My good friend, Lana, has been visiting me for the last week from Colorado. She is an awesome girl, and it was nice to have her here over the holiday. It was fun to see someone from back home.
Wednesday I picked her up from the airport and we headed over to the Alderwood Mall to meet up with Chris (boyfriend Chris) and Meredith (one of my good friends out here) at Claim Jumper. We got some beers, some burgers and had a really good time. From there Lana and I went home and got settled in.
Thursday (while everyone was at work) Lana and I parked at boyfriend's house, walked to the transit center, and rode down to Pike Market in downtown Seattle. We had a really nice time tooling around and taking in some of the city. Lana loved the markets--there are a lot of fresh produce and pasta stands in Pike. She bought a ristra (spelling?) and I got a pair of olive green hobo gloves. That night we met up with Chris Alley and boyfriend-Chris at the climbing gym and Lana had her first-ever climbing experience. She was a rockstar--scaling up some tough climbs for someone who had never been before (now she's hooked). I also had a good night--I think I am finally starting to get better.
I also climbed with this little girl that is on the vertical world youth team and she was pretty awesome. Her name is Kyssandra and we see her every week so it was cool to hang out with her a little (she is 11, has not yet hit puberty, and an AWESOME climber. She can climb almost everything at VW).
After climbing we went to the Flying Pig (fondly referred to as just 'the Pig') and had beer and happy hour appetizers (which is our thursday night ritual). It was pretty great--Chris Alley and Lana hit it off and everyone was having a great time. It was really cool that my friends out here got along so well with Lana.
Friday, Chris left for St.Louis so Lana and I drove him to the airport (sadness) and then on to IKEA!!! We had a great time there--I got new sheets (dark plum-colored ones) for my thought-it-was-a-queen-turns-out-its-a-full bed, and a bedside lamp. Looks really nice and is so much better than the glaring lights that are on the ceiling fan in my room. We then met up with Chris Alley, parked cars at boyfriend's, and bussed downtown to go to the SAM (Seattle Art Museum). I feel that Denver has really spoiled me--the SAM was small--only two levels--and not very diverse or well organized. It still was fun.
After the SAM, the three of us headed to the Pike Place Brewery for chow and drinks. It was great. Chris invited us over to the lake house to hang out so that we could avoid the Bucky (who left saturday morning for Bend), an offer we jumped to take. So, we had beers, a fire, and a movie and Chralley's, crashed there, then headed home in the morning.
Saturday morning Lana and I were lazy, mostly we tooled around the house--wound up hanging out with Chris again later in the day.
Sunday I took Lana up to Mukilteo where we played on the beach, tooled around, and then had lunch and drinks at the Diamond Knot.
Monday we went to Wallingford to Trophy Cupcake and had cupcakes and coffee, followed by a trip to Gasworks park, then around the U-District a little. Then we drove down to the Seattle Center and walked around--saw the EMP (experience music project) and the Space Needle. Then we skidaddled up to Marysville for some family-fun at Annette and Adam's house. They made a delicious steak and shrimp dinner and then we had a Christmas exchange game. Lana and I made out like bandits in the game, taking home $25 in starbucks, and a little coffee/espresso kit. Rawk!
We slept in tuesday, had an awesome Canadian breakfast (bread layered with canadian bacon, cheddar cheese, egg, and crushed crackers all baked in the oven--DELICIOUS!) and then went to see a movie. We saw Juno--which is about a 16 year old who gets pregnant and the process she goes through with her boyfriend, her parents, and the adoptive parents she picked out. It was actually pretty good :) we spent the rest of the day trading music and not much else.
Today we walked around Pioneer Square before I had to take her to the airport.
Sad day. It was SUCH a fun vacation--nice and relaxing. I am glad that Lana didn't want to pack in a ton of stuff. We both enjoyed just getting to hang out again and it wasn't high stress at all.
Unfortunately, I have to go back to my job tomorrow. Very sad day.
I miss Chris a lot--we spend so much time together and we have gotten so close. It is sucky not having him around for so long. He comes back in two days--but, everyone is still out of town so climbing tomorrow won't be as much fun. I miss him SO MUCH.
Among other things I miss: Christmas with the family. Although it actually did snow for a little here on Christmas, it just wasn't the same as in Colorado and definitely wasn't the same without Mom and Dad. It is strange not having seen my parents since August. This is the longest I have ever gone without seeing them--it is pretty sucky.
I also miss the friends back in Colorado. Nate sent me this awesome hat he made and some CDs of cartoons he copied for me; and Anders called to invite me to game night. HAHA. Its not the same without these awesome kids!
26 December 2007
17 December 2007
Adventure Day!!!
Yesterday was adventure day!
Chris and I decided to take the bus from the Northgate Transit Center (just a few blocks from his house) to downtown Seattle for a day of galavanting through the city. We took the wrong bus and wound up on Lake City Way--figured out what we did wrong, grabbed some coffee and a bagel and finally got on the right bus. Then we tooled around downtown.
We went into this bookshop that was the kind of bookshop you go to to be a politically or socially active person. It was bizarre--pamphlets and call-to-arms type of writing published by local people. The only type of book sold there was geared at some sort of political issue or global issue. On the bonus side though--there are a TON of independent bookshops here. Awesome! We went to another book shop that had new and used books and was HUGE! It was so big, but it was beautiful! There are a lot of neat shops in downtown Seattle.
After a while we walked along Alaskan Way which is down by the Sound and took some pictures (chris will probably post them sometime soon-ish). Got some more coffee, surprise! Then took the bus back home. All in all, it was a fun adventure. The best part is that it makes the city a lot more accessible--it was a 20 minute ride into downtown (same as in a car) for $1.25 but WITHOUT the ridiculous parking costs! It was nice.
When Lana comes this week, I think I'll see if she would be willing to park at Chris' house and do the bus thing when we hang out downtown! I think she'll go for it.
Sunday I went to a new church because I didn't feel like driving 40 minutes from Chris' house to my church--but I might start going there more permanently. It was small (40 or 50 people) and felt nice. I met six or seven people that I know I would see again--and at the end I got a free coffee mug, a subway gift card, and some chocolate. It was friendly and nice. I like that it feels like a place where you can really get to know people (unlike the vast--but awesome--overlake).
All in all it was an awesome weekend.
Not looking forward to: Chris leaving. I've gotten used to him being around :) Good thing its only a week!
Looking forward to: LANA VISITING!!!! 2 days!!! most excellent!
Chris and I decided to take the bus from the Northgate Transit Center (just a few blocks from his house) to downtown Seattle for a day of galavanting through the city. We took the wrong bus and wound up on Lake City Way--figured out what we did wrong, grabbed some coffee and a bagel and finally got on the right bus. Then we tooled around downtown.
We went into this bookshop that was the kind of bookshop you go to to be a politically or socially active person. It was bizarre--pamphlets and call-to-arms type of writing published by local people. The only type of book sold there was geared at some sort of political issue or global issue. On the bonus side though--there are a TON of independent bookshops here. Awesome! We went to another book shop that had new and used books and was HUGE! It was so big, but it was beautiful! There are a lot of neat shops in downtown Seattle.
After a while we walked along Alaskan Way which is down by the Sound and took some pictures (chris will probably post them sometime soon-ish). Got some