Busy busy busy as a bee.

Except I am my own queen to report to and I don't have attendants. Which is probably a good thing as I would like to do a bit more with my life than act as a brood mare. But I digress.

Planning a cruise to the Mediterranean this spring t

o celebrate my friend's birthday as well as my own. Going out of my twenties in style! Plane tickets are a bit of a bother but I guess it would be too good to be true to get everything we wanted at a fabulous price. Geocaches here we come!

Also attempting to buy a new car. Financing is good this month and I've had my eye on a Forester for a while now. Waiting to hear back from the internet dealer now. Hopefully because it is the end of the month they will be willing to make me a deal that I can live with happily. The whole idea just makes me want to vomit though. I feel greasy just being in the same room as a car salesman. Gah!

The other big ticket item on my agenda is moving apartments - again. My old, fabulous view, hardwood floor, dear to my heart apartment is up for lease and my manager is willing to give it to me for pretty cheap. So I'm taking her up on the deal and in two weeks should be able to run naked from my bathroom to bedroom without fear of being seen, even if I have all the blinds open. Yippee! Right now I'm on street level and it creeps me out a LOT. I don't like it when people can just glance as they are walking a long and see into your living room. But I would wither like a plant deprived of sunlight if I kept the windows/blinds closed all the time.

Went snowshoeing last weekend and it felt great! It felt great until I woke up two days later and couldn't move. Actually took Monday off because everything hurt too much. Couldn't really bend or lean over. That's the last time I try to keep up with the pace of a marathoner. Tuesday actually got worse because my hip flexor decided to flare up. I honestly couldn't pick up my own leg. Made putting pants on in the morning very interesting. My co-worker literally laughed at me all day whenever she saw me walking or trying to move in a way that previously was not an issue. NOT FUNNY! Okay, maybe a little. But your own pain isn't that hilarious. Now I'm going to have to do pilates twice a week to make up for the ones I missed and that could be my

undoing. Brutal class I tell you, brutal. But I keep going back for more - what does that say about me?

Found my "Cullen Vampire Baseball League" t-shirt and busted it out to feel geeky and giggle a little every time I thought of the fabulous, real (book version) Edward. The movies really are rubbish. So sad that it has given the books such bad press.

The teeny boppers are still buying so at least the author is doing well for herself.

I took on a sewing project for my friend's puppy. To test out the alterations I tried it out on Sugs. She kept trying to run away from me when I was putting it on her which was hilarious because the little hood it has was blinding her. Eventually I was able to fold that back and snap this pic:

After she could see again and felt resigned at being caught in the costume she lay down and just stared at me. Typical cat reaction for having something tied around their middle. Funny though!

Excited to test out my new cookbook "America's Test Kitchen Baking Book". There is a recipe in there for quick cinnamon rolls that looks delicious. On the table in less than an hour. Can't beat that! So I'm off to find powdered buttermilk. Easier to store and scored just below real buttermilk and way above soured milk. Breakfast tomorrow is going to be awesome!

Breathing bliss.

That's right, my nose and sinuses are my own again AND I can taste food. Totally awesome. Missed a week due to busy-ness but as my life isn't too terribly exciting I doubt anyone noticed.

Highlights from over a week ago... geocache galore for last weekend. Got really dirty scrambling up sandy, wet slopes but success! Found a travel coin one day and the next I helped to send it on its way to another park (its mission). More caches in new areas so I deemed the weekend a success. Am looking to get myself involved with more official geocache events so I can get coins without having to pay for them outright. There's one coming up in summer but that's a ways away yet.

Shaun of the Dead. Best zombie flick ever. In case you were wondering. :) There's a theater around here that shows older movies for cheap on the big screen with a full service menu. Too neat! You can actually order piggies in a blanket. For some reason that cracks me up!

Got tupperware back from mom. Seems when I dropped off some stuff while ill I neglected to see the nice, clean pile of borrowed dishes waiting for me on the kitchen table. So I've been scrambling since new year's to put away food without any dishes. Lots of saran wrap was involved.

Overdue work party was held. Whiny department didn't show despite my planning and RSVP efforts so that was annoying. Plus side was that I got to play Rockband at work. Always a nice way to end the week.

Every time I brag about Sugs using the new litter box she reverts to leaving the solids just outside of it. Since I'm not willing to poo on anything of hers to counter attack I think she might win this battle. But so long as I can borrow mom's carpet cleaner and the mild discolorations continue to wash out I'm not finished yet!

Xmas porch goose does not have any weights yet. The only place I have found to place it where it doesn't fall over (it really does need something to weigh the bottom down) is on top of a filing cabinet that is dented a bit on top. Which causes my mackintosh-clad tchotchke to hold a prominent place in my big picture window. The yellow slicker is visible from at least a hundred yards. Makes me giggle every time I see it when I'm walking up.

The opera strikes again! It seems I am determined to foil my evil plot to enjoy opera. The first of the season I thought it would be a good idea to eat dessert with a glass of champagne before the show. BAD idea. Was so sleepy I actually did the head bob. Music to La Traviata was amazing though. I do remember that. This time it was Il Trovatore and I was struck with food poisoning. I had hoped to have a nice, relaxing sleep in (maybe some laundry thrown in for good measure) before heading off to the show. But no. My day started at 2:30 am with some serious GI distress. I had to give myself a pep talk just to go to the show. Almost walked out before intermission but decided to stick it out and ignore the discomfort. And wouldn't you know, I wanted to die a little for approximately two hours fifty-five minutes. Literally the last five minutes my stomach takes a sigh of relief and decides to feel better. Grrr.

I am happy to report that I get to have my sleep in tomorrow thanks to the holiday. Will try to make the most of it. Maybe I'll get to some of the baby present projects finished. Finally got a hold of pinking shears to help prevent fabric disarray in the washing machine.

Ooh yes, I got a hold of a friend's copy of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Can't wait to finish up the original before starting in on the spoof. Supposed to be pretty good too!

Gotta love that book cover! Totally after my heart!

Almost forgot!

I love this picture - feeding yourself is so hard!

Fun with Lauren

First up, mom:



Lauren knows some signs from a super video series called My Baby Can Talk. Totally awesome.



Next up, dad:



So much fun! Again! Again!

Trampolines are fun no matter the season!

Christmas in Colorado!
I had a very pleasant trip down to CO, flight delayed only slightly. Came inside and immediately started wrapping presents for my operation Shock & Awe the next morning. As I was wrapping Nathan's light saber Lauren woke up (she was sick and not sleeping very well) and came to the living room for a short visit. She sees the light saber and immediately says, "Pchew, pchew". That's my girl. No complete sentences yet but I know my Star Wars noises. Awesome.

Look at all those presents!

