's even in Wikipedia! Scroll down to the "continuing influence" section. I think that's so cool). We met at Pike Place Market (easy to find for an "out-of-towner") and walked around a bit before getting on the water taxi back to West Seattle. I bought some GREAT cherries and a small loaf of bread to eat with dinner. Here's us at the market:

We made lasagna and garlic bread when we got back to the house, and I think I finally got a good mix of ingredients for the mushroom and spinach lasagna I've been making for years and years. I just modify the recipe on the back of the box of Barilla Lasagna Noodles:

6 uncooked Barilla lasagna noodles
1 egg
1/2 of a 15 oz. container of ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (and a little extra for the top)
1 package crimini mushrooms
1 bunch of fresh spinach (a little under 1/2 lb, I think...)
1 splash balsamic vinegar (about a tablespoon, perhaps)
1 jar marinara souce (I like tomato and basil for this)
1 tablespoon basil

Use a 8 x 8 pan, about 2 inches deep. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray baking pan with non-stick cooking spray (I don't think I actually use non-stick spray for this all the time.)

Slice the mushrooms. I use only the caps, and cut off the stems. Roughly cut up the spinach and cook mushrooms and spinach with a splash or two of balsamic vinegar until reduced. It's taken me a while to get the perfect combination of vinegar, mushrooms and spinach for the dish. I used frozen spinach for the longest time, and have found that fresh spinach is waaaay better.

In medium bowl, beat egg slightly. Stir in ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella and all of the Parmesan.

Spoon about one quarter of the jar of sauce on the bottom of the pan. Layer with 2 sheets of lasagna noodles, half the ricotta mixture and half the mushroom and spinach mixture. Add one quarter of the jar of sauce, then 1/2 cup of mozzarella. Layer with two sheets, remaining ricotta mixture and veggies, and another quarter of jar of sauce. Top with two remaining sheets, remaining sauce and rest of mozzarella (about 1/2 cup). Then add a little extra Parmesan and about a tablespoon of basil on the top.

Spray foil with non-stick spray before covering to bake (I've taken the whole top layer off with the foil, before I started spraying the foil first). Bake for 50-60 minutes, until bubbly. Cook uncovered until top cheese is melted (if necessary) for an additional 5 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.

This makes nine pieces of lasagna, and most girls eat about 2 pieces, and hungry boys eat 3 pieces. :-) (OK - sometimes hungry girls will put back three pieces, too.....)

This is the perfect thing to make for company since assembling the dish is easy, and you can visit with guests while it's cooking. Since it's a vegetarian dish, you don't have to worry about making people happy that don't eat meat, and meat-eaters don't miss anything since the mushrooms give more texture. :-)

Sun = Seattle Fun (Water Taxi and Ballard Locks)

2008-06-18T09:55:00.000-07:00

Even though it's 52 degrees right now, I'm feeling a bit more optimistic since the past few days have been sunny - and yes - even a little warm. Sunday Creighton and I took the Elliot Bay Water Taxi over to downtown to meet an old college pal of mine at the Crumpet Shop in Pike Place Market. I love tea, and this place is awesome for a tea lover! It has a bottomless cup option so you can keep refilling your cup while you chat, and the crumpets were amazing. The weather was so awesome that we ended up walking down to the Olympic Sculpture Park to sit and enjoy the spectacular water views while basking in the sunlight. I didn't get sunburned, but my cheeks were pink - which means we got actual, bona-fide sun!

Look at the tiny boat that decided to be friends with the water taxi:

We were surprised to find the dock lined with bird houses. That beach is a place where divers go into the COLD Seattle water....really close to the water taxi dock....not a place I'd ever like to be under the water.

Creighton enjoying the sunny day:

I took my friend Beth shopping for some new essentials for her killer new apartment downtown (it has a great view of the water!), and we swung by the Ballard Locks since the sun decided to peek out for a while. The fish ladders weren't packed, but we got to see a few fish, and even a few baby fish (awwwww).

The locks weren't too busy, either, but we were laughing at the difference in sizes of boats. Here's a really big one:

But then right behind it was a really little one (no - not the sailboat...the TINY boat in front of it.) He left on his own right behind the huge tugboat in the picture above.

Sushi restaurant - brilliant!

2008-06-08T00:01:00.000-07:00

Oh, Blue C Sushi, how I love you so very much! Your concept is so simple, yet so brilliant!

Blue C Sushi is a restaurant in Seattle (ok - two restaurants - one in Freemont, and one in U Village) that not only serves great sushi, it serves it on a conveyor belt. How great is that?! Each little plate is color coded for price, and once these plates are loaded with food (two pieces of nigiri, 4 pieces of a sushi roll, generally), they are placed on a belt that passes by the collection of booths and bar seats in the whole restaurant. They also offer little salads, desserts, and even hot foods, such as noodles and tempura - all in little portions that allow for us to graze our way through the menu.

The best part is that even after going through all of the plates you see in the pic above, we still ended up paying less that if we'd gone to a "regular" sushi place and orders a couple of rolls and a few orders of nigiri. I really wish there was a Blue C Sushi in West Seattle. It takes a lot for us to leave our neighborhood on the weekend, but our lunch today was totally worth the trip to the U Village.

According to the website, there are tons of these conveyor-type sushi restaurants in Japan. I wonder why there aren't more of these here in the States? I could see this concept working as a tapas style restaurant. I'd love to go to a restaurant that offered tiny portions of all of their best dishes. Is this already out there, too? There should be one of these on every corner!

Baked Salmon, Blogged Recipes

2008-05-28T14:45:00.000-07:00

As more and more people start blogging, I'm happily surprised at the amount of people that are blogging about food. I love food so much, I could talk about it all the time. I like to read menus for fun, window shop at pastry counters, and plan every vacation around what our meal situation looks like. When I'm trying to decide what to make for dinner, my love for food usually makes me pretty indecisive since I love all food so much! Google makes searching so easy, so lately I've been typing in the main ingredients I want to cook with to see what pops up. More often than not, I'm starting to get recipes from blogs at the top of my searches. How cool is that? I love the personality behind food, and everyone has their own take on how they cook their own personal food.

Last night, for example, I stopped by the Seattle Fish Company on my way home to pick up some fresh salmon for dinner. So, I knew I wanted to bake salmon (I have a new grill pan I'm dying to use, but still afraid of grilling salmon without a good sauce to go with it) with some asparagus I already had in the fridge. What did I find with my search? A nifty foil baked salmon recipe from A Pot of Tea and a Biscuit. The blogger lives in the UK, but is really from Germany. After a quick Celsius to Fahrenheit conversion, I was able to try the recipe posted by someone thousands of miles away.She has lots of great and unusual recipes I'd like to try - Creighton seemed especially interested in the Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Guinness Cake.....me too! :-)

Phone Pics - High Gas Prices and Other Stuff

2008-05-27T14:22:00.000-07:00

It seems that everyday we meet a new record with oil prices per barrel, and gas prices at the pump. It's not really new news, anymore. However, I happened to be getting gas at the Union 76 station at Fauntleroy and Alaska about a week ago when the attendant across the street was changing the price for premium to over $4 for the first time EVER. These pictures are a little blurry, but I just had to share:

I only had my cell phone with me, which is why it's so grainy. In any case, I finally decided that driving across the bridge to Bellevue everyday has got to stop. I'm looking forward to exploring my new career options in an area within bus range from West Seattle.

Perhaps I could even take the water taxi! We took the water taxi across the water a couple of weekends ago when a friend was in town, and I took this pic with my phone:

Apparently animals of all shapes and sizes enjoy the view of Seattle's skyline on our way back to West Seattle. I love the idea of taking time to enjoy the views Seattle has to offer every morning on the way to work.

Feathers

2008-05-25T15:07:00.000-07:00

So, I mentioned that we've been feathering the nest around the house. Here are some pics of my handiwork last weekend:

I also mentioned that Creighton was installing can lights today in our living room. Happiness is hardware and power tools:

Gotta love blow insulation!

And now - time for waffles

2008-05-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

One of the cool wedding gifts we got last month (OK - they were all cool) was a waffle maker from Dan and Nicole. Though, I'm sure Nicole picked it out - girls are always much better at this stuff than boys. :-) Since we've been back from the whirlwind of wedding/honeymoon, both Creighton and I have been doing some serious nesting around the house. Creighton's been working on the fence, and is working on installing some can lights as I type this. I've been painting various rooms in the house, planted a container garden on our patio, and my latest interest has been trying to find the perfect waffle recipe. Since I don't want to gain a million pounds in the process, I've been going at about one waffle recipe a week, and just made my third batch this morning.

I don't know if it was beginner's luck, but to date we still think my first try is our favorite. I adapted a recipe that I found on Nook & Pantry's blog:

Buttermilk Waffles
Adapted from Cook's Illustrated makes 4 - 6 depending on the size of your iron
1 C AP flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sugar
1 egg separated
1 C buttermilk
2 Tbsp butter, melted

Preheat your waffle iron. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. In another mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolk with buttermilk and melted butter until combined. Beat the egg white to soft peaks. Fold in the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients. Then add the egg whites and gently fold them into the batter.

My second try was to follow Nook and Pantry's recipe exactly (I bought some cornmeal, finally), and they were super-chewy...not as fluffy as without the cornmeal. My third try today was alright - I finally got all of the nuances of my waffle iron down to make good looking waffles, but the consistency of the recipe I tried was more like pancakes instead of fluffy waffles. I added a hint of cinnamon and vanilla which I liked, but both my test kitchen (Creighton) and I feel like the first try is still the best.

In other kitchen news......we also were given a set of really cool knives from Crate and Barrel, and Creighton had fun making salsa for a Cinco de Mayo dinner we had at a friend's house. I made chicken enchiladas, and we both made a huge mess since we had to hurry after work to get everything together.

