I feel bad as I type this knowing the frigid temperatures that the east coast has been experiencing but we have had two nice sunny days here in Seattle. After the doom and gloom that has been our days of past, we were suprised with not one but two days with sunshine. I was out this afternoon and had to take my coat off. I have made myself spend time outside to soak in some Vitamin D to save for a later date. Again I don't mean to rub it in:-)
Through my travels on foot I've taken note of many posters advertising celebrations for the inauguration. My favorite by far has been the poster that reads "Shoe Toss" with Bush's face underneath. Upon further reading, this gathering is inviting people to toss their shoes as a way of saying goodbye at the last eight years-in a very creative way I might add. Gotta love my liberal environment!
So now I'm going to take a minute to plug a new music discovery that has been getting some acknowledgement on TV shows. Her name is "Lenka" and she is in my opinion a musical extrodinaire from Australia with music that you can't help feel happy after listening to. I had the privelege to see her live on Monday night at a small venue dowtown that once found itself the hotspot for Burlesque shows and X-rated movies. It has been revamped to take on this modern day lounge/restaurant with candlelit lighting and strategic seating of booths and long bars. It's a great place for an intimate evening with your favorite artist and I left feeling as though I had discovered my new favorite place in Seattle.
Another art class brought to my attention a new way to relieve stress while creating art at the same time. All you need is some paint and a few Q-Tips. We were learning about color and how it is perceived when placed on different backgrounds. We were given a few basic instructions and then could pretty much "dot" til our little heart was content. After a day spent with preschoolers and having been drooled on more times than I care to mention, let's just say my creative juices were flowing.
Joe and I both got hit with colds this week. I faired better than he did. Is it my imagination or do women deal with things like this better than men? Just another thing to add to the list.....
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Raining, Flooding, and Traffic- Oh My!
It's been an interesting week here in the state of Washington. If you've seen the news or online posts you know that we were dealing with lots of rain that subsequently caused a lot of flooding all over. Joe and I didn't feel any of the effects with our commutes or in the city but there are many people who lost their homes or were surrounded by water and couldn't leave their homes as the case was for the secretaries at school. The ski slopes near Charlie and Jim's cabin saw an avalanche that wiped out a chunk of the mountain. The road to drive on in front of the cabin became the scene for a tubing extravaganza and no I don't mean snow tubing. Their neighbors posted a you tube video of themselves tubing down the road. It looked like a small river on what should have been the road. I can't bear to turn on the news as there has been constant coverage of damage all over and dealing with the aftermath.
All of the rain and high winds made my commutes home from work very LONG! I'v sat in traffic so much this week that all I saw were headlights when I closed my eyes at night. I had my first art class on Tuesday night. After sitting in 2 hours of traffic I was rushed and flustered as I arrived on campus. Seattle Central is only about 10 minutes from where we live but of course parking is at a premium (a common theme in this city) and I knew where the main building was but unsure of where the fine arts building was located. I felt like the new kid on the first day of school with the feeling of being lost, surrounded buy a frenzy of students with their backpacks and books trying to get to their next class. I was grateful when I found a map and could orient myself with my surroundings and where my destination was. The confusion did not end there as I ended up in the wrong class (right title, wrong group of students) before finding my way thanks to my instructor who had to come round up those of us confused and misplaced (there were 3 of us). Of course I was the only American misplaced as my counterparts were au pairs from Sweden. After a frazzled start, the next two hours consisted of an introduction from our instructor (and further into the class little snip its of his life as they related to things we said during our introductions). Did I mention my instructor is 79 years old, carries a backpack, and wears brand new Nike sneakers? He struck a chord with me with his soothing tone of voice and interest in each of us. I could picture him sitting around his living room as the grandkids crawled on his lap and he tells the stories of days gone by. His slight difficulty in hearing caused some entertaining interpretations of the true message being relayed as introductions went around the room but I think it's going to be an interesting next couple of weeks and a good outlet for me.
Tomorrow night I'm indulging my interest in live music and checking out yet another venue in the city before heading to class number two on Tuesday. At least I have an interesting start to my week.