Ashlyn looking very pleased with her kid's digital camera (princess edition!). Unfortunately it did not work and had to be returned. Instead of getting something else for Xmas from me she opted for a real camera that would count as this Xmas and her next birthday present from me. It's in the mail and it's purple! Thank you Costco!

BEHOLD the light saber! Sheer joy. This is why I love giving presents.

Me rockin' the polka dot cupcake pajama pants with Lauren and her polka dot art smock. She didn't seem too interested in the color wonder markers that were also her present but I think they will grow on her. She likes to color anything and everything. Permanent markers are her favorite which is why the color wonder markers were requested as a gift by mom. They only show up on color wonder paper! For several days she was sporting some ink on her midriff leftover from some past, unsupervised coloring.
Megan investigates the light up maracas. Thorough taste inspection is mandatory for all objects.

Upon emptying her stocking, Ashlyn encounters pop rocks for the first time. Really entertaining to watch this discovery.

Nathan shows off knitted presents from Oma.

Lauren takes a break from presents to take a ride on mom's legs. Wee! So much fun.

Megan enjoys the flavor of her fingers.

Christmas is also Nathan's birthday and he always gets to pick his birthday dinner. For Christmas day dinner we had....

... mac & cheese with lil smokies! Broiled a bit too long but we'll just call it blackened and pretend we're Cajun. Very tasty! Excellent choice Nathan.

Onwards to dessert!
Decorating the birthday cupcakes.

After dessert comes the birthday presents for Nathan!

The ensemble is now complete and Nathan shows off his Jedi face.

And Erika is off and running with the thank you cards, made herself! The kids were very good about signing themselves (Ashlyn & Nathan for now) and drawing pictures on each thank you note.

It was then decided that we should play in the snow. Due to Lauren being sick the destination was the backyard. And there I found bunny tracks in the snow! Though most likely a boy the kids named the bunny Alicia. I saw Alicia a few times crisscrossing the backyard during my stay.

Uh-oh! Look out! Luckily the zoom on my camera was more powerful than Nathan's throwing arm.
Wee! Swing sets are fun any time of year!

And here the pictures end. This is about the time that everyone in the house took turns getting and then staying sick. The highlight was when Nathan was trying to figure out how to best utilize a barf bucket. He was told that if he felt sick while in bed that he should hold the bucket to his face and puke into it as opposed to on himself or the blankets. He took this very literally and while still laying down held the bucket above his face and vomited. Gravity was not kind.

While I was napping in the guest bedroom in the basement, trying to stave off my own illness unsuccessfully, I heard a weird sploosh noise. I was a bit out of it and assumed it was one of the kids upstairs using the bathroom. Soon after Ashlyn comes down to tell me that Lauren is awake and that there is a water spill that she stepped in. I thought it was a juice cup spill or something. Nope. That sploosh was the sewer backing up in to the basement. Yuck. Thank goodness for plumbers! One came out within the hour to chew up some tree roots that apparently had clogged up the line. Then the clean-up began. Luckily the carpet on the floor was all remnant and could be disposed of quickly and the spill wasn't too bad. Still not a nice post-Christmas gift.

On the up side, sissy and I had some craft craziness. I am now stocked up for baby presents. I made some really sweet burp cloths and a play thing called a taggy. Basically, a taggy is a piece of fleece with ribbon loops sticking out of it on all sides. Babies like to grab onto it for full oral inspection of all brightly colored ribbon-type things. There's also a taggy ball that you can put bells in the middle. Haven't made the ball yet but, due to pregnancies lasting as long as they do, I have some time yet.

The day I left CO was the worst day of the cold so far. I went to an urgent care doctor, called my insurance nurse call line, and despite it all suffered greatly. I have never before cried because of a cold. So much pain. Sore throat doesn't even being to explain it. I was very close to going to the ER because I couldn't even swallow for a few hours. Had to spit out saliva which doesn't really help the "push fluids" advice of the doctor. I was amused calling the nurse because she was most concerned with the appearance of hives and asked me (trying to determine if I was going through anaphylaxis) if I was having trouble breathing or swallowing. Well yes, of course I am. I have an upper respiratory tract infection.

The doctor even gave me a note stating that I was not to travel that day due to illness in case it would have some sway with the airlines if I chose not to fly. I flew anyway, assuming that I hadn't been through the worst of it yet. And it is better to be sick at home than anywhere else. Luckily, no burst ear drums during the descent! And the weather gods were with me as I relied on public transportation to get home. Wet ground but nothing falling from the sky. First time on the light rail! Worked like a charm and no scary people despite the holiday and the late hour.

I purchased a humidifier yesterday and was disappointed that you have to soak this one filter thing for 24 hours before use. Here's hoping that tonight is more restful when I can actually use it! Today my goal is to buy some good lotion tissues for my poor nose. And to rest. And eat spicy soup.

Hopefully by tomorrow I will be well enough to trek down south to get Sugar. She's happy playing with Cleo at Ray's. With luck I will be well enough to go to work Monday but I'm doubtful at the moment. Thank goodness for sick time!

All told it was still a good trip. The kids are too cute and I was able to bring lots of smiles so I consider it successful. I helped out mom & dad with some basement organization and got to play with some power tools under the guise of assisting Rick with some shelf construction for the backyard shed. I can't wait to have a bit more space for things like tools and food storage. Oh to have a pantry and back-up freezer!

For now I will revel in my ability to nap and shower for as long as I want and hope it does more than for me than ring up the utility bills.

Christmas!

I hosted dinner last weekend to celebrate a bit early as mom and I will both be celebrating the holiday elsewhere. Made a nice leg of lamb, roast potatoes and brussels sprouts using recipes from a guy at the local farmer's market. I reduced my wine-cream sauce a bit too much and had to chuck it but everything tasted great. Brussels sprouts still taste like brussels sprouts though they were the best ones I have tasted. Just not a fan.

Got an early Christmas present in the mail today that cracked me up! Went to the manager's office after receiving notice that a package was there, which was very confusing as I was not expecting one having completed my online shopping last week. I see a number of small packages on the floor, and one large one marked "30 dozen eggs". I giggle at the eccentricity of one of my neighbors and start to sort through the pile. No package with my name on it. Hmm. Maybe the manager had it wrong? I check one last time and then decide to look at the egg package just to see which nutty neighbor it is. Yup, my name on it. Very curious, I run the package upstairs and what should my wondering eyes should appear?

My very own Christmas goose decked out in rain gear! Craziness! I had actually commented once to my step-sister Michelle how I thought my friend's porch goose was cute and funny and she liked to dress it up for each season. (My personal favorite is the witch costume for Halloween that she can actually put on her weiner dog!) Rain gear is appropriate for the northwest! I guess I need to join the mobs and buy a house this year so I can have an appropriate place to show off my very own porch goose. What a riot!