Apparently we have a reputation for making good Tex-Mex since we're both from Texas. I guess I never even realized how much of it we eat. My default meal has always been a quesadilla, and I often make burritos for Creighton, and nachos for me. When I was in college I used to fry my own tostadas and make a huge salad on top. I've only found one restaurant in Seattle so far that makes acceptable salsa - Cactus on Alki. It's not Tex Mex, and it's pretty loud during peak times, but I think my friend Beth and I went through two bowls of the stuff before our dinners arrived. Most other places serve a version of pecante sauce that's soupy and hot with little actual flavor.

Married!

2008-05-11T23:59:00.000-07:00

Yes...Dan's complained. Creighton's complained. OK, OK! It's not like I haven't been a little busy for the past few months....planning a wedding is a lot of work! We got married at Arlington Hall at Lee Park in Dallas, and the day was perfect. I'll let a few pics tell the story:

Then there was our honeymoon in Maui....

After all that, we're back in West Seattle and busy working on our house now that we have the time. Creighton's blog has more info on our recent progress.

25 days and counting.....and "Caught" by Parsons

2008-03-11T22:20:00.000-07:00

25 days until the wedding - ack! I haven't wanted to turn into one of those whiny brides who blogs about nothing but wedding planning for three months straight, so I chose not to blog at all. It's not like I had much time since I've been so busy. Doing what? I couldn't tell you. But I can tell you that we have a florist. And a caterer. And I think I finally found chairs for the ceremony. And.........

Anyway, 25 days until the wedding means 26 days until we go to Maui! Yay! I've never been to Hawaii and have always wanted to go. Always. I can't wait until we're drinking cool fruity drinks on the beach as the sun goes down...Oh, to see the sun again.....We're going to be there for a full 7 nights, and we're open to any suggestions for how to fill our time. Anyone have any insider tips?

In the meantime, I randomly searched for my favorite dance piece on youtube tonight. I've never found a version of it online before, but alas! There's one now!

This is Caught, by David Parsons. It really makes much more sense in person, but video allows the viewer to see much more detail. Plus, this version has a few little variances that I haven't seen before.
Enjoy!

Model-T's and Broadband

2008-02-15T09:43:00.000-08:00

Man, I love the internet. I'm sitting in our kitchen working on a bunch of stuff while listening to my favorite program on my favorite radio station - Morning Becomes Eclectic on KCRW. I'm not sure why every city can't seem to find a brilliant musical mind like Nic Harcourt, but LA wouldn't be the same without his dark, smooth voice introducing hip original music from all over the world.

With the wonderful advent of broadband, however, I can sit in my kitchen in Seattle listening to the same radio broadcast as if I were in my car on the 101 sitting in traffic under a brownish/orange sky. I know this isn't a new thought, but I'm always amazed at how I can move mountains with this little laptop of mine.

I've started using Amazon Fresh to order my groceries. Even though I love to spend hours perusing the grocery store while dreaming about all the fun stuff I could make if only I was a better cook, I've also been incredibly busy lately. Now, I can search my cabinets while clicking on what foods I need, and the next morning my order is on my doorstep! I love the service, and really don't miss perusing grocery store aisles that much. The only thing I would love is an email circular with weekly specials and recipe ideas. I'm such a sucker for a good coupon.

There was a report on the news the other day about a man that died recently. He was really old, and they showed pictures of him with his first car, a Model-T. Creighton and I talked about how amazing it must be to live in a time when the world is changing so much. Well, to be honest, I think the world has changed immensely since I was a kid dialing my friends up using a rotary phone. (OK - we didn't have one in my house, but some of my friends still used one!) Polaroid pictures were amazing because you could see the image almost instantly.

I know I'm fairly young, and there are a lot of people on this planet that have seen a LOT more change than I have. I just think it's good to appreciate how close technology is bringing the world to my fingertips.

Ama Ama....good times

2008-02-12T15:50:00.000-08:00

Things have been crazy, lately. Organizing a career change, selling a house, planning a wedding and working full time in the middle of it - there's no rest for the weary! I really think the lack of sun and chilly damp weather is getting to me, too. So, when Creighton suggested that we meet for a couple of drinks on our way home from work, I thought it was a great idea. Man, did we need a drink.

He'd suggested Shadowland since I drive by it everyday on my way home from work, and I'd often said that I'd like to check it out. When we walked in, however, the place smelled like a strange combination of fish and cleaner. Soooooo we decided to walk down the street and find another place. We stumbled into Ama Ama, thinking it was going to be a little snooty, but "good enough" for just one drink. Boy were we wrong.

Maybe it was because we were so desperate for a good time. Maybe it was because our drinks were super strong. For whatever reason, we absolutely loved it! The decor was kitchy - 60's tiki style. We watched Elvis Presley in Hawaii on tvs behind the bar, and ordered a couple of appetizers. The shrimp skewer was super small for the price, but really good! They were grilled perfectly, and the surprise of mashed sweet potato underneath was smooth and a great compliment. We followed up with the flat iron sliders, and they were great, too. The rolls were from a French bakery across the street - Bakery Nouveau. I love the idea of using neighborhood resources - especially when they're known for being so good!

On our way out, we decided to check out the rest of the space. Our favorite was the "boom boom room." It had an African safari theme. Creighton took a pic:

What I really liked about Ama Ama is that it has a theme, but it doesn't try too hard to be cool. The design is definitely tiki, but slightly understated. The music was at the perfect level for chatting. The lighting was dim, but not so much that we couldn't see each other. I felt like we were on a vacation from Seattle! Oh, to dream of warm, sandy beaches with cool fruity drinks...

One good thing from the 80's

2008-01-23T14:13:00.000-08:00

Mornings have been spectacular here in the Northwest. Just when I was ready to throw in the towel and finally become a grumpy Seattleite the sun started shining. With the cold air and snowy mountains in the distance, I've had trouble watching the road while driving to work in the morning. The rich hues of amber with hints of red bouncing off the snowy mountain ranges surrounding the area. The deep blues of sky. The full moon hanging on while the sun rises. The West Seattle Blog has a couple of good pics of the moon and sun saying hello at the same time.

This had me thinking...(traffic gets really slow in the morning, which leads to random thoughts): I wonder if this ruins the idea that LadyHawk and Rutger Hauer could never touch after years and years of being slave to the curse that was brought forth upon them? I can't remember - was it dependent on the sun and moon? Wasn't the apex of the film because of a rare event when the sun and moon were together in the sky at the same time? Does this mean that somewhere, right now, a curse is being lifted for two lovers? I haven't seen LadyHawk in a while, but I remember loving it (well, maybe not the soundtrack....).

Tuna Noodle Casserole - A Classic

2008-01-18T14:16:00.000-08:00

Last night was a big moment in the kitchen - I finally have a tuna noodle casserole in my repertoire! I've made them from scratch in the past, but sometimes the easy way is actually better. The ingredients scared me a little (um....mayo? ewww....), but this was a success! Here's what I did:

1/2 package cooked egg noodles
3/4 cup cheddar + extra for the top (actually, I used a cheddar/jack for the mix and sharp cheddar for the top)
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup minced onions
two handfuls frozen peas and carrots
spoonful of mayo
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 6-oz can tuna
handful of breadcrumbs

Mix soup, milk and cheese in a saucepan and cook over a low heat until warm and melt-y. In a separate bowl, mix together tuna, onions and mayo (eww). Add cooked noodles, peas and carrots, tuna mixture and soup mixture to a 9 X 9 casserole dish and mix well. Top with extra cheese and a handful or so of breadcrumbs. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes or so. (I think the oven temp could come down a little).

This is especially good if you follow the meal with toasting marshmallows in the fireplace. Creighton and I both made excellent dessert cooks over the fire!

Man, I need to get back to dance class.....

Seattle role model - she's a Dallasite, too!

2008-01-17T13:08:00.000-08:00

A friend forwarded Fortune Magazine's article about Melinda Gates to me yesterday. I really didn't know that much about her, besides the fact that she is half the namesake of a Seattle-based organization that I truly respect and would absolutely love to work for -the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. I had no idea that she grew up in Dallas, or that she has such an impressive educational background. To augment the story, such notable figures as Bono and Bill Clinton were quoted with wonderful praises about the Gates family. Who knew that they were so in touch with the "in" crowd! I really can't imagine Bono hanging out in Bill Gates' kitchen - ha!

Melinda obviously got to where she is by being an incredibly driven person. What an inspiration it is to read about a person's hard work paying off, and better yet, to read about the hard work this person is continuing to do with the money she's come into. It makes me laugh at my own challenges in life to pick up groceries and get chores done around the house. I should be doing so much more! Affecting change in the world!

Beating the Seattle Winter Slump

2008-01-15T22:50:00.000-08:00

My first Seattle winter is finally getting to me. Everyone kept talking about the Seattle rain, which made me think it wasn't going to be a big deal. I love gray days while curling up with a cozy mug of tea in a warm sweater. Mmm. Nobody told me, however, that the sun disappears for two months! I get a tiny bit of Vitamin D during my sleepy drive (crawl, really, because of the traffic) in the morning. I'm at my desk all day, and the sun is long gone by the time I walk back to my car for the long crawl home. The only thing keeping me going right now is the thought of how beautiful it is here every other season of the year. Spring is spectacular. Summer is mild and the sun stays up for HOURS. Last Fall had me giddy with the beautiful spectrum of golds, oranges and reds.

Luckily for me, Seattle never fails to come through with entertainment to get me through the slump. Our friends Chris and Stacey invited us to the Lifelong AIDS Alliance Gay Bingo last Saturday night. That's right - Gay Bingo! It was Viva Las Vegas Bingo night, and there were some pretty creative costumes. Plus, bingo rocks!

Creighton ran into his old friend, Elvis.

Our friends. All the gals have recently moved to Seattle because of their dudes. :-)

Bingo, beer, and popcorn. Nothing better.

I was surprised at how much concentration this took.

Winners of the costume contest - they each came as a different hotel on the strip. How cute!