All of the rain and high winds made my commutes home from work very LONG! I'v sat in traffic so much this week that all I saw were headlights when I closed my eyes at night. I had my first art class on Tuesday night. After sitting in 2 hours of traffic I was rushed and flustered as I arrived on campus. Seattle Central is only about 10 minutes from where we live but of course parking is at a premium (a common theme in this city) and I knew where the main building was but unsure of where the fine arts building was located. I felt like the new kid on the first day of school with the feeling of being lost, surrounded buy a frenzy of students with their backpacks and books trying to get to their next class. I was grateful when I found a map and could orient myself with my surroundings and where my destination was. The confusion did not end there as I ended up in the wrong class (right title, wrong group of students) before finding my way thanks to my instructor who had to come round up those of us confused and misplaced (there were 3 of us). Of course I was the only American misplaced as my counterparts were au pairs from Sweden. After a frazzled start, the next two hours consisted of an introduction from our instructor (and further into the class little snip its of his life as they related to things we said during our introductions). Did I mention my instructor is 79 years old, carries a backpack, and wears brand new Nike sneakers? He struck a chord with me with his soothing tone of voice and interest in each of us. I could picture him sitting around his living room as the grandkids crawled on his lap and he tells the stories of days gone by. His slight difficulty in hearing caused some entertaining interpretations of the true message being relayed as introductions went around the room but I think it's going to be an interesting next couple of weeks and a good outlet for me.
Tomorrow night I'm indulging my interest in live music and checking out yet another venue in the city before heading to class number two on Tuesday. At least I have an interesting start to my week.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Back to Reality After The Holidays
I'm sitting here looking out our bedroom window with a view of the city skyline and the snow covered tops of the Olympic Mountains. How can a girl not feel a sense of serenity with this kind of landscape in view? I'm savoring these last few hours of calmness before I head back to work as my January schedule is already packed. I'm doing something in 2009 that I've wanted to do for a while now. I've signed up for an 8 week painting class at the community college. I miss having a creative outlet and hope that this helps me get through the dreary months of January and February.
Joe and I rang in the new year in Portland. It's about a 3 hour drive south and we got a hotel room for the night and spent New Year's Eve wandering the streets of the Pearl District and visiting the Classical Chinese Garden. This is the largest garden outside of China that was built over a cement parking lot. The architecture is amazing and there is such a sense of tranquilty as you walk around. We hope to go back in the spring when the lotus flowers are in bloom as it's supposed to be quite a sight.
I've learned after spending 4 years with Joe and going on a number of trips not to plan every minute (although my type A personality longs for a map and knowing where to go and what to do). I tried to hold back and looked up two things to do and left the rest up to chance. That's a big step for me! We figured out a lot of downtown without a map and strolled the number of one way streets. We stumbled upon this great cupcake shop with gigantic cupcakes with a tower of icing that Joe couldn't wait to sink his teeth into. Also in the Pearl District is a book store that is the largest independent bookstore in the country. After spending the afternoon and making many observations of the people around me, I came to the conclusion that maybe Portland is more laid back than Seattle is. It just had a different feel to me. Joe and I would like to go back and spend some more time there. We definitely had many thoughts of Aunt JoAnn and Uncle Michael while we were there.
That night we were in the eastern part of the city at this place called the Kennedy School. There are two brothers out here called the McMenamin brothers that went around Oregon and restored old buildings and turned them into pub restaurants. We actually have 3 in Seattle as well. Well this Kennedy School closed down in the 70's and at some point the brothers decided to turn it into a hotel with a restaurant, movie theater, and "mini bars" that represent detention, the boiler room, and the honors room. Each room is decorated to make it unique and the school is filled with different mosaic creations on the wall and some of the original work from the school. I found out after mentioning the school to Aunt JoAnn that she taught at this school for a short time in the 70's. Joe and I rang in east coast New Year's in the detention room where the bartender was filling us in with things to do around the city. It was a pretty neat place to see.
Last night we celebrated Jim's birthday at this cozy Greek restaurant in the area of the city known as Queen Ann. It was such a clear night and the restaurant was located so close to the space needle if felt as though we were almost underneath. My eyes still get excited to take in such views.
Joe and I rang in the new year in Portland. It's about a 3 hour drive south and we got a hotel room for the night and spent New Year's Eve wandering the streets of the Pearl District and visiting the Classical Chinese Garden. This is the largest garden outside of China that was built over a cement parking lot. The architecture is amazing and there is such a sense of tranquilty as you walk around. We hope to go back in the spring when the lotus flowers are in bloom as it's supposed to be quite a sight.
I've learned after spending 4 years with Joe and going on a number of trips not to plan every minute (although my type A personality longs for a map and knowing where to go and what to do). I tried to hold back and looked up two things to do and left the rest up to chance. That's a big step for me! We figured out a lot of downtown without a map and strolled the number of one way streets. We stumbled upon this great cupcake shop with gigantic cupcakes with a tower of icing that Joe couldn't wait to sink his teeth into. Also in the Pearl District is a book store that is the largest independent bookstore in the country. After spending the afternoon and making many observations of the people around me, I came to the conclusion that maybe Portland is more laid back than Seattle is. It just had a different feel to me. Joe and I would like to go back and spend some more time there. We definitely had many thoughts of Aunt JoAnn and Uncle Michael while we were there.