Looking forward to the upcoming week off of work. It will be so nice to have some real time off and totally forget about the place. Sugs is going to a "kennel" at Ray's place where he'll be taking care of my mom's cat too. Can't wait to hear what happens while we're gone.

I think I have OD'd on xmas music. You may recognize the problem seeing as how xmas is still a few days away. Maybe if I stop listening to it now I will want to hear more on xmas eve. Here's hoping!

I totally managed to fit everything into my carry-on for my flight - xmas presents and clothes! Fingers crossed that the light saber for my nephew doesn't look like a weapon to the amazing TSA screeners.

Ooh! I was able to get the next book from the library - Into the Wild. I was having a minor panic attack that I wouldn't be able to get it in time and would have to flake out of the book club meeting or go and not be able to contribute. Neither were acceptable options. Then I had to laugh when I actually looked at the book picking it up this evening. I've already seen the movie! Yes, yes, that isn't the point of a book club but at least if I don't finish I will know how things turn out in the end. Not so for next month's A Girl Named Zippy. In case I don't have enough to do already I downloaded something like eleven books for free onto my new, free kindle. Classics mostly that I've sworn to read but haven't ever managed to: Treasure Island, Dracula, Pride & Prejudice. Very exciting!

Tip of the week - read owner's manuals for new electronic toys. I purchased an ipod nano a while back and only discovered recently from my co-worker that it is also a pedometer! How neat is that? And if you shake it, it changes the song! Coolness!

I can't stop looking at the goose. I think its beady little eyes are watching me. I bet it is going to freak the heck out of me tomorrow morning when I wake up and it is at eye level on the kitchen bar counter. hehe!

Emotional week.

Things have been kind of up and down at work since the lay-offs. All of the people in my group that were "affected" have a six month transition period. I hate how they call them "affected". Makes it sound more negative I think. Attitudes could be better and apathy is on the rise. Yeah for lay-offs before the holidays.

Also, things have ended between me and my man. Normally, I try not to mention much about my dating life on here but for whatever reason I'm announcing it. So that sucks too. Dating in winter when it seems like there is only 4 hours of sunlight is difficult and not much fun. I think I may postpone until spring fever hits me and I want to be super active. Putting yourself out there is tiring and takes a toll. We'll see how things go. The first major obstacle in dealing with this change is that now I have no one to pick me up at the airport late New Year's Eve when I come back from visiting family over Xmas. I can't find a bus that has a reasonable delivery to where my car will be stashed and taxis will be crazy expensive. Even the shuttles are kinda pricey. If I could use public transport it would be free due to an Orca card from work but I'm not really seeing that happening. At least I've got some time to figure it out.

I've decided to start my first sewing project. It will be a Jedi cloak for my nephew and it is supposed to be a simple robe. Should be a no-brainer, right? Well I've been through elated, frustrated, confused and hateful so far and I'm not even done cutting the fabric! S'pose it's because I thought I could do it without a pattern. Turns out I'm challenged spatially and really need something written down - with pictures - to have it make sense to my brain. I've got the weekend on my own before I call in reinforcements i.e. taking it to the sewing store where I bought my machine and they will help you through stuff. Fingers crossed!

Allergies have hit me really hard this week. I'm pretty sure it is the cat's fault. It's so cold outside I never open the windows and I think all the dander just hangs in the air like my own personal thundercloud. I'm fine in the car and at work but as soon as I'm home the eyes start itching and the nose starts running. So of course I've run out of medicine and keep forgetting to buy some when I go to the shops. Gah! Wondering if an air purifier would be good for me. I've already put the allergy bedding on all my stuff and my normal vacuum is super hepa craziness but Pong (my Roomba) is bagless and probably adds to my suffering. I think I will add no carpet to my next apartment list. I think they are more trouble than they are worth.


Enough with the tough week here are some moments of happy:

FINALLY made it to the cobbler in my neighborhood and asked if they could sell me a shoe polish cloth. I have looked EVERYWHERE for one and no one sells them anymore. He said he could give me one for free. Guess what it is - a cloth baby diaper! He gets them by the hundred (used but cleaned) and says they last forever. When it is used up he uses it for an oil rag. Brilliant!

Though crazy cold the sun has been shining and the view is gorgeous and has been for a week or so! Yeah!

Being single and not dating is cheap! My dining out budget will be significantly less and I won't have to fret as much over food costs. This is actually a huge weight lifted when you are no longer dating someone that doesn't watch their spending but still likes to split checks.

My apartment is quite small so I have nixed most decorating in favor of being able to walk around my living room. My friend Kara got a real tree and we meet up on Mondays for tv so I can get my tree fix in addition to cable!

My new all weather tires are still awesome and I feel much safer on the road.

All in all the outlook is good and I'm looking forward to taking pics of the nieces and nephew running around with the super fabulous presents they are getting from the best aunt ever, me.

Brrrr!

Winter has definitely arrived. And just in time I swapped out my crappy tires that I have hated since the moment I purchased them for some super fabulous rubber-treaded awesomeness. Now to order chains and the recipe for preparedness will be complete.

For a treat on Sat, headed to the Portage Bay Café. Delish. I've said it before and I'll say it again, delish. I snagged this pic off of yelp to give you an idea:

The pancakes are post berry bar trip. They let you load up on lots of fresh treats including berries and whipped cream. Their only policy is that you eat whatever you dish. I went against my better judgement and opted for the crab cake eggs benedict instead of the french toast. Never again. ALWAYS get the french toast, especially if the special looks halfway decent. Divine experience I tell you! Next time...

This great meal was followed by a lazy drive in the sun and then off to family dinner and pics. Was great to see out of towners and in towners alike. Kids get so big so fast it is scary. Wined and dined and made it home for a good long sleep.

Brrrr! The high tomorrow is supposed to be around the freezing point and it is times like these that I'm glad that I don't work outside. Sunday was frigid but sunny. I'm sure the people on the other side of the stadium appreciated its rays immensly. All I know is that despite my many precautions after the MLS final game I was still dancing around trying to get luke warm blood to travel to my feet. I had on two base layers, a jersey, an ultra warm soft shell jacket and a ski jacket all on the top half. For the bottom I had long johns, wool socks, snow pants and a blanket from mid chest to the ground wrapped around me. Finish it off with a scarf, hat and mittens and you really only saw my eyes and the start of my nose. I can't imagine what people in other cities do that have more severe cold weather and open stadiums. At least we won! Sad but funny was that the coat Jason grabbed was his red one and not the blue one. We were playing the 49ers. So he left it in the car and froze to the stadium seating so as to not root for the wrong team. We have different priorities I guess. So far every game I have attended we have won. They should set aside a heated seat for me so I come to them more often!