So, fun Saturday night. I'm looking forward to the prospect of going again - they're happening every second Saturday through June. Each night has a different theme.

We woke up Sunday morning to a rare sunny day, so we ran up to the top of Snoqualmie to go show shoeing. The weather was perfect! We stumbled on a path that was easy enough for our out-of-shape-after-the-holidays bodies, and the sun was warm. A perfect way to lift my spirits. Creighton has a slide show of our adventure on his blog.

A Pictorial Essay of the Holidays in Texas

2008-01-06T23:31:00.000-08:00

I think Dan said it best with his pictorial recount of his holiday trip at home, so I'm going to try and do a lame copy. I think we were all really busy during the last month, and I'm still trying to get caught up.

We spent a lot of time this trip looking for a wedding site. Yes, we've finally given in and jumped head-first into the wedding industry abyss. I truly can't wait to be married, but the industry has grown into a true monster! Today I drug my poor, unsuspecting friend, Cara, to a bridal show this morning, and I can't believe how intense the experience was! Trying on wedding dress after wedding dress. Getting sick off of wedding cake samples (oooh! more chocolate! I can't help myself!). Dodging pushy salespeople and getting elbowed by bitchy brides. I left laden with brochures detailing how I need custom veils, party dj's, limousines, fancy photographers, cruises to Tahiti, grooms cakes, designed invitations, and I think there might have been one booth for tuxes...... It was all such a blur that I left feeling much more stressed than when I went in. What happened to the days of a simple chapel wedding with a cake-and-punch reception? I guess we could do that for ourselves, but wouldn't it be nice to have a nice buffet dinner? And cool pictures? I'm not sure about the limo, though......

We're really close to deciding on a date, and all of the other details will be soon to follow, I'm sure. I look forward to next Christmas in Dallas, however, when we won't have to split up our valuable friends and family time with trips all over town looking for wedding sites.

Here's how our holiday season went this year:

West Seattle Christmas Tree Lighting...Seattle snow gear

Warming up.

Dec. 24th in Dallas - stressing out!

Christmas Eve - hanging out

Christmas Day - wedding site search

Christmas Day - great family, cute pooch

Christmas lights in Texas......

Chilly noses

Chilly bro

Wedding site search - McKinney, TX

Cool Dallas club with cool Dallas friends

Wedding site search - Dallas Arboretum

Poor sick puppy when we got home

Annual New Year's Day walk

Clean Puppy

2007-12-16T22:51:00.001-08:00

After sitting on the couch sick for two straight days last weekend, I wanted to make sure to get out of the house this weekend. We spent most of Saturday meandering though shops after walking up to The Junction. It was a great way to catch a little Christmas spirit without being overwhelmed by malls, and the traffic and headaches that come with it.

Sunday morning we decided take Murphy to The Wash Dog........he was long overdue for a bath. Since our new house is nice and clean, we wanted to keep it that way. The Wash Dog has neat bays that you can rent for pretty cheap, and we could wash Murphy without the "hair bomb" going off in our own house. He won't ever admit it, but I think Murphy liked it!

I finally remembered that my phone was with me to take some pics as we were drying Murph off. Here are a few pics:

Snow!

2007-12-01T16:40:00.000-08:00

It snowed! What perfect timing, too. We had time to go to the Alki Cafe for breakfast with a friend, and then headed off to do a little holiday shopping. When we got to the checkout counter, it was a blizzard outside! Huge snowflakes were in a flurry. By the time we got home, the ground was covered in a white blanket. A perfect way to begin the holiday season. As if snow wasn't enough, we're heading off to see the West Seattle tree lighting ceremony tonight. I hear they're even going to have carolers.

'Tis the Season(s)

2007-11-25T23:42:00.000-08:00

My blog seems to be a series of "catching up" posts. So, even though I'm sitting in the glow of Christmas lights on the tree, I should start with some pics of our Halloween. Even though boxes were being packed for The Big Move, I managed to find some really cool luminaries to put on the stairs.

Time flew by, and suddenly we were in our new house, and I was making Thanksgiving dinner with the Cowboys game on in the background. I made way too much food, so we were stuffed when we went over to a friend's parent's house for dessert and cheesy Christmas movies.

So, suddenly, the Holiday Season is upon us. We spent Saturday trekking out to a Christmas tree farm with some friends. We had a blast running through the fields of trees, and found the perfect tree to come home with. Creighton has a slide show of our day on his blog, and here are a couple, as well:

Phew! It's been hard to keep up with all of the festivities this year! We're a little early with the tree, but we're going home for Christmas, so it'll be good to have a nice holiday in our new house, as well. We both have our childhood stockings, and I'm so excited to have fireplace mantel to hang them on! Let the season begin! :-D

Rain? In Seattle?

2007-11-17T16:43:00.000-08:00

I know this probably won't come to a shock to anyone, but it rained last night. I'm still a newbie to the Seattle seasons (can you believe I've been in Seattle for 8 months, already?!), but I've been wanting to experience the deluge of gloomy weather so that I, too, can groan every time someone talks about the rain here, and worship the tiny bit of sun that shows itself. So far, it's been sunny way too much for me to make my Pacific Northwest transformation. I'm still trying to get over being in sunny Southern California for so many years, and love the rain! It's such a novelty!

Our new house has a window right in the middle of the wall our bed is against, and our house is at the top of a hill. This means we now hear a lot of the weather that goes on outside. I fell asleep last night to the sound of raindrops hitting the window. How lovely.

The pics are a little cheesy, but the sound is nice.

DUMP!

2007-11-13T23:21:00.001-08:00

As we finalized the work on our "old" house, we piled junk higher and higher into the truck bed. Alas, I was finally going to the dump in Seattle for the first time. What the heck is Creighton all excited about, anyway?

It all seemed pretty normal when we puled into the complex. There was a kiosk to control the traffic, and an entrance on one side of a long, nondescript, gray building. We pulled up inside, and suddenly I was on the set for Empire Strikes Back!

This thing seemed to crawl around the trash in a predatory manner, with no sign of a human operator, scoop up it's bounty, and hurl large amounts into a huge grinding thing that made a lot of noise. This gray beast was loud, and spit out hot air as it gurgled and snorted and gobbled up everything in sight. Creighton was trying to get me to climb up into the bed of the truck to help with a huge box just as the beast was gobbling up stuff right below us. But it's so loud! It's going to eat me!

We got rid of our stuff, and as soon as the cacophony started, it faded away as we drove out of the cave of the beast. I'm not sure if I'll be in a hurry to visit this place again, but I was glad to be able to meet such an unusual creature.

Ballet and Boxes

2007-11-11T10:03:00.000-08:00

Well, we're done. Um, half-way done. Sort of. OK- at least we're done with getting our "old" house ready to sell! The "new" one still has some work, but that's the fun part! Creighton has a link to the MLS listing with pics of our hard work. There's going to be an Open House today from 1-4pm, so please stop by if you're in the market for a beautifully updated home in West Seattle!

We're still totally in boxes in the new place, but the critters are really happy. Here's Isis enjoying our spectacular view:

We have a list as long as all four of our arms of stuff we want to do to the house - landscaping, painting, decorating, hardware, furniture, etc, etc. We have plenty of time to tackle all of our new projects, and we're both looking forward to slowly making our new house our home.

Last night we managed to find enough time to clean up and head down to a performance by the Pacific Northwest Ballet. This was their "Contemporary Classics" performance, so I had to check it out. Especially since they were performing Caught, a Parsons piece that I just love. The first piece of the night was Balanchine's Agon. I'm sure I've seen this on video in some dance history class at some point, but I've never seen it in person. I can appreciate the historical significance of Balanchine's innovative choreography for 1957, but the dancers struggled at times to keep up with his fast transitions and showy legwork. I've taken a couple of Balanchine classes that kicked my butt- his technique is super-duper fast, and it's always evident when dancers perform his work that don't regularly train in his style. (PNB, of course, is filled with phenomenal dancers - I'm just being really picky for the sake of critique.) :-)

I'd never seen Susan Marshall's Kiss, and it blew me away. The score was extremely cinematic in it's simplicity and emotional chords, and the movement was also simple. Two dancers are hanging from ropes tied to the rafters. I'd normally think that this choice would prove to be a gimmick, but Susan Marshall handles the added choreographic element with grace. The floating effect that both dancers have seemed to reflect the couple being in their own world - two lovers ebbing and flowing through the intricacies of their emotions. They crash into each other and sail apart. I truly got teary eyed.

I was most curious about the performance of Caught. How was a ballet dancer going to perform this piece? I was impressed with the detail of movement performed at the beginning of the piece in the different spotlights. Jonathan Porretta has great sincerity of movement and grasp of flow for a ballet dancer (says the snobby modern dancer - ha). The strobe scenes were still amazing, but not quite breath-taking as I've seen in the past by acrobatic dancers. It's not Jonathan's fault that he can do a front flip (not usually a requirement of a ballet dancer), but man does this piece rock when the performer can do that stuff. Both Creighton and I wished that this piece was longer, which is a good sign. And I don't mean the 5 minute bow that all PNB dancers like to take.......

The last piece was a Twyla piece - In the Upper Room. Very her. Lots and lots of movement, so there's bound to be a moment or two that's cool. Plus, this piece is danced to Philip Glass. Wow - overload on "wall of sound/wall of movement" type artists. Philip Glass is who I use when I want my dancers to look better than they really are. His music fills the space so well that the dancers don't need to. However, Twyla's throws tons of movement onstage - she's like a Hollywood rock star. Whatever you do, make it big. The audience will like that. Well, a pop song is nice for 3 minutes, but not for 20! Sheesh - I know the name of every step the dancers were doing, and even to me it all started to look the same.

The Big Move

2007-11-07T22:56:00.000-08:00

Tonight's the first night in a while that I truly feel relaxed - ahhhhhhhh. We're relaxing on the couch after walking up to the Junction for dinner and a small trip to the grocery store. Our new house is just a short walk from a great area of town with lots to do, and a short drive to the beach. We even have a great view of Mt. Ranier from our back deck when he decides to show himself (not very often this time of year).