That night we were in the eastern part of the city at this place called the Kennedy School. There are two brothers out here called the McMenamin brothers that went around Oregon and restored old buildings and turned them into pub restaurants. We actually have 3 in Seattle as well. Well this Kennedy School closed down in the 70's and at some point the brothers decided to turn it into a hotel with a restaurant, movie theater, and "mini bars" that represent detention, the boiler room, and the honors room. Each room is decorated to make it unique and the school is filled with different mosaic creations on the wall and some of the original work from the school. I found out after mentioning the school to Aunt JoAnn that she taught at this school for a short time in the 70's. Joe and I rang in east coast New Year's in the detention room where the bartender was filling us in with things to do around the city. It was a pretty neat place to see.
Last night we celebrated Jim's birthday at this cozy Greek restaurant in the area of the city known as Queen Ann. It was such a clear night and the restaurant was located so close to the space needle if felt as though we were almost underneath. My eyes still get excited to take in such views.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
BIG news from Seattle~ we can see the streets and sidewalks once again! Yes we witnessed and survived (barely) the freak of nature snowstorm that hit us big time and gave Seattle multiple headlines on the news stations across the country. Yesterday was the first day in a week and a half that I drove my car; such amenity that we take for granted everyday but something that I had missed in my week and a half of doing everything on foot! I cannot complain about not being rest and relaxed-what else could I do inside? You can quiz me on any guest that was on the talk show circuit, or where John and Kate Plus 8 took their kids on vacation, or about the marathon session of "What Not To Wear." Yes the snow allowed my to indulge in my quilty pleasure of TLC and HGTV but a girl can only take so much! Our big excitement prior to Christmas was the day we bought a shovel-yes a shovel. The broom just wasn't cutting it anymore and Joe had spent too many mornings getting stuck in the driveway trying to get to work. I have never been so happy to shovel snow in all my life! How the weather made me see the little things I take for granted.
We did miss our family and friends over Christmas. Joe kept busy working at Blockbuster so I was in charge of Christmas dinner. We decided to have seafood from the market as a toast to our first Christmas on the Puget Sound. I admit to getting a tad excited with the thought of carrying through a real meal that took research from cookbooks and more than 20 minutes to prepare. My excitement bubble was quickly burst when I read the word "juliene" and had no idea what it meant. Further into my cooking, a call to my father to see how to get lobster meat out of the tail took the rest of the air out of my bubble and I was left frustrated and sweaty from the oven and every burner on the stove going. It pained me to cut through the tail and little legs of the already dead lobster. He could feel no pain and yet I felt as though I should spare the little guy and make tofu bisque instead. I persevered and learned about the kitchen tools I never knew we had and made my own improvision as to what "juliene" could mean. Two and a half hours later (and a couple glasses of wine) I displayed my cooking creation. Joe was pleased and said it tasted good. I sat at the table thinking there were two and a half hours that I could never get back of my life and that this dinner fulfilled my domestic duties in the kitchen well into the new year. Our day came and went and although we received many wonderful gifts and talked to lots of family and friends, it felt a little anticlimatic. Distance is definitely felt most at the holidays.
Since mother nature has given us a reprieve from our winter wonderland, Joe and I are going to celebrate New Year's in Portland. We decided it was a good opportunity to explore someplace new and who doesn't like a night in a hotel where you can leave the bed unmade and towels on the floor and know someone will clean up after you?
Sending Happy New Year wishes and hugs for 2009!
We did miss our family and friends over Christmas. Joe kept busy working at Blockbuster so I was in charge of Christmas dinner. We decided to have seafood from the market as a toast to our first Christmas on the Puget Sound. I admit to getting a tad excited with the thought of carrying through a real meal that took research from cookbooks and more than 20 minutes to prepare. My excitement bubble was quickly burst when I read the word "juliene" and had no idea what it meant. Further into my cooking, a call to my father to see how to get lobster meat out of the tail took the rest of the air out of my bubble and I was left frustrated and sweaty from the oven and every burner on the stove going. It pained me to cut through the tail and little legs of the already dead lobster. He could feel no pain and yet I felt as though I should spare the little guy and make tofu bisque instead. I persevered and learned about the kitchen tools I never knew we had and made my own improvision as to what "juliene" could mean. Two and a half hours later (and a couple glasses of wine) I displayed my cooking creation. Joe was pleased and said it tasted good. I sat at the table thinking there were two and a half hours that I could never get back of my life and that this dinner fulfilled my domestic duties in the kitchen well into the new year. Our day came and went and although we received many wonderful gifts and talked to lots of family and friends, it felt a little anticlimatic. Distance is definitely felt most at the holidays.