Work will be interesting moving forward. We had more lay-offs last week that took a lot of us off guard. They were expected but not so soon. I am ok for now but who knows. Should really find an industry that is more stable but I'm not sure what that is or if I would be happy in it.

On the plus side I have Xmas break vacation plans and someone to take me and pick me up at the airport. Yeah! Sis & babies, here I come! Let's see if I can finish my crafty present in time...

For now I am thankful for thin base layers and my purring portable heater. And Top Gear. That show is the best! I literally could watch it all day. This does not help my book club goals though. So far I have been on time but the Xmas crunch will put an extra helping of panic onto my plate even though we've agreed to meet in January. Here's hoping.

Oh, and speaking of reading, I got the cover for my free kindle and am now reading a free digital copy of Pride and Prejudice. Love it! Having memorized lots of movie versions it is interesting to see which one is most accurate. Sorry to say it is not the one with Keira Knightley but I do love it anyway.

Goodness me!

Did not realize I never got around to posting last week. Oops. Work was blech. Had an unending string of failed assays continue from previous weeks which pushes back project time lines further and further, making my goal of being finished by Q4 largely unattainable. Which didn't exactly put me in a good mood for writing my performance review. It's hard to say, "Everything I touched in the last month has failed - please give me a promotion/raise". To be sure, it was not my fault that all these assays failed. But fail they did and all I can say is that I busted my butt and with the help of a few key people (or really, person) the problems have been solved. Yippee! So next week should be busy playing catch-up. Yeah.

Last weekend, however, was AWESOME. I get a lovely little email from my friend Kelly saying, "Do you want to go to the MLS final for free?" Um. Yes, yes I do. And so we did. We started things off with a book signing at a local pub by Grant Wahl for The Beckham Experiment. I think it is hilarious, by the way, that when I googled just now for his name, because I forgot, one of the first results was this:

LONDON - Former Spice girl Victoria Beckham needs surgery to remove her bunions, a painful toe problem, and has been advised not to wear high heels.

Back to soccer. While at the pub waiting for halftime of an English match to commence so the book signing/reading could also commence I mused over the sponsorship of soccer teams in general. I was flummoxed over how to tell just who was playing whom. For the longest time all I could tell you was that Motorola was gaining over Fly Emirates. Turns out it was Sunderland vs Arsenal, respectively. Most of the pub patrons were wearing red Arsenal gear but were cheering for the guys in blue (Motorola) and not red (Fly Emirates). Very confusing. Took me almost ten minutes of non-stop playing with intermittent cheering/booing to work it all out in my head.

Unfortunately Seattle's best green players and fans suffer from this as well and appear to love XBox Live more than anything else and you can't buy an official jersey that says otherwise. Phhhht to that.

Next we attended the MLS Cup Final Party downtown. The panel discussion was a lot more interesting than I thought it would be and the food was tasty, especially the frozen custard from Peaks.

Sunday was the big day and while my beloved guys in green weren't playing it was spectacular. Kelly and I met up for the march to the stadium a couple of hours before the match. Lo and behold! When, what my wondering eyes should appear? But all of the Sounders players, signing autographs in good cheer. Eek! Penless, we begged and borrowed our way to five signatures total for our scarves plus one fabulous pic of Kelly and Kasey Keller (my fantasy sports husband). I have discovered two things: 1. the Sounders players are very nice and friendly to their adoring fans. 2. Every soccer player I saw lied about their height. Do they really think people won't find out? Or is it standard practice to add 2+ inches onto their stats? They all look so little in person. Guess I should stick to basketball players but they are decidedly less cute and don't have as nice legs. I never thought I would admire a man's legs but soccer players have the best. I guess you don't know what's out there until you see it/start paying attention.

March, march, march. Concert. Yup, there was a concert. Third Eye Blind was there and it was fun to have such an intimate affair in the parking lot. I was maybe ten rows back from the stage with a clear view - times like these it was fabulous to be at a greater altitude than the general population. I haven't followed them at all so their new songs didn't do much for me but the oldies but goodies took me back to high school for sure. Very fun. Even the weather held out and didn't rain!

Into the stadium, pick up free schwag (by that I mean the second accepted definition for this on urbandictionary.com) and to the seats! But then NO! Shock and horror! I have forgotten my glasses! While myopic tendancies have not required a special notation on my license as yet, corrective lenses are ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY for checking out certain famous British soccer stars that Grant Wahl includes in the title of his aforementioned book. What to do?!? I plead for my friend to point out the object of my secret obsession since viewing "Bend it Like Beckham" which I watched because it was supposed to be a fun Bollywood type film and not because I had ever heard of anyone in fútbol other than Pelé. She pointed him out and then informed me that I was free to walk down to the very front of the stadium and gawk at him there along with everyone else as he warmed up with his teammates.

Bless you Kelly.

So I got my fix. Sigh. Which was actually a little disappointing. He's itty bitty. As my friend Kara would say, "He's so little and cute I just wanna put him on a shelf and dust him". Totally ruins the fantasy. Even if he is oh-so-pretty and talented. But the game was fun and it was nice to see the Cinderella team triumph. The only downside besides the crushing of my pretty-boy fantasy was how bloody cold it was in the stadium. When you aren't really moving a whole lot and there is a steady, chill wind blowing over you it is hard to maintain your core temperature. But Kelly was fine so I guess it was just me, the royal we and no one else, that was slowly descending into a state of hypothermia. I tried to tough it out but when it became obvious that there would be at least 30 minutes of regulation over time play (i.e. closer to an hour in real time) I broke down and headed to the team store in the stadium. I am now the proud owner of an ultra-soft, Seahawks fleece blanket (because there weren't any Sounders ones). Wrapped up in my cocoon that was bound around me tighter than a straight jacket I hooted and hollared with the best of them - only with much less gesticulating.

'Twas a grand time.

Which brings us to Thanksgiving. It was supposed to be a short work week but I put in many more hours than required trying to resolve the failing assay issues. I was relieved to finally get home and start baking some pie when I realized that, sadly, I had neglected to pass along the emergency pager to the next co-worker for their week of fridge/freezer alarm babysitting. Poo. So far it hasn't gone off and I hope it stays that way. My pie turned out very well indeed. No, I did not slave over the perfect crust from scratch nor did I eviscerate a sugar pumpkin but I did use tiny cookie cutters to make a leaf border for the pie as well as some cute decorations in the middle. So there was some above and beyond effort involved. :P

Went to momma's for the feast and stuffed myself stupid which is my assessment of a succesful get together. This was preceeded and followed by a Top Gear dvd marathon, if you can call one dvd a marathon. Most excellent indeed. But why oh why, Netflix, do you only have season ten available? This does not include the best episode ever (three parts, three links) but - enter youtube.com stage left. And so that is why there is a red beat-to-hell Toyota pick-up in the background for all their stage broadcasts. :)

Speaking of red, my mind has turned to the Christmas season. I'm up for feast preparations and hosting. Let's hope I can have it as organized and low stress as momma managed for turkey day. I really don't think I will try to cram a tree in my apt so I will have to get my fix for tree smell like I do for my puppy fix - go where they hang out en masse. I will do my best to be a hanger on at a friend's tree purchase so I don't feel too guilty snooping around tree lots breathing deeply and purchasing nothing. Ooh, maybe I could get a live wreath instead!