My whole body is sore from moving, and I'm ready to really unpack and stay put in one place for a while. I've moved quite a bit in the past couple of years (moves that include living in three different states), and I'm so happy to finally feel rooted. Both Creighton and I have been working really hard getting the old house ready to sell, and moving all of our stuff to the new house. Man, this has been more physical labor than I ever expected. Who needs the gym when we have renovations to do to the old house, and boxes to move to the new one? We're at the best part, though - unpacking. It's such a relief to finally see some progress after waiting for a whole month after we put our original offer on the house.

We managed to steal a moment for a walk during The Big Move Day, and found this sign posted on the fence at a local elementary school playground:

Um, is that a picture of a pig? Just how many people walk their pigs, and want to let them run loose on school grounds? Really? How awesome would that be to witness!

So, now that I've given the update with the house front, I should announce that not only did I attend a bridal show at the Seattle Convention Center this past weekend, but Creighton even came with me! We had a great thing going - he was charming all of the vendors with his witty banter while I was trailing behind seeking out food samples. Mmmm! Cake! Chocolate covered cherries! Salmon patties with capers! Root beer! I'm still really behind on the planning process (for a good excuse, please reread the paragraphs above), but the show definitely got me in the "bridal" spirit of things. Such beautiful stationary for invitations! Did I mention they had cake?

Food Frenzy

2007-10-25T01:17:00.000-07:00

I love food. Whenever I plan an outing - vacation, day trip, etc - food is an integral part of the planning process for me. In fact, it's the highlight! However, I'm not a snob. From french fries to filet mignon, I can appreciate many types of good food.

After a few weeks of being on edge about quite a few things, I decided to splurge and go to a sushi buffet called Todai for dinner. I can just see my friend Koh, now, rolling his eyes at the direct conflict of merely putting the words "sushi" and "buffet" in the same thought. But, since I love to embrace Americana, I might as well embrace the American bastardization of a cultural cuisine!

Sure, the fish isn't quite as fresh as a top-notch restaurant, but the focus is on quantity, not quality, when feasting at a place like this. It's about feeling comforted by having as much food as I want at my beckoned call. Plus, I'd been eating a lot of carbs lately, and my body was craving a pure protein overload.

I don't do the buffet very often, but I do visit pretty regularly through the years. My brother and I would go for his birthday and other special occasions while I lived in Dallas for 3-4 years recently. When I was in college, I used to splurge once a semester and patronize whatever local buffet I could find after eating baked potatoes and peanut butter sandwiches everyday for three months.

Buffets are a direct statement of opulence, I guess, but I'm grateful to have the opportunity to have the experience. I love plotting out the "prefect plate" with weird combinations of nigiri, watermelon, vegetable tempura...and, is that seaweed salad? And Creme Brulee? Yum!

Space Invaders

2007-10-23T14:40:00.000-07:00

Maybe it's just me.....but whatever happened to our space voyages making headlines? Are there too many wars, fires, floods, and politicians to compete with? OK - everything in that list is really important, but I seem to remember the world stopping to watch every shuttle launch when I was a kid. Do schools still make a point to plop students in front of t.v.'s when a shuttle is scheduled to launch?

Perhaps it was my own optimism, but I really think that our world is less optimistic, and the lack of interest in our space exploration is just one symptom of this bigger problem. We used to stare at the sky, dreaming of the great knowledge we were going to gain from our travels. What is our planet's role in this great universe? What else is out there?

Is it egocentric thinking that has people less interested? We don't even care about what happens in countries right next to us, so why should we care about what's going on in that great void above us?

I remember begging my mom to send me to space camp over the summer - how cool would it be to learn how to be an astronaut! Now, the most recent image of female astronauts have to do with wearing a diaper and mentally freaking out. What happened to our collective dreaming, as one country, wanting to better our society with knowledge and exploration? When did we turn so inward, that we didn't even notice the shift in interest? NASA has been in trouble financially for years - what's wrong with us? Here's the scoop on the latest launch.

Lunch Box of the Week - Catching Up

2007-10-23T14:06:00.001-07:00

Man, I'm so bad these days about posting my lunch box of the week. I'm still bringing one to work each week, but I just forget to let everyone know what I'm bringing! This is what I had last week:

Not nearly as cool as The Six Million Dollar Man, but it's close. Lee Majors is at it again with The Fall Guy - fast action, manly stunts, and cheesy writing.

This is my box for this week:This one even came with the original thermos!:
I was never a huuuge Peanuts fan, but I think we all giggled at the sound of the teacher "waa waa waa," and identified with Charlie Brown's hapless, yet thoughtful ways. I remember having a lot of Snoopy stuff around the house while growing up, for some reason. Of course, one of the most important pieces of film history for Halloween is "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown." It's just not Halloween unless I get to watch this year after year!

Family Fun

2007-10-21T15:40:00.000-07:00

Mom and Dwayne just left last night after spending a week with us, and we had the best time doing the "Typical Seattle" tour. Since I'm fairly new, there were a lot of things I wanted to do and hadn't seen yet, as well, so I was happy to have them here so we could explore Seattle together.

Even though the views at Gasworks Park are stunning, I couldn't make it out of the parking lot without taking a picture of these bright red trees. How beautiful.

Can't keep Creighton away from the playground. :-)

Of course, we had to go to Pike Place Market. Mom loved watching the guys throw fish around, and we pondered over which color t-shirt to get Nathan. The multitude of colorful fruits and vegetables were beautiful to look at on a gray Seattle afternoon. We went to Pike Place Chowder for lunch, and my seafood bisque was smooth and comforting.

Snoqaualmie Falls - breathtaking falls just a short drive from Seattle and easy access to a lookout tower. This means that the falls are known for having huge crowds, but we managed to go during the week, when parking was easy and the lookout was almost deserted.

Mom and I went to the beach nearby to look for beach glass, and look what appeared on our way there! The Seattle sky was smiling at us with a brilliantly bright rainbow from end to end. We were standing on a green meadow with a light shower of rain being highlighted with sunlight peeking through the clouds.
Mom on the beach. I need to to this at least once a week, for my own mental health. It's so easy to get caught up in the everyday stresses of life, and I forget to stop and let nature lift my spirits. And it's so beautiful here, how can I take it for granted? We both found loads of beach glass (and old hobby of ours from my days in California), and quietly listened to the tiny waves crashing as the sun set before us.

Somehow we found time to check out an IMAX film at the Pacific Science Center. We watched the Eruption of Mt. St. Helens, which had interesting footage, but we all felt like the film fell a little short. Neat to watch, but I'd recommend watching something else if you're there. We walked around the science exhibits, and Creighton and I had a great time playing with all of the interactive exhibits. So many buttons to push and toys to play with! They have a beautiful butterfly exhibit. I like to think that they all died of natural causes:

It's the Best Time of the Year

2007-10-21T15:29:00.001-07:00

Seriously - Fall has always been my favorite season, but my first Fall in Seattle is just stunning. The trees have turned bright yellows, oranges and reds. The air is truly crisp. There are long shadows from in the amber-hued sunlight. I even love the rainy weather that finally showed up. I'm anxious to experience the deluge of rainy days everyone here keeps lamenting so I can finally relate to everyone around me. I've always loved rain, and I want to see if I'm going to get sick of it, like everyone else. So far, I'm still positively happy about the weather, and wish Fall would stick around longer!

Creighton and I found these huge trees on a recent walk we were on:

Creighton counted over 80 rings - this was an old soul. Sad to see it cut down, but I was grateful to have the experience of being able to see it's beauty up close.

Note the jacket he's wearing? The cooler air is wonderful! Sorry my Texas friends, who are still running air conditioning......

It's Hip to be at the Fair

2007-10-21T15:06:00.001-07:00

Man oh man, I've been really bad about blogging, lately. There's been soooooo much going on, I can hardly keep up with everyday life, much less blogging about it! First, I'd like to catch up with some photos I took while I was at the Puyallup Fair last month with a couple of friends and their darling baby. Since I grew up in Dallas, I'm used to going to the Texas State Fair, which is gigantic, and is known for the great food, huge Midway rides, and of course - Big Tex. The last time I went, in fact, I had to make sure I got a corn dog AND a Belgian waffle with strawberries and whipped cream. Heaven!

The Puyallup Fair, to my surprise, was really big as well, and had tons to offer. My favorite exhibits in a fair are in the Hobby Hall. One of these days I'd like to perfect a recipe to enter, but my goal for next year is to enter my lunch box collection. How cool would that be!

This is the first sign that I wasn't in Texas. What's this thing called "pop?" We call it coke in Texas, for some reason. The question "what coke would you like?" can be answered with "Pepsi," and would make sense. I'm not a snob, though. I use soda, too. But POP?

It's not a proper fair unless there's food art involved!

Speaking of art, the Funnel Cake is truly a work of art. It's soooo bad for you, yet sooooo good. Mmmmmmmm.

We had a blast at the fair - my friends love food as much as I do, and I had to struggle to keep up with their appetites! The best treat, by far, were the Fair Scones. Warm, buttery, filled with blackberry jam, and super cheap. It's no State Fair of Texas, of course, but I have to say it's a close second.

Dance Musings

2007-09-24T23:09:00.000-07:00

Dan's blogging way more than me and gloating about it, so I need to catch up.....

I drug Creighton to a modern dance performance this weekend (I say that jokingly - he's really good about going to these things - probably because I listen to him wax on about motorcycles...), and even though it wasn't the best performance I've ever seen (faaaar from it), it gave us a lot to talk about while looking for a place to grab a drink afterward in Capitol Hill.

I've often thought of becoming a dance critic. I like writing, and probably would've studied more about it had I really taken this thought seriously. Most dancers become yoga and/or Pilates and/or Gyrotonics teachers and/or massage therapists. I entertained the idea of being different and writing about dance, but I'm too critical. Reviews of dance in the paper should really praise dance and create audiences, but I don't like much of what I see. Perhaps it's because I've seen a lot of it.....