Since mother nature has given us a reprieve from our winter wonderland, Joe and I are going to celebrate New Year's in Portland. We decided it was a good opportunity to explore someplace new and who doesn't like a night in a hotel where you can leave the bed unmade and towels on the floor and know someone will clean up after you?
Sending Happy New Year wishes and hugs for 2009!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Still Snowy In Seattle
Greetings all from snowy Seattle! I'm sitting here literally surrounded by a winter wonderland but instead of seeing picturesque white, I see hard white stuff that won't go away! I've had to close the blinds because I don't want to see what our true accumulation is (probably between 6-8 inches with ice underneath and on top). I didn't expect to have a white christmas on the west coast but that's exactly what we're going to have. This all started on Wednesday when school was canceled because of the threat of snow (it didn't happen). Mother Nature did however drop a nice bucket of white on Thursday that left drivers abandoning their vehicles and collisions happening all over the place. The weather was so bad that school was quickly canceled from Friday as well and so my Christmas break started much earlier than expected. At first most people around here were excited for the snow; having sled races in the streets and cross country skiing in the parks. Having grown up with so much snow I just saw it as missed opportunities to go places and get things done (and Dad's voice in me head saying "There's snow on the ground. You're not driving anywhere.") Just to get out of the house, I walked downtown to the shopping district. With my Christmas shopping done, I just wanted to get out of the house and be around people. And boy were there people. I don't think anyone went to work on Friday. Or they were just smart gearing up for what Saturday would bring.....more snow and wind and ice. It started in the evening and had laid a nice coating of a couple of inches by the morning. Joe tried for 2 hours to get his truck out of the driveway to get to work but the snow and the ice won and his tires just spun. After a nice gesture by our neighbor to lend Joe a shovel and with a few good pushes, he was able to get the truck back to his original parking spot in the driveway. We have seen no plows, there is no salt because it is not good for the environment, and nobody owns a shovel so it's walk on the sidewalk at your own risk. I became so frustrated today that I used a big brush to try and sweep our sidewalks and entrance-laughing at myself the whole time and embarrassed that we too do not own a shovel, or chains, or snow tires. They haven't seen it this worse since 1990. What a way to remember our first winter here. So instead of aiding the side streets (somehow the interstates are worthy of cleaning) they wait for mother nature to run her course and bring warmth and sunlight to melt it away. Well this city must be on mother nature's bad side because all she keeps giving us is more snow! So as I rant (I think I lost patience sometime yesterday) I want to say that I'm jealous of anyone with clear streets, and shoveled sidewalks, and a state system that knows how to deal with bad weather.
But on a much lighter and happier note, I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and know that Joe and I are with you all in spirit. Enjoy the holiday season!
Sending hugs from our coast to yours......
But on a much lighter and happier note, I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and know that Joe and I are with you all in spirit. Enjoy the holiday season!
Sending hugs from our coast to yours......
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Snowy in Seattle
It's snowy in Seattle! Yes even moving to the west coast did not allow us an escape from mother nature's white stuff. It is the coldest its been since we moved here (32 degrees) with wind and it feels like true winter. Everyone was so excited to see snow and even more excited with the possibility of a late start or early dismissal for school (although not going to happen tomorrow). Those of us that have experienced snow and all that comes with it were just hoping for it's dismissal as quick as it appeared. It was very entertaining to see our neighbors trying to clean their cars off with brooms, plastic plates, and a dust pan. I wanted to just tell them to turn it on and let it warm up and they'd be good to go but it was funny to watch:-)
It was a weekend of white elephant christmas parties. For those that don't know what white elephant is (I had to look it up online) it pretty much means you bring something that you don't want from your house, wrap it up, and exchange it for someone else's junk. It's pretty funny with a big group of people. Last night was my school's christmas party at one of the teacher's houses in Sammamish. Gorgeous huge house that was decorated beautifully for Christmas. It was lots of staff and significant others. One of the traditions they started last year was to offer $50 to anyone that jumped into the pool and swam a lap. Last year only one person did it. This year six people were brave enough to take the cold and one of the people was Joe. They swam in heats and then ran directly into the hot tub. Then there were 6 envelops to choose from containing $50, $20, 76 cents, and nothing. Needless to say Joe got the 75 cents but he was a hit at the party:-)
Today I went to another white elephant party at one of the teacher's houses in the city. I was excited when he invited me as I always like to check out condos and lofts and see how people decorate. It was a nice mix of some people from work and some of the teacher's friends. I reused my elephant gift from the night before and ended up with something slightly better today so I guess it was a good trade. I enjoyed getting to talk to my collegues outside of the work environment and it makes me feel even more a part of things at school which I'm glad for. I even got to rub elbows with the head honcho of the education association at today's party and he recognized as a new SLP so that was a plus! :-)
Well I'm off to face one more week before my two week holiday break begins. Can't wait!