I did manage to finish my book club book Julie & Julia. It was an interesting read but I don't think it will go down in my Hall of Fame list. Will be fun to chat about it tomorrow since I missed October's Secret Life of Bees meeting. Can't remember what is up for December other than I have never heard of the book before reading the title on the list of books to read. Let's hope it doesn't suck.

Via a work purchase/vendor promotion I received a FREE Kindle. Yippee! I am being extra patient and not using it until the protective cover I ordered from amazon comes next week. It is purple. Yeah! Super excited about reading something on it but am decidedly not super excited about the price of book downloads (only slightly cheaper than a current paperback). Will have to see how other users are dealing with this issue.

I think I'm tapped for news that is mildly interesting. Hasta luego mes amis.

Cloudy skies.

The skies read winter even though there is a lot of color left on the trees. My porch plants are looking particularly sad, especially the chives that were relegated to outdoor duty after the cat puking incident(s). Who knew all members of Allium were really bad for kitties? The good news is that Sugs is fine and the plants will survive. I like the rain but I still crave crisp, dry days for walking and tree gazing. Looks like those days are gone. Lots of cold and gray ahead.

To cheer myself up out of the gloom I have started thinking about where I would like to move when my lease is up in the early spring. I'd like to move closer to one of the bike paths (i.e. downhill from my current location) so I am more likely to actually bike in to work. The hill I live on is so very daunting at the end of commute after a long day. The trouble is that it is hard to day dream with any kind of house in mind until much closer to the potential move-in day. And then there is the whole roommate question. It is obviously cheaper but difficult for me to negotiate as I come with an apartment in a box and a cat. Living on my own is more simple and easy but less happy for the budget. Regardless my main goal is to live on a quieter street which shouldn't be too difficult as I live on the highway now. Here's hoping I find my dream place in the spring!

Wow, not five minutes has passed and I just looked out the window and the city is completely gone. Talk about cloud cover.

Last night was a great game night though I abstained from most of it and just watched. When I did get into it I played a new game, Pandemic. It is the first game I have played where you are trying to beat the board and cooperate with fellow players instead of beating them into defeat. You take on the role of a CDC person and help to wipe out infections across the globe. I liked it alot. :) Still hoping that I will get to play San Juan soon. That sounded good too, though more along the line of Settlers and less cooperating going on there.

My latest plan for Xmas (and the resulting week off of work) is to buy Michelin X Radials (I need new tires desperately so why not get the top rated ones?) for my car, find some diamond chains and rock the mountains. Will have to remember to bring a hot cocoa thermos next time. Makes any cold day better!

Have been thinking about joining the Y. Mostly because they have a pool and though their prices are more than the City of Seattle pools they seem to have much cleaner facilities. I plan to tour one of the branches this week to get a feel for things and see if I want to get on a bus at oh dark thirty to get a swim in before a work day. Inertia is tough to overcome so I'll have to come up with a plan that is easy and effective. Swimming should really become part of my routine given the messed up knees. I just wished I liked it more. My friend suggested I get a swim cap or (with any frequency) my hair will suffer greatly from all the pool chemicals. Wonder what the consequences will be for my oh so sensitive skin... Must do more research.

My veggies have finished roasting so I think I'll go make some nummy soup now. And maybe eat some butter pecan ice cream. That makes everything better. Oh yes, and with magic shell of course. I'm on my last bottle that mom gave me, the horror!

Fruits of someone else's labor.

I received my first delivery of organic fruits and veggies this week. It came in a tub and didn't look like much...


...until I unloaded it onto my stove...
Yowza! Here's the list:
1 onion
1 avocado
1 cucumber
1/2 pint of kiwi berries
1 big bag of salad greens
1 bunch red chard
1 bunch beets
1 head cauliflower
2 zucchini
2 bartlett pears
2 braeburn apples
3 bananas

I just might have some trouble eating all of this in two weeks. I cooked up a storm on Sunday, fried up the zucchini with some yellow squash (my favorite!) and then simmered vegetable soup for a spell (if you puree the cauliflower it is almost like adding cream - super silky texture). Was too pooped after all that chopping to hit the pear snow so that will have to be another night this week. They even give you a couple of recipes with the delivery if you are stumped for ideas. I think that is a great idea though I will not be trying out the fried cauliflower.

Rain, rain, wind, hail, lightening, rain and wind. Fall is definitely here and aside from freezing my hiney off in the morning I love it! The flooding could be done without though... good thing I live on the top of a hill! :) Thursday night it actually woke me up and I opened up the blinds in my bedroom and just stared out for ten minutes or so. Mesmerizing!

Had a day of beauty Friday (more like a couple of hours) which was too much fun! My salon was having new client massage specials and so I treated myself to 90 minutes for only $68. Sweeeeet. Apparently my pecs are really tight. I was given stretches.

Tried out the Portage Bay Café Saturday morning and WOW, that was some great food. I ordered the challah french toast with some sort of pear/almond glaze and topped it off (thought it didn't really need it) with a trip to their "berry bar". I'm drooling just thinking about it. Very popular place though so if you stop by, go in early or be prepared to wait.

I suggested we do something romantic and so Jason made reservations to a fancy schmancy restaurant Saturday night. He decided to surprise me by sporting a 'stache for Movember. There is a fundraiser for prostate cancer that he participates in each year with his brother where they get people to "sponser" the growing of a moustache for the month of November. Gah. Totally changes his face and it is a little pervy. He thinks he looks like a gym teacher. And I have to say, if he was wearing short shorts, socks pulled up high and had a whistle he would be spot on. This is the two of them last year:

Why he decided to break this out for our romantic dinner I cannot guess; it is quite the mood killer, no? S'pose it could be worse, just can't think of how right this moment. ;)

Sunday brought me to a Seahawk/Sounders party where I was able to get a healthy dose of my friend's cute baby. Six months already! They have a caterpillar/centipede thing that spells out the alphabet on its feet. It sounds out the letters when you press them and can kind of make words when several are pressed in succession. We discovered that for some swear words it giggles instead of finishing sounding out the word and for others it does not. Hmm. They will have to keep an eye on that somehow.