We went to a show that was very informal, and was in the space I normally take modern class. So, I shouldn't have expected much. However, 95% of the dance we saw wasn't good at all. I love hating dance, I think, just as much as I love loving the good stuff. We had a great time talking about what was pretty crappy and why, and what we loved. I have to also say that I get sooooo excited when I see great dance, that it's totally worth it to sort through the other 95%. Ah! To see such great emotion, thought, and talent! I love being able to catch good dance.

The opening piece of this concert was the best part - a tiny platform that served as the setting for a dance between a dancer gal and a "non-dancer" male. It was a piece about communication, and I loved the fact that both performers, even though they were at different dance skill-levels, looked seamless while interacting with each other. I'm insanely interested in the inclusion of "non-dancers" into the classical performing world. Everyone can choreograph a dance for well traned dancers. These well-trained people will make anything look good. But pure movement can only really come from a non-classically-trained person. Little things - like how a real guy holds a woman's hip - were inadvertently spotlighted while watching the opening piece this weekend. Dancers will always look abnormally purposeful when touching each other. However, this guy looked sincere.

Of course, using non-dancers in classical dance is not new (Trisha Brown, Jacques d'Amboise, for example, have famously used non-dancers decades ago). I guess I just find myself yearning for the true, unfiltered meaning of movement. How could I choreograph Real Movement? I love a challenge.

Weekend in Texas

2007-09-16T12:12:00.000-07:00

Man, last weekend was a blur! Creighton and I flew home to Texas to visit our families, meet each others' families for the first time, and try to squeeze in a Lakeview football game and a chance to see a few friends. We were on the go for four days straight, but we had a blast.

Here's us being incredibly Texan at my mom's house:

Yeah, yeah.....on the way to Lakeview's football game, I might have gotten pulled over.... But I only got a warning after I laid on the thick Texas accent. My secret weapon!

Watching the drill team perform made me miss being a teacher, but I loved being able to be a part of this community again, if only for one night.

We had a chance to drive by our high school (we both went to the same one), and see each of our houses that we grew up in. It's always a sobering experience to see what time has done to the places where so many memories are held. I think we want these places to stay the same, so our memories will seem just as strong, but buildings will always change.

We both really miss our families in Texas, and it was such a great experience to be able to see everyone. I only wish we'd had more time. We'll be there longer for Christmas, and we can't wait until we can get back to see everyone again.

Late in the Lunchboxes

2007-09-16T12:06:00.000-07:00

It's been a bit of a whirlwind for the past couple of weeks, and I know everyone has been waiting with bated breath to see what I brought to work last week....so here it is!

Engaging Situation

2007-09-03T17:34:00.000-07:00

I know this is a strange way to announce such great news, but I think it's important to let everyone know that Creighton and I got engaged this weekend! Here's the story:

We decided to go to lunch at a local restaurant known for their great views, called Ray's Boathouse. It's right on the water, and the sun was streaming last Saturday. Even though the place was packed, we somehow managed to get a table right away inside, and munched on really great burgers while watching boat traffic whiz by.

After lunch, we headed down to one of Seattle's two beaches, called Golden Gardens. Since the weather was so spectacular, and since it's Labor Day weekend, parking was scarce. Creighton seemed like he was ready to give up on the beach walk, but I decided to check one more lot. We were lucky enough to grab a spot just as someone was leaving.

The walk was great - colorful umbrellas shielding families playing in the sand, couples strolling along the water, and people playing volleyball next to a concession stand. We strolled all the way around the bend, and Creighton suggested we sit down on a huge log that was sitting back away from the surf. As we started to sit down, I noticed that it kinda smelled like dog pooh, and he quickly said "OK! Let's move!" Strange to be so adamant about moving, but I brushed it off....We tried another log on the beach, but got up a few minutes later. We started to retrace our steps, and found a perfect spot next to the reeds and grasses lining the beach - we were surrounded on three sides with tall grass gently swaying in the breeze, while still being able to watch the ocean.

The sun was warm, and lying on the sand listening to the waves nearby was incredibly relaxing. We laid there for a long time - it felt like a lovely, lingering Saturday afternoon. I was staring at the sky, watching clouds change overhead, and - I swear this happened - a rainbow formed right above us! It seemed to only be right above where we were lying. I felt so content, but why is Creighton's heart beating so fast and loud? Perhaps he's just really warm from the sun......

After what felt like a long afternoon of a romantic, lazy afternoon on the beach, Creighton, produced a ring from his pocket and asked me to marry him. I was so relaxed, I didn't act surprised, cry, or any of that. I just looked in his eyes and said yes. He was shaking! I had no idea that he'd been waiting for the most PERFECT moment for the last few hours! I'd apparently gone into a long story about my cats when he was ready to pop the question, or a guy flying a kite almost ran into us, or kids were playing too close....the list goes on and on!

It was perfect - we both felt a little awkward, but quietly ecstatic to be in the moment. We kept smooching, looking at each other, and giggling (ok, maybe I was the only one giggling.....). The ring was beautiful - funny that he had to wait until the sun was out from behind the clouds to make sure it sparkled when he gave it to me. I wanted to keep the focus toward him, so he didn't think I was materialistic and just excited about the ring, but finally he said "will you look at the ring, already!?" He worked so hard to get it there that he wanted me to gush! There's a lot to gush about!

It was such a dreamy day. We've both felt so strongly about each other since the moment we met that we knew this day would come, but the feeling we've both had this weekend after the proposal is just overwhelming. It's going to be strange not calling him my boyfriend, but I can't wait until I call him my husband.

Friday Night Fun

2007-09-02T00:15:00.001-07:00

On a whim, Creighton and I decided to stop by the West Seattle Bowl for an evening of hurling a 10 pound ball down a lane to knock stuff down. Creighton was way better at knocking stuff down than I was. I remember my high school physics teacher telling the class once that men were better at trajectory because they practiced it every time they went to the bathroom......I'm not sure about men being better at physics, but Creighton sure is better at bowling than I am!

Here's Creighton explaining the rotation of planets using a bowling ball and a tootsie pop:

I had to hurry and get a shot of our names while my score was higher:

But that was the last time I had the advantage.......

Creighton had great concentration!

I liked bowling, but I'm going to need a LOT more practice. I should note that drinking a couple of beers while trying to prefect my form was probably a bad idea.....

One more....

2007-08-28T23:25:00.000-07:00

Lots of catching up to do, so this is a record three blogs in one day! President Bush was in town yesterday, and was only a few blocks away while fundraising for the Washington state Republican Party. I really tried to ignore the whole thing, actually. Since I'm worn thin with traffic woes, I could only think about the headache I was going to have after navigating streets right after being closed for hours for the event. I heard stories of protesters in the street (yeah!!) and cops blocking exits to freeways. Yipes. At 5pm I decided to hedge my bets and dive into the mess. On my way to my parking garage, I noticed the street nearby was blocked off, but a small crowd was assembling. It was clear that the motorcade was just minutes from whizzing by!

Sure enough, I was able to come within feet of the President, though he was probably traveling at about 40 miles per hour, and was in one of two identical cars. The crowd was startled to see a SUV in front of the two "presidential" cars with a heavily armed guy hanging out of the passenger window. We all noticed the semi-automatic gun he was clutching. Not something we're used to seeing in this country.....

Anyhoo, with the motorcade gone, I was left to navigate the streets still filled with remnants of protesters and cops in riot gear milling about. I tried to get a couple of pics while I drove. Here's a line of cops in riot gear:

I chatted with a gal at the bank the next day, and we both agreed that the historical significance is what's mildly exciting, politics aside. We may or may not agree with the guy (we tried to both be politically correct, but I could tell we were both on the same liberal page), but it's always interesting to be close to such energy that surrounds someone that has so much influence on so many people - good or bad.

Weekend of the Pacific Northwest-er

2007-08-28T22:40:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was big for me. Since I've been living in LA for so long (yes, Dallas for three years, too), I didn't own a proper raincoat. I didn't need one! In fact the only thing I've been using since I got here is swag from Ed & Ted's last Christmas. As much as I love wearing roadie gear (ha), none of it is flattering to a chick.

So, after five months of thinking about it, I finally made the call - I'm not going to go another weekend without a raincoat. We packed up the car and headed to REI. I shopped like a girl, trying every coat on and wondering if it made me look fat. I had a great helper who gave me good opinions and even held my purse while I ran to the mirror! (It takes a real man to hold a purse in public, doesn't it?) After stressing about it for a while and fighting the pre-Labor Day sale crowds, I finally decided. This is it! I'm finally ready for this Seattle rain everyone keeps talking about! I got the Marmot Phoenix:

Now I can't wait for it to rain so I can try out my new toy! (NOTE: everyone else in the city thinks I'm crazy for saying that.)

To round out the weekend, we met our friends for breakfast, and then headed over to the locks to watch the action. It's a Seattle tourist attraction, but for a good reason. The actual locks are fascinating to watch, first of all. We stopped by here last winter, and it was neat to see it in action with so few people around. However, the nearby fish ladders were empty. This wasn't the case last weekend - there were tons of people, and lots of fish struggling their way up the ladder. I was surprised at how huge these salmon were! Plus, it makes you want to do a cheerleader act for them to make it upstream. Swim, fish! Swim!

As if that wasn't enough excitement, we then headed to Pike Place Market to meet a friend of mine for lunch. He was in town from North Carolina, and it'd been forever since we'd seen each other. We had a couple of drinks, great conversation, and on the way back decided to make a stop at the notorious gum wall. Eww.

Return of the Jedi

2007-08-28T22:29:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm a little late again with the lunch box of the week, but this one is well worth the wait! Of course, I'd be a super cool collector if I had all three in the series, but alas, I only have Return of the Jedi so far. It's great to have a few "jewels" to look for while on the hunt at flea markets and antique shops. In fact, I think I got this one at the Ventura Flea Market for a pretty good price. I could wax on about how cool Star Wars was for so many of us when we were kids, but I think I've geeked out enough just by posting a pic of the lunch box....