Hugs to all~
It was a weekend of white elephant christmas parties. For those that don't know what white elephant is (I had to look it up online) it pretty much means you bring something that you don't want from your house, wrap it up, and exchange it for someone else's junk. It's pretty funny with a big group of people. Last night was my school's christmas party at one of the teacher's houses in Sammamish. Gorgeous huge house that was decorated beautifully for Christmas. It was lots of staff and significant others. One of the traditions they started last year was to offer $50 to anyone that jumped into the pool and swam a lap. Last year only one person did it. This year six people were brave enough to take the cold and one of the people was Joe. They swam in heats and then ran directly into the hot tub. Then there were 6 envelops to choose from containing $50, $20, 76 cents, and nothing. Needless to say Joe got the 75 cents but he was a hit at the party:-)
Today I went to another white elephant party at one of the teacher's houses in the city. I was excited when he invited me as I always like to check out condos and lofts and see how people decorate. It was a nice mix of some people from work and some of the teacher's friends. I reused my elephant gift from the night before and ended up with something slightly better today so I guess it was a good trade. I enjoyed getting to talk to my collegues outside of the work environment and it makes me feel even more a part of things at school which I'm glad for. I even got to rub elbows with the head honcho of the education association at today's party and he recognized as a new SLP so that was a plus! :-)
Well I'm off to face one more week before my two week holiday break begins. Can't wait!
Hugs to all~
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Holiday shoppers- Oh my!
Holiday shopping is always an interesting (and sometimes stressful) time of year. I'm feeling the pressure a bit more this year as I have to count on the efficiency of the postal service to deliver the goods and I can't wait until the last minute. This weekend found me again in the thick of the shopping central downtown and at the market. I was hoping for some inspiration for the few last gifts we have to buy. But I found myself focused less on the shopping and more on the people milling about. Street performers were out in full force at Pike Place. My favorite was a guitar player who was hula hooping while shaking his shoes that had chestnut shells on them. Very creative! Of course a close second was the guitar player who was the singing the worst (and slowest) version of the 12 days of Christmas I've ever heard! Amongst the hustle and bustle of holiday shoppers I couldn't help but take note of the interesting attire that people chose to wear for a day out. Let's just say there was more than one person who could have vied for a spot on "What Not To Wear." Of course I couldn't help but take note of all the different boots walking by. They are my envy of choice this season and I try and remind Joe whenever I can about what I would like from Santa. :-) It's amazing how my ramblings always come back to shoes.......
Last night we went out with Charlie to an area known as Georgetown which sits south of Seattle sort of tucked away in the industrial district. There was an art show that Charlie had read about and wanted to check so off we trecked. Housed in a small fire house was some interesting displays of what people call "art." From jewelry to pottery to the guy trying to promote his band wearing a hot pink wig and tiara, it was an electic environment to say the least. We all walked away with a little something so I guess it was worth going to. We experienced yet another Mexican restaurant (much to Joe's delight) and after a few cocktails at one of our nearby breweries we were ready to call it a night.
My last task of the weekend is to come up with some creative therapy activities for the next two weeks. I still think my creative juices are packed away somewhere and I don't know if I have the energy to go digging. Fa Lalala Lifetime movies sound like a better way to unwind before the week begins.....
Last night we went out with Charlie to an area known as Georgetown which sits south of Seattle sort of tucked away in the industrial district. There was an art show that Charlie had read about and wanted to check so off we trecked. Housed in a small fire house was some interesting displays of what people call "art." From jewelry to pottery to the guy trying to promote his band wearing a hot pink wig and tiara, it was an electic environment to say the least. We all walked away with a little something so I guess it was worth going to. We experienced yet another Mexican restaurant (much to Joe's delight) and after a few cocktails at one of our nearby breweries we were ready to call it a night.
My last task of the weekend is to come up with some creative therapy activities for the next two weeks. I still think my creative juices are packed away somewhere and I don't know if I have the energy to go digging. Fa Lalala Lifetime movies sound like a better way to unwind before the week begins.....
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