Also very exciting was seeing another friend on tv at the Sounders game. Was only for a second and she wasn't looking at the camera but it was her! One second of fame used up right there. Only 899 left in her lifetime.

This week will bring the charity auction at work which normally would be fun but this week is a little stressed without losing one day to it and not many people are in the giving mood anyway. Hope it turns out well and we are able to make a few organizations happier this holiday season.

One piece of good news, our CEO/Pres is giving us the week between Xmas and New Years off. Any ideas? I'd love to find a cheap cabin rental but they don't seem to really have those for one person. I have found plenty of cheap options for a family of 6-10 but it becomes less of a deal when there is only one person footing the bill.

I need to find some chocolate now so ta ta! Happy autumn rain storms!

New York and Boston and Halloween - Oh My!

First up, New York, New York!
Went to visit some of Jason's old haunts and to eat as many delicious treats as possible while catching Broadway shows and sightseeing. Phew! Whirlwind trip but we managed to do a lot in our short time there.

The Schedule

Thurs:
- New Yorker Hotel. Excellent location for all of our purposes.
- Anonymous pizza joint for a slice on the way to "God of Carnage". Tasty but I was disturbed with the mozzarella as it looked like a sheet of white plastic.
- The show was awesome! Totally hilarious and recommended.
- Keen's Steak House for the last lobster in the tank - 5lbs! First taste of bananas foster. Mmmm. Will have to try to make that at home.

Fri:
- Barney Greengrass for AMAZING cured salmon & whitefish on fresh bagels with fresh squeezed o.j. I am still dreaming of this when I sleep.
- Art fix at the Guggenheim with Kandinsky. I prefer his early and late works.
- Lunch tasting menu at Bouley. One of the best meals every. Hands down the best service I have ever received in a restaurant. Chef thinks very highly of himself.
- Little Branch (which is the little sister of Milk & Honey) for a quick drink before "Our Town".
- Show was very well done but the interpretation was not my cup of tea.
- Po for some Italian after "Our Town".

Sat:
- Barney Greengrass again for an o.j. to go and salmon present for baby Evan's mom & pop.
- Central Park (or at least one corner of it) tour. Here we are during a rain break (yeah)!

- Stopped in at Tavern on the Green but they were kind of snooty and wouldn't let us sit in the pretty conservatory so we left for a better venue - Chinatown!
- Vanessa's Dumpling House provided for some seriously cheap eats. Mmm, fried dumplings. Stuffed us both for $6.50 grand total.
- Bolt Bus takes me to Boston (nice ride - leg room people! - and crazy cheap seats) where I find this adorable family!
Sun:
- Wilson Farms was a real treat to visit and buy groceries. In my dream world this is down the street from me in Seattle.
- Walden Pond was looking quite magnificent in its autumn finery. Many pictures were taken of leaves.
- Pumpkin carving party! Yeah! Lots of treats and happy jack-o-lanterns. On the way, our GPS took us to some of the shadier areas of Boston, or so I am told.

Mon:
- And Holly slept. All that eating and touristy stuff takes a toll you know!
- Roused myself only to read my book and cook up some treats of my own for a thank you dinner.

Tue:
- Longest day ever. Said goodbye and took an hour drive to the bus station. Twiddle thumbs for an hour. Hopped on the Bolt yet again for 4 1/2 hours back up to NY. Followed by a hot fudge sundae at Keen's. Mmm, chocolate. 1 hour taxi to airport, twiddle thumbs for an hour, 5 1/2 hour flight home. 1/2 hour taxi home. Crash.

And so wenteth the NY/Boston trip. Loads of fun and I can't wait for a repeat, just not anytime soon. Need to recupe!

If you are still reading then here is how the rest of the week went:

OMG we're being audited at work and they actually want something from me! Eek!
Ack! Organize people/food/money/prizes for the work Halloween party!
D'oh! Need to carve a pumpkin and decorate my cubicle for the contest!
Set-up, enjoy, take down party.
Go to bed, wake up and set-up, enjoy, take down my own Halloween party.
Sleeeeeeep. Zzzz. Zzzzzzzz.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Parking tickets are lame. Especially since I wouldn't have received one if Kara's letter carrier wasn't mean spirited. Grrr.

On the plus side, I have a new toy. Got me one of them new-fangled ipod nano player things. Is cool. Took my very first video today of Miss Kara's lovely show girl weiner dog, Biscuit. Makes me laugh every time she does this one dance so I had to share it with the world. Currently, it is on Facebook. I'm too lazy to spam the world just now so Facebook will have to do. tee hee!

And now I sleep again. A little worried that I can't remember at all what I was working on last week when I left. So Monday could be a nice and slow catch-up or a mad dash free-for-all of testing. I vote number 1. Number 1 I tell you! Please oh please let it be number 1. Number 2 is more likely. We'll see.

La Traviata

That is how I spent my Sunday afternoon. My first real opera and I have to say, it was hard to pay attention to everything. At the symphony you can just close your eyes and absorb the music. At musicals I feel like the music is more an to the actions which are usually so fast paced that I am just swept along. For me, with opera, you can't do just one or the other. I found it difficult to fully appreciate the music while following the actors on stage. It was amazing! The way they can project their voices, even when laying down or facing another direction totally blows my mind. There is so much feeling in their words even if it is just a note drawn out all the nuances in pitch and volume say a lot. Put that together with some hand gestures and other body language and you don't even need to speak Italian to understand. Crazy talented people. There was even a short flamenco section that made me yearn for Spain in a way I haven't felt for years. Sigh.

I've decided to embrace beets. Growing up my only exposure was mom and her love of pickled beets which still don't do anything for me. Enter my man, Jason. He likes beets and beet greens. So I decided to test some out on myself this evening (with opera date mom). Did you know they take almost an hour to cook in boiling water?!? That is a serious vegetable. Made a nice little mix of onion, garlic, golden beets, beet greens and apples. Delish. Especially with a splash of apple cider vinegar to finish it off. I was able to convince mom to make some pear snow and boy did that take me back to my younger days. Excellent dessert. And not even that bad for you, as desserts go.

Nothing too exciting happened last week as my evil, no EVIL, cold still had me in its grips and rendered me useless. I am happy to report that my evil cold is gone and I can now venture out into public without fear of contaminating everything (and everyone) around me. Yeah!

The Halloween costume is coming together nicely. Waiting for UPS to deliver the last few pieces and I'll essentially be done. Party party.