Why men shouldn't be allowed to vacuum:

2007-08-26T23:40:00.000-07:00

Um, honey.......maybe we shouldn't vacuum the dog!

The Wonder Years

2007-08-22T13:21:00.000-07:00

So, I've been 30 for less than four days, and a zit decided to show up on my check. Are you kidding? I distinctly remember being a teenager and longing for the days when I could be worry free about zits. They only plague teenagers, right? Haven't I earned the right to start worrying about wrinkles? If they came up with a combination zit/wrinkle cream, I think they'd cover a demographic of women in their 30's that are totally in need of help!

This brings me to the bigger issue, here: I'm hardly an expert of marketing, but there doesn't seem to be a good place for me to buy clothes. Who's marketing towards the 30-something gal? I could shop in the junior's department and look like I still want to be a teenager. I could also shop in the "woman's" department, and look like my mother (no offense - she's a snazzy dresser, just not a style I feel appropriate wearing just yet) :-). What about me? I'm still young at heart, but want a sense of sophistication. I don't want to be forced to shop in the designer aisles, either. Don't get me wrong - I love that stuff - but I'm also cheap!

I think the main target for merchandising for my age group is "young mother." At this point, I'm supposed to be shopping for my kiddos, and there's plenty of merchandising for that. However, an incredibly small percentage of my friends have kids at this point - women are obviously having children later in life. Perhaps this social change is the reason for the void in great clothes.

Is that selfish of me? I don't have kids, so give me a good selection of clothes? How superficial that must sound. Not much better than freaking out over a zit, I guess.

Lance Link - Secret Chimp

2007-08-21T23:48:00.001-07:00

Well, I really don't have much to say about this one. The box was a gift, and it was made in 1971. Lance Link, Secret Chimp was apparently a live action monkey sit-com that ran from 1970 - 1972. Man, we don't ever have enough live action monkey sit-coms, do we? Seriously.

The show actually lived to be two years old before being yanked, and someone at work actually chuckled when he saw it on my desk. A real-live witness to the show!

I was born in 1977, so I missed it by about 5 years. Drat.

What's it like to turn 30?

2007-08-19T12:24:00.000-07:00

Well, the Big Day finally came, and it was wonderful. I woke up early on Friday, my 30th birthday, to go on a great adventure that Creighton had planned for us. We hopped on a sea plane to nearby Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, boarded a boat after a leisurely morning wandering around the island to go whale watching (Orcas are prevalent around here), then back on a sea plane for home. What a day! Creighton has a great slide show on his blog that includes a handful of the many awesome pictures he took.

We woke up to the sound of a steady rain this morning. It's starting to feel like fall, and I'm ready for the season to begin. I experienced a range of emotions on my birthday, and now that I feel like I'm finally over that hurdle, I'm ready for a new chapter to begin. I thought that all of my apprehension about reaching this milestone age would disappear once the day finally came. I don't feel any different, right? It's just another day, right?

Well, I'm truly thankful for where I am in my life - I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would end up where I am, and I'm glad for the surprises that come as life unfolds. That being said, there's a small part of me that wonders if I've done enough for my 30 years. Am I living life to it's fullest? Or am I letting life slip me by?

Overall, I couldn't have had a better birthday. I got to spend the day with the guy that I love seeing the magical scenery of my new Pacific Northwest home. I had time to think about where I've been in my life, but it truly made me appreciate my future.

And now for a little inspiration:

2007-08-15T21:59:00.000-07:00

As a performing artist (ha), there's one thing that really gets my blood flowing - that moment. You know, when everything comes together at once to create a fleeting, special moment between performer and audience. The energy of the performer is intense, but the energy of the audience meets that intensity in some way. I usually call it the "sublime moment."

When Paul Potts first performed for Britain's Got Talent, this sublime moment was evident. Sure, this show is produced to be emotional and fantastic, but the surprise of pure talent is sweetly spectacular. Paul has great focus!

I have to think that Paul Potts wouldn't make it past the first round in the US version... I don't think London is that different that most cities in the US when it comes to egocentric thinking, really, but I'm proud of the audiences there for giving Paul the adoration he deserves:

Thunder, Thunder, ThunderCats!

2007-08-14T22:12:00.001-07:00

Well, shoot. I forgot to post this week's lunch box until now. Actually, we were busy hanging out at our neighborhood block party tonight, which threw my schedule off a little. The National Night Out was last week, and it turns out that the family that's been organizing the event for the past few years moved, and nobody realized it until it was too late. So, another family decided to take over and planned the event to happen tonight. Lots of people came out, and we all shared food and drink. It was great to meet the neighbors! West Seattle truly has a great community spirit, and they really made me feel like a part of the family. Everyone is friendly and genuine. Nice.

Back to the box...... I sorta remember watching ThunderCats, but it wasn't one of my favs. The real reason why I like this box is because of the price - I even kept it written on there because I like to remember the find - only $8.99! The minimum for most vintage lunch boxes is usually at least $35 - $40. This was a gift, and it was found in a thrift store in San Bernardino. Score!

You can buy anything on the internet!

2007-08-11T14:51:00.000-07:00

How strange is this.....

Food for Thought - Part II

2007-08-10T22:39:00.000-07:00

I recently blogged about my favorite restaurants in Dallas, and at the risk of sounding redundant, I feel like I have another angle that I didn't bring up before. There have been quite a few instances lately when I really felt like picking up good food quickly to take home, or even to eat there - just make it fast. Unfortunately, there just aren't very many choices around here....

It made me think of the abundance of food choices that are quick and easy in Dallas - yes, I think even more so than LA. (Gasp!) Dallas' best quick food, I think, is Jason's Deli. Man, they have the BEST salad bar ever! It's quick, too - just run in, grab a plate, eat, and go. I love their soups, and any place where you can get a sandwich on a croissant has my vote.

That brings me to my next quick meal choice in Dallas - La Madeleine. Sure, their million calorie tomato basil soup is liquid gold, but I've been trying to eat healthier, these days. They have so many choices - you can eat there, or grab to go.

It's a little more expensive and trendy, but I used to frequently stop for lunch at Cafe Express with the other dance faculty when I was teaching at Arts Magnet. We'd go there because it was good food, and quick enough for us to be back in time for the next class. They have great salads, sandwiches (and sweet potato fries - can you believe?!), and the best part is that they are open late. Oh, the other best part is that they serve beer and wine. :-)

I love West Seattle, but where are these quick places with awesome food? The grocery stores don't even have a salad bar! There's the Met Market, which has a prepared food section that' s comparable to Central Market, but that's a good half hour round trip from the house. We have a couple of options around, but nothing like the food choices in Dallas......

No, I'm not yearning to move back to Dallas. Yes, I love Seattle. I just love food, too!

Lunch Box of the Week

2007-08-07T23:03:00.000-07:00

Yeah - I remembered to bring this week's lunch box today! This is another installment in the "I remember when....." series. A guy at work was reminiscing at my desk about his Six Million Dollar Man lunch box he used to bring when he was a kid. Of course I own one, so I had to show him!

I'm a bit too young (and female) too truly appreciate this box the first time around, but I bought this box because Lee Majors is just too cool. The way he jumps over cars! Races horses! Swings large tree stumps!

Brilliance.....

2007-08-06T11:07:00.000-07:00

Since I forgot to bring the new lunch box of the week this morning, I'll give you a little something to watch..... Watching Singin' in the Rain yesterday at the Admiral inspired me to look up the best four minutes of musical film history (in my opinion, of course).

Note: I tend to think everything is "the best" and "my most favorite" - just ask Creighton. "Ooh! This is my favorite song!" "This is the best meal ever!" I say about everything....

Anyhoo, I really think this is the best. Really. His subtlety of movement and control is breathtaking. His rhythm is astounding - he's on top of everything. "Sharp" is the word of the day. This clip is from the film Blue Skies, which is one of my favorites. Ha. Interesting to note that Astaire is 47 here. He's my hero.

The "Not Seafair" Weekend

2007-08-05T18:01:00.000-07:00

This weekend Seattle was home to their biggest festival in a summer of festivals in the city - Seafair. How do they top everything else? By getting the Blue Angles to take over Lake Washington for four days, and hosting hydroplane races the whole weekend. They actually close down freeways for this! Creighton and I decided to shun the crowded streets and shores in Seattle, and see if we could stay clear of Downtown Seattle and Lake Washington for the whole weekend.

Yesterday was filled with lots o' fun. First, we drove out to Tipsoo Lake in the Chinook Pass area of Mount Rainier National Park. Apparently this area is under a thick blanket of snow most of the year, but we were lucky enough to experience a warm, sunny day with meadows filled with wildflowers. We decided to go on a short 3.5 mile hike, of which half of it is on the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail. If we'd only had a little more time, perhaps we could've hiked to Mexico! There were small waterfalls and streams dotting the land, and the abundance of wildflowers was amazing. I kept expecting Julie Andrews to show up over the hills singing.....There were people of all types on the trail, and the views were spectacular, even though Mount Ranier himself was hiding behind clouds the whole time. I guess this means we'll just have to go back, again, to see the main attraction.

As if that wasn't enough, we had enough time after we got back to make it to the Admiral Theatre showing of the independent flick 10 MPH. The film was alright (Creighton and I had great discussions about it on the way home), but we were both fascinated with the theater itself. It turns out it had been built in the early 1900's, and reopened with awesome art deco touches in 1942, such as seahorse lighting and nautical themed murals in the lobby. There are murals on the walls and ceiling in the actual movie theater, we're told, but those are covered up by 70's colored curtains that look like they haven't been touched in 30 years. I remember the cool theaters in Ventura, such as the Mayfair, that were eventually demolished. I'm so grateful that this theater has someone looking after it, and trying to preserve it.