Miss Sugar has been feeling a bit vomacious lately and so I took her to the vet and they ran some blood. Nothing obvious except low on neutrophils, but not really that low. And based on that finding alone she either has some sort of bone cancer with no other side effects (at the moment) or it is hairballs with a low neutrophil count. Let's vote for number two please. Suggested testing the same again in two weeks to see if it was a fluke or if further examination needs to take place. She is nine and they are calling her a geriatric. Seems a bit harsh to me.

Oh, and speaking of geriatrics, I was talking to a young, pretty thing at a salon about hair products. I asked her for her opinion (she was a stylist/salesperson) on a shampoo/cond that might help give some oomph to my fine hair. She takes me to her suggested product and explains that it has "vital proteins and nutrients for aging hair". wtf? I'm not even thirty yet and I have aging hair? It is constantly replenishing itself. Next to skin cells sloughing off I think it is the youngest, newest thing on me! Grrr. I didn't buy it because I was pouting but now I'm kind of curious...

Totally missed Trophy's new cupcake flavor today - choc cake with nutella buttercream dipped in crushed hazelnuts. Sounds divine. But I did make super fabulous banana bread with walnuts and dark chocolate chips. Mmm. That should count for something. Maybe Trophy will decide to do them again tomorrow since they were such a hit today (twitter feed keeps me up to date).

Ciao for now, the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is calling to me.

Hello San Francisco!















Had a lovely trip last weekend to San Fran for a wedding. I don't know that I'd want to live in a city so crowded but it was fantastic to visit!!!

I totally cracked up when the first thing we see as we get off the train is the crazy people are out in full force.

Have you actually ever looked at their website? Totally nuts. But always good for entertainment value I suppose.

Ate some fantastic food, which I think is the only real way to visit a city. I was shocked and horrified when one little café chose to slice my perfect croissant in half and toast it black on the edges in an oven. He murdered my croissant!!! Took almost all the enjoyment of eating the puffed buttery flaky goodness.

The weather was gorgeous except for the wedding when the temps dropped and the winds picked up. Brrr. Gotta love a couple after my own heart though, serving cupcakes as their cake!



















They are expecting their first and included this in their wedding topper! The bride was barely showing but I love the topper!

What made the trip even sweeter was that we were upgraded to first class both ways. Yippee! You get some serious service in first class, let me tell you! Makes me wish I were independently wealthy so I could have that happen on purpose. :)

Now that I am back home it only figures that I would catch a nasty cold as soon as the weather turned all pretty, crisp and fall-like. I'm blaming the plane. On the up side the trees are all turning and look beautiful, there isn't a drop of rain in the forecast (for today at least) and my honey and I made super fabulous fish tacos last night for dinner. Guess who got all the nummy leftovers?

I started reading "The Secret Life of Bees" yesterday in an attempt to join a book club. I figure if I have a deadline then I might actually have a chance at reading one book per month. So far I really like the book. Can't wait to see how it ends! Next month is Julie and Julia and I am super excited for that one too!

Sent out the Halloween party evites today. Hard to believe Halloween has crept up on me again so quickly. I'm trying to find pieces to my costume this year and having some difficulties finding inexpensive yellow rain boots and a slicker. I've got some time left yet so fingers crossed.

Later today I'm off to the 'Hawks game. I'm going to be wearing long underwear, ear plugs, hat and gloves in addition to the usual suspects. Hopefully my head cold won't get any worse and the old guy next to me won't make me deaf in my right ear. And here I thought babies yelled the loudest but nope, it is a seventy year old man that really likes his football.

I realize that I only ever really discuss weekend events on here. One might guess that this is because I only do things that are mildly interesting on the weekends. One would be wrong. The main reason is that I have a wretched memory and can really only remember what I did on the weekend (so long as I am updating on Sun/Mon/Tue) unless I ponder for longer than I want to spend updating my blog that I think only three people read. SO, in case any inquiring minds want to know, on any given week I could possibly be doing ( or not if tired) any of the following: cooking an extravagant meal, going to trivia night at a local bar, knitting/socializing with my mom, pilates torture and a day off due to a condensed schedule. That was actually in order by the way.



This week I skipped trivia in favor of a Mariner’s game. WOW, it was cold. Autumn is here for sure. But we won despite Felix’s wild pitches (here’s hoping it doesn’t put him out of contention for the Cy Young award!). They were shouting sales of hot cocoa instead of beer. Ahhh, Seattle.

Had a lovely meal last night, though hurried, before the game. Seems my lovely boyfriend was feeling a bit guilty for not having prepared dinner in a bit (I may have hinted). On the menu: duck with sliced beets, spinach and beet greens wilted over diced plums sautéed in duck fat. Mmm. I am a lucky girl I tell ya.

Whether or not I have mentioned this previously – you need to try this wine: Moscato d’Asti.
It has low alcohol content, is white and sweet. It is almost like tipsy Martinelli’s. Delicious! And it seems that all my friends are discovering it independently which is weird. Not great for a heavy, winter meal but fabulous for light dishes or as a summer sparkling type beverage. It really doesn't seem to matter which label you buy - they are all great! Try some today!

And as far as what I did this weekend... hunted for some cute shoes to wear at a wedding only to find out yesterday that there are drainage holes in the floor of the tent structure thing and that heels are not recommended. Grrr. If you have larger feet you know how difficult it was to find cute shoes in the first place. They don't make pretty pumps! Went out to dinner and had some great potato gnocchi. Got home super late and left my leftovers in the car! :( So sad. But my car did smell lovely the next morning. :) I love food.

My cousin celebrated her wedding with a small, intimate gathering at her uncle's cafe in Portland. Mom and I made a half day of it and spent time in the Hawthorne district munching on Ben & Jerry's while perusing the shops. Spent a lot of time in Powell's Books and came home with two new treasures. It was nice to see family and watch the latest kiddos scuttling around. Delicious food too! If you make it down to Portland, check out Sydney's Cafe. Mmm, mmm, good!

Sunday was lazy and some serious napping was in order after driving back late Saturday night. Doesn't seem to matter how many days I get for a weekend they always go too quickly!

Twilight is upon us…

Uber nerdy weekend has passed. But what a great time! Some friends and I headed out to Forks for some Twilight craziness. We centered the trip around a geocache series that took us to many of the landmarks in the books including but not limited to: Swan house, Cullen house (our B&B!), Forks popo station and hospital, Bella’s truck, La Push First Beach. After some unintended detours we found the cache just before leaving Forks for home. I'm sporting my Cullen vampire league baseball shirt in the pic. :) We stopped over in Port Angeles for some mushroom ravioli at Bella Italia (site of their first date) and I was amazed at the quality of the food. Will definitely be going back there again for non-Twilight purposes. We had the best weather both days and though I know fall is here it was great to have one last summer weekend. Sigh. Back to work again.

FOOTBALL!