I actually went back to the Admiral this morning to watch Singing in the Rain on the big screen, how it was meant to be seen. Me, the dork, got teary-eyed watching Donald O'Connor perform "Make 'Em Laugh." He's so talented, and he only passed away just a few years ago. His facial expressions are so intricate, and I could pick up great details on the big screen that I never really noticed before.

Creighton and I stay pretty busy every weekend, and this weekend was the busiest so far, I think. We've done so much, and yet there's still so much to do in West Seattle alone, much less the rest of the city, and surrounding state. Good thing I have an awesome guy to do all of this with!

Algorithm March!

2007-08-02T21:31:00.000-07:00

How did we miss this craze? Creighton showed me this awesome video of a new dance that has totally passed us by. By the looks of YouTube, everyone is doing it. Even dorky teachers in a US pep rally. I won't geek out and analyze the choreographic elements at play, here, but I must say this is another great example of dance in everyday life. Go to YouTube to look at the other example of this being done - it's everywhere! It feels a lot like a weird cross between one of my composition assignments I'd give my students and a drill team routine. With ninjas......

Hummingbirds!

2007-08-02T11:16:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm apparently not updating my blog enough for Dan, so here's more on the Life of Lindsay....

A couple of months ago Creighton's dad graciously sent us a hummingbird feeder, complete with an ant moat and hummingbird food (a sugar mix). He owns the Wild Bird Center in Denton. After a few weeks of watching the hummingbirds ignore the feeder and go for the red flower hanging plants in the yard, they've finally noticed the feeder!

This is right outside our kitchen window, and it's great to see such awesome creatures sitting so close. There are quite a few in the area, and they always seem to be buzzing around. One actually came up and checked us out the other day when we were sitting on the back deck - just flew up really close, and looked at us for a few seconds before taking off. The sheer science of how these things get around is just fascinating.

Time to check in.

2007-08-01T14:04:00.001-07:00

Well, the year is a little over half over, and I decided to go back and see how I'm doing for this year's goals. I don't like to call them "resolutions" since I don't want to set myself up for failure. Here's what I wrote last December:

1. Live deliberately. ----- I've been thinking a lot about the greater sense of life. I feel like I should be more affective with my actions, and being in LA isn't helping my sense of feeling small. How can I be a better person for society? How can I change things for the better?

2. Listen.

3. Travel.

4. Get out of debt.

5. Live simply. ------- So many times I get caught up in the little things. They don't matter.

6. I never want to stop having adventures.

7. Read more books.

Some I'm farther along with than others. I think I'm way off course with living deliberately, though I've spent some time researching volunteer opportunities in the area. I could be doing so much more, though. All of the others are daily struggles. I need constant reminders to be a better listener, to live simply, and I'm slowly working hard to get out of debt. I think both Creighton and I have lots of fun adventures, and though our current travel plans aren't terribly exciting, we both enjoy talking about traveling in the not-so-distant future. As for reading more books, I've at least started a list of stuff I'd like to read, but I'd love more suggestions of great books to check out!

Dinner and a Movie

2007-07-30T10:49:00.000-07:00

I think I've mentioned this before, but I'm totally amazed at how much there is to do in the summer in Seattle. Every weekend it's a struggle for Creighton and I to decide what to do..... Parade? Car show? Hike? Kayak? Outdoor movie? Street festival? Art show? I can't see how one city can keep this amount of energy up all year, so I'm slightly afraid to experience how depressed everyone gets during the rainy season, but I'll definitely enjoy their exuberance for summer while it lasts!

This weekend we decided to check out an outdoor movie near the heart of West Seattle. The film for the evening was Best of Show, which is hilarious. We brought our lawn chairs, blankets (yes, the nights actually get chilly in the summer), and arrived early enough to check out the opening band and eat a little pizza. On my way to pick up our dinner, I was nicely surprised to find out that Shoofly Pie was open. We've tried on a couple of occasions to stop and try this new pie shop's wares, only to find they're closed. So, I was happy that we were finally able to try it. Both of our slices were good (I had the Key Lime, and he had the chocolate tart). I can't wait to go back and try their chicken pot pie....

The event was packed with people of all ages and demographics. After being in LA for so long, it's wonderful to feel like a part of a true community - somewhere where people aren't afraid to come together to share a night under the stars. Much like movie theaters in the 40's, they started the show with a cartoon, and even had an intermission to tout the concessions being served by a local church, and raffle some prizes from local businesses.

Good food, good movie, and great company. What a wonderful summer this is.

Holly Hobbie

2007-07-30T10:39:00.000-07:00

I decided to bring this one because last week a co-worker told me that she remembered bringing her Holly Hobbie lunch box to school when she was little.

My Mom gave me this box - found it in an antique shop in a small town close to her house, I think - Wills Point. Extra points to those who know where Wills Point is!

Here's a hint: it's kind of close to an entire town that turns into a flea market once a month. I've heard somewhere that this market is so huge and brings in so much revenue for the city that they don't have to charge property taxes. (This market also has the best corn dogs in the State of Texas!.....OK - the State Fair is a close second....).

Yes, more food thoughts

2007-07-27T11:29:00.000-07:00

It's now been a little over a year since I lived in Dallas, a city that once had more restaurants per capita than any other city in the US (I haven't seen that stat since the 90's, so I'm not sure if it's still true). After living back in LA for about 9 months, and now Seattle, I'm starting to miss a few of the restaurant I loved to frequent:

Babe's Chicken: A little hole-in-the-wall in Garland, though apparently there are a few around the Metroplex. You might as well take butter and inject it directly into your veins! When you sit down, they only ask you what meat you want (I like the chicken fingers). Then, they bring your food out with huge family style bowls of green beans, corn, mashed potatoes, and bread. Just like Sunday at grandma's! The website also mentions Bubba's, but doesn't list the location I used to go to all the time - as a part of a gas station on I-35 just south of Restaurant Row. That Bubba's had some of the best fast food I'd ever tasted - I wonder if it's still there?

Luna de Noche: This place has the best tortilla soup ever. Hands down. Their shredded pork is to die for, but I'm always there for the soup.

Chamberlain's Steak and Chop House: There are plenty of great steak restaurants in Dallas - places of all price ranges and settings. I love Chamberlain's for a nice special occasion, since it's pricey. The atmosphere is upscale without being snooty. The wine recommendations from the wait staff have always been awesome. Totally worth the extra money every now and then. Note: even though I love the Steak House, Chamberlain's Fish Market Grill sucked the one time I went there.

Patrizio: I'm not quite sure if it's still as good, since someone posted on Citysearch that there is a new ownership issue, but this was the best place to go for the best priced Italian food I've ever seen. I left Dallas in 6/2006, so I only know it was good when I left. When I first walked into the Patrizio in Plano, I was preparing to pay a lot of money for the meal. Valet parking. Marble looking floors and columns with well lit art on the walls. I was shocked when I looked at the menu! Chicken lasagna with fresh spinach and a Gouda cream sauce for cheap? Are you kidding? This place also passed the ultimate test - my dad loved it. He even loved the Italian cream cake he ordered, and worried all of us by asking the waiter if it was "real" cream cake. If he likes it, you know it's got to be good.

Paciugo: I went to Italy when I was about 16, and have never been able to find anything close to the gelato I had while I was there. Gelato stands were everywhere, and they were always busy. Because gelato isn't cream based like ice cream in the states, it contains 70% less fat than what we're used to. When I stumbled across a Paciugo in Irving, I was in heaven. Finally! This is just like the stuff I had in Italy. I only with they would open one in Seattle.....

Pappadeaux: OK, the food at Pappadeaux's isn't the the absolute best I've ever had, but for some reason I've always ended up there when I needed a nice meal to cheer me up. They just happen to have the perfect combination of fried seafood (my favorite thing to get - so bad for you, yet sooooo delicious!) that includes stuffed crab, clam strips, etc. The service is always good, and now that I think about it, I really do like the food. I think the last time I went was with Kris and Chad on a odd day during the week when we were stressed about work, and I seem to remember Kris and I getting waaaaay too tipsy on some awesomely tall fruity drinks.......

I was also blown away with how many great Indian and Thai restaurants there are in the city, these days - India Palace in North Dallas, Chow Thai in Addison and Mango in Plano. Any more awesome bites that I missed?

PS: I'm still working on finding my favorite places in West Seattle. I loved Jak's, as I mentioned in an earlier blog, but I haven't found many other places that are absolutely awesome, yet. I'm having fun with my research, though!

Festival of Fools

2007-07-23T23:01:00.000-07:00

I like this lunch box because it reminds me of a couple of the best years of my life. I had the wonderful opportunity to dance in a show at Disneyland for two years, and met some of the best friends I'll ever have while working there. We were a huge cast - over 30 people onstage at one time - not to mention the swings, understudies, and support crew. From the first show to the last, we always had a blast onstage and off.

I'm constantly amazed at how successful my cast members are these days - lots on Broadway, pro sports dance teams, cruise lines, teachers, mothers, fathers, and entrepreneurs. Some are still at Disneyland, and have climbed the corporate ladder as far as it can reach.

It was a little strange working at the Happiest Place on Earth while I was attending my angst-filled arts college, but I found the juxtaposition to be entertaining at the time. Plus, Disney actually founded CalArts. How weird is that?

Caught!

2007-07-23T22:29:00.000-07:00

I was just thinking about my favorite dance pieces the other day, and Parsons' Caught came to mind. I received an email from PNB this afternoon, and it turns out this piece is in the line up for this season! I'm beside myself with excitement. Perhaps it's because I'm at the point where I need to be inspired creatively, and what better way than to see such a wonderful piece.

Caught is a little gimmicky - I'll be the first to admit it (actually, I think a lot of Parsons' work tends to be a little cheesy). It's a solo danced with a strobe light. Yawn! We've all seen that in college, or even done it ourselves. However, this piece is strong because of the movement choice, and the brilliant build of intensity from start to finish.