Had the pleasure of attending the Coug football game in Seattle this weekend. Even if my boys forgot how to play the first half it was still a grand time. I was very surprised at how few people I ran into that I knew in school. Ah well. Was able to catch up with one friend that has moved to the area so that was and will be nice to reminisce. She also has season tickets and offered up a game of my choosing in Pullman. :) So I am working on those arrangements. It will be fun to go back to my college town and see all the changes. And eat at all the good food places and see if they are still tasty.

Sunday it was also nice that the Hawks claimed their first season victory! Yeah!

Ate so much tasty food this weekend I think I strained my stomach into thinking that is the quantity it should have all the time. Oops. The pear-almond tart at Maximilien's was absolutely divine. Tried to go back for a second night but arrived after closing. :( Now it is all I can think about! Decided I should attempt huckleberry creme brulee with my huckleberries I got in E. Wa and froze. Seems my weekends keep filling up though so finding the time to make, share and eat is proving difficult.

Explored a local park again that has a walkway suspended over some train tracks. Even though I knew I was safe it was seriously freaky when I stood on it and watched/felt the train zip by underneath. I now have a healthy respect for stunt people that do all the on top of the train scenes in movies. However, I still think they are crazy.

Have some get out of town trips upcoming in the next month or so and am really looking forward to them. Long weekends aren't the same as a long stretch vacation so I think I will have to focus on that once I am in town for a while and can plan better. Still voting for watching Carmen at La Scala in Italy. We'll see.

Think I'm coming down with a cold and would love to have unlimited sick time to take care of it. This year's flu season will be interesting...

Bereft of puppy.

Last week was a bit stressful. The puppy was super sick, as noted previously, and taken to the vet where results were inconclusive. This prompted her owner to decide that she should no longer stay with me. There was a whole lot of back and forth and while I am very sad that the puppy is gone I am happy that the drama is almost over. The only thing left is to sort out monies for the vet, registration, etc. I know that I didn't do anything wrong and that my actions were for the best interest of the animal (who wouldn't want to take their pet in if they were vomiting and urinating blood?) but it still sucks to have the strong implication that you were the cause of an animal's suffering. By many accounts I was treating her better than she had been before. At least it is over now and I can pick up activities that were suspended due to the increased responsibility of puppy caretaking.

To further my quest for a more efficient lifestyle and downregulate poop handling Sugar has an automated litter box. It looks a bit like Kenny from South Park but it does the deed for me. Yeah! Now the only thing I need to worry about is the loving of the kitty. :) Hip hip hooray for robots! The robot is also more happy that the shedding has decreased ten-fold. Thought it has been a week it is still clogged quite quickly with puppy fur.

The weather took a turn for the worst this weekend (holiday weekend of course) so I have compensated by eating like it is fall/winter. I tried rutabaga for the first time at a bf family function and fell in love with it. Cooked one up today (peeled, chopped, boiled & mashed) and seasoned with butter, salt and pepper - supposedly the same as the ones I tried on Sat. Their rutabaga was orange like a sweet potato and mine was more yellow so I'm not sure what happened there but it tastes great! I also cooked up some more sautéed yellow & zucchini squash but the pinnacle of today's post-summer cooking lament was roasted vegetable soup. Picked up some butternut squash, parsnips, carrots and puréed with garlic and onion after roasting them all. Curried it up a bit in addition to my fave spices and a dollop of cream at the end makes for a satisfying rainy day meal. Bring on the fall! Wondering now if I should endeavor to make Barefoot Contessa's chive biscuits...

Not looking forward to the work week but at least it has been shortened by eight hours. :)

Ciao for now - off to make/eat more tasty treats! Maybe a pie, who knows?

Two long weeks.

I have slacked in my blogging duties. I kept thinking, "I'll wait to post until I get some good pics". Yah, that is never a good reason. So here is the lightening fast recap: Week one was uber long and stressful but finished off nicely with a superb weekend near Quincy. Visited the vacation home of a lovely lady my boyfriend knows and had the best weekend away from it all since I don't know when. Ate lots of good food. Drank a bit of nice wine. Devoured cupcakes. Found a swimsuit store with everything 50% off. Took the kayak out for a spin, twice. Had a dinner cruise with more good wine and Salumi meats (been trying to get some forever!). Sun bathed in lovely heat (don't worry mom, lots o' sunscreen was involved) with a nice breeze. Star gazed and remembered how much clearer things are in E. Wa. Sigh. If only all weekends could be so glorious and restful.

Came back to town and had to listen to jackhammers all night as road crews did who knows what to the main drag outside my apartment. This was followed by a boring yet stressful week at work where nothing really went well and left a bad taste in my mouth for the weekend. Headed out to the Olympics and was all prepped for super fabulous backpacking when two things happened. 1. I was misinformed; there was to be no backpacking, just car camping. 2. It poured rain as soon as we were within site of the campground and didn't stop until Saturday. Due to number one I had many less desirable camp items that are necessary (in my mind) for car camping, namely a chair for sitting around the campfire. Also missed were my more comfortable (but heavier) camp stove, sleeping pad (campground was covered in GRAVEL of all things), and more changes of clothing. And then there is the whole gourmet camp cooking with the help of a cooler and lots of ingredients. Ah well. The weather turned for the better on Sat and I got to see some Twilight craziness (though I didn't look too closely so as to not ruin my upcoming Girls Twilight Cache Weekend!). Some really big trees out there. 'Twas totally lame, however, when we drove well out of our way on a bad road to see the "big cedar" tree of fame which was really a giant, dead stump. To be fair, it was a very large dead cedar tree stump. And when I went to take a pic of the informational sign for said stump I noticed how some stupid person had written a word for a piece of male anatomy all over the sign in big, black letters. Lame. Will have to try to photoshop that out of the pic at a later date. But given my skills (or lack thereof) with that particular piece of software that may not happen any time soon.

Return home to take two of road crews jackhammering on a Sunday night until well after 11pm. GRRR! Took the day today to launder clothes, dry out the wet tent (even though the weather cleared the humidity level was insane, to be expected camping next to the ocean) and take the pooch to the vet for some long overdue vaccines and such. And since then the evening has been worrisome. Pooch is vomiting and then dry heaving bits of blood on to the same spot on the carpet. Why can't it be linoleum?!?!? Vet didn't seem to concerned and said to walk her to distract her. Which was when I noticed blood in her urine. Poor girl. Emergency vet was none too helpful and said it was "up to me" if she should come in. Why answer the phone for questions if you don't really answer them? Do I sound like a vet that knows what on earth is going on with the poor girl? If things are the same tomorrow morning I have someone to take her to the vet again so I won't have to miss work (hopefully). Blech. I hope she feels better soon. Here's hoping this work week turns out a bit better! At least the jackhammers aren't out on Monday nights. :)