I have to also say that the beauty of dance is that the energy of the moment can make or break a performance. The energy of the performer has to be just right. The energy of the audience needs to be supportive. I've seen Caught twice, and luckily, the first time was spectacular. Everything was perfect - the performer was stellar, and the crowd was in awe with every pause. I love it when people react honestly to dance - laugh when they find something funny, and clap and holler when they find something amazing. Just like all art, there isn't some inner secret that you aren't a part of! It's perfectly fine to emote as the piece unfolds.

The second time I saw Caught, I felt the performance was a little flat. Perhaps the audience was too afraid to clap in the middle of the performance, even though the gravity defying moments were stunning. However, the performer was a little off, as well. What makes this piece so special is the split-second timing the dancer has with the light. The sheer prowess it takes to be "on" takes unimaginable skill.

My last point (I'll make this short, I promise...) is that I love interdisciplinary work. Even though there is only one dancer onstage, he has an intimate relationship with the strobe light, and thus, technology. It's astounding how few choreographers even think about the effect lighting will have with molding the space they so carefully created with their dance. However, Parsons created an actual duet between a dancer and a light source.

I'm really curious to see this piece once again, to see if I can recapture the magic I felt the first time I saw it. Will the dancer be good? The audience receptive? All of these variables are what make live performance such a special treat to be a part of.

July 16th - Pete's Dragon

2007-07-16T12:53:00.000-07:00

This week's selection comes from an antique shop in downtown McKinney, TX. I spent a week there while serving on a jury panel for a malpractice case. I'm the one they actually picked while serving jury duty! Being the dork that I am, I was super excited to be able to serve such an integral job in the judicial system of my local government. The case was pretty interesting (a disabled man sued a doctor that literally wrote the book on the type of spinal surgery he performed), but I also looked forward to having lunch in downtown McKinney everyday. There's a quaint square with great mom and pop shops that serve good home cooked meals. The whole jury got along so well we'd all go to lunch together, too. I even had time to squeeze in a little lunch box hunt in the local antique shops.

I love this lunch box because I remember Pete's Dragon as the movie that was always on tv during rainy Saturday afternoons.

Just Hangin' on the Vine

2007-07-16T12:19:00.000-07:00

Just in the past week or so, my passion flower vine finally started blooming. I excitedly bought one when I lived in Texas, only to watch it die a quick death because I planted it in a really old bed with bad soil in the middle of a hot Texas summer. This time I'm container gardening on the back deck, and Seattle summers are much more forgiving. (Creighton and I both giggled this weekend when we saw people acting like they were going to die in the 80 degree weather we were suffering!)

I feel like this summer I'm still trying to get acclimated to my surroundings, but I managed to eek out a small collection of flowers. I'm hoping to have a much better collection next summer. I also hope that I will be able to find room in the house for some of these containers so I don't have to start all over next year.......

Walkin'

2007-07-11T23:20:00.000-07:00

OK - I used to do a lot of chance method assignments in my classes, and have always loved Cunningham's technique. I think this video is a great expression of chance at work - I love it!

Here's a copy with the original song, for reference:

July 9th - Kiddie Box

2007-07-09T21:02:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I was the kid with the Strawberry Shortcake sheets. Don't forget curtains, bedspread, posters, records, and a myriad of dolls of all sizes. Perhaps this was the beginning of my long obsession with food....... Anyhoo, this week's lunch box selection is one of two styles made of Strawberry Shortcake in the early 80's. I'm sure I had one of these when I was a girl.

It was weird to watch the resurgence of Strawberry Shortcake over the past few years. First, she showed up as cool retro wear in places like Hot Topic. Yeah. Retro. Now, to make matters worse, she's come back (so I'm told) in a new line of toys for young girls to play with. Yes, I'm finally at the age where marketers are trying to appeal to my generation as "parents." Perhaps we'll buy Strawberry Shortcake for our little girls, since we are so nostalgic for our own past!

Just another sign I'm getting older by the day. I guess we all are, but I just might have a birthday coming up in less than a month, and it just might be a departure of my Twenties. Ack.....

Just Ducky Saturday Afternoon

2007-07-08T13:21:00.000-07:00

This weekend marked the beginning of the 2007 Seafair Festival, which encompasses a series of

fun events all across Seattle for the next two months. What a great idea! One thing I've truly noticed since moving to Seattle is how people appreciate Summer here more than anywhere else. It's so refreshing to see a group of people who have just endured a long, cold and wet Fall and Winter season honestly enjoy the wonderful weather these few months bring. I've grown so used to warm sunny days in LA that it's a great lesson about appreciating the beauty of nature, and the strength of community.

Yesterday Creighton and I ventured over the West Seattle Bridge to Green Lake Park, where the Baffle Gab Milk Carton Derby was well under way. I was picturing a few haphazardly pieced together vessels that we could giggle at while watching kids try to paddle their creations. Boy, was I wrong! These boats were detailed, creative, and fast, though usually not all at once. My favorites included the duck, and the Loch Ness Monster boats. There were family boats, drunk frat guy boats, and one guy that really loved the Seattle Seahawks. One thing I did find to be Uniquely Seattle was the fact that suspiciously large amount of these milk cartons seemed to be Soy Milk......

High Dining?

2007-07-08T13:01:00.000-07:00

Last Monday was awful. There wasn't one thing that I can blame, but a series of small things that started to add up. A rude phone call. A load of paper flying out of a box I was carrying on my way to the car. A burning car on the freeway making my awful commute even worse. A bug incident involving a bag of cherries.....(all I can say is that it's going to be a looooooooong time before I can eat cherries again......).

To make up for my awful Monday, and the fact that I had to endure my yearly doctor checkup Tuesday morning, Creighton surprised me by making reservations at Salty's on Alki for dinner. I'd always wanted to check it out, and it was closed for a private party the last time I tried to stop by for lunch. I was super excited to have a great meal at the restaurant with the best view in town.

What I can say is that the view is spectacular, and the front staff was very attentive. However, the food tasted suspiciously like Red Lobster fare, and our waitress was wearing a hand brace that, for some reason, both Creighton and I found to be unappetizing. All of the wait staff had name tags, much like a cheap restaurant, and they even had balloons tied to the backs of chairs throughout the place. Don't get me wrong - I actually think there's a time and a place for Red Lobster, or any other cheap restaurant. I'm the girl that eats a peanut butter sandwich everyday fur lunch because I like to save money. So, I think that makes me feel like I should really get my money's worth when we start forking out the big bucks for a quality meal.

The best part was when my meal arrived. I ordered the Fried Seafood Martini, thinking that it might be a little gimmicky, but I love fried clam strips and scallops too much to pass it up. The most I thought would happen was a couple of normal-sized martini glasses on a plate filled with food. Nope - they bring out a stainless bucket fashioned into the shape of a martini glass. This thing was bigger than my head, practically! I was glad I still had my bread plate to scoop some food onto, since they apparently expected me to shovel food right out of this gigantic martini bucket. Ha!

I still think Salty's has a great view, and I hear the bar is a much better place to go to enjoy the view and snack on some cheaper eats. I still had fun, since the company was great (and I'm so grateful to have a rockin' guy that takes me out when I'm having a bad day), but we both feel like that'll be that last time for a while that dinner at Salty's will be on the menu.

Lunchbox of the Week - July 2nd

2007-07-02T18:25:00.000-07:00

This was the very first box that started my whole collection. I was on an Indian Reservation for a week when I was about 13, and a friend found this in a big pile of trash. He gave it to me, and at the time I just thought it was cool because my tapes and walkman fit perfectly inside. It's pretty dinged up, but the color is still vibrant. Little did I know that an obsession would soon be born.....

Tourist in Town

2007-06-30T16:43:00.000-07:00

I've been in Seattle for about three months, now (my, how time flies), and for some reason I'd never made it to the Space Needle until last weekend. My friend Andrew Dugan was in town traveling with his friend Susan, and the three of us trekked to the top of the First Symbol of the City.

I must admit I thought it was overpriced and kinda boring once we got up there, but I finally got the pics that every Seattleite gets to take:

We had a great time hanging out, and I wished we could've spent more time catching up. As much as I love Seattle, I still miss the great friends I'm lucky to know in Dallas and LA. If only they could move up here.......

Scads of Bags

2007-06-30T16:28:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited! I finally broke down and bought a bunch of reusable shopping bags at Reusablebags.com. They're Chico Bags, and of course I found them on sale (yesssss!). I've been waiting for over a week for the box to show up at my door, and today, while I was covered in primer (Creighton and I are painting the bedroom), I watched the mailman walk up to the house with a box in hand.

I can't wait to start using them at the grocery store, and they come in their own pouch that stays attached to the bag, so I can keep one or two in the car for those shopping trips to random places at the last minute. I've always felt so wasteful using so many plastic bags just once, only to throw them right into the recycle bin.

Lunchbox of the Week

2007-06-30T16:18:00.001-07:00

So, I've been collecting vintage metal lunch boxes since I was in high school, and I've seemed to amass a large collection. I still have a LOT I need to acquire, but I like taking my time to find the right box at the right price.

Since it's hard to find space to display my collection, I've started a "lunch box of the week" on my desk at work. (Anything to brighten up the office!) This is the one I've had on my desk for the last week:

C ya CA

2007-06-21T13:08:00.000-07:00

It's official! I finally got Washington license plates for the Forester, and I'm so happy to feel like an official WA resident, now. Exactly a year ago I was moving back to LA from Dallas, and drove with a friend that was making the same move. Coincidently, she's in town and staying with us off and on this weekend.

Both of our lives are completely different now from a year ago, and for the better. I appreciate the fact that life will always be different than what's expected. The best thing to do is keep an open mind for whatever choices arise. I never would've thought when I was changing my Texas plates back to California plates that I would be changing them again in just a few months. This time, however, I know I'm not going to change any plates for a long time. This time, I'm truly satisfied about where I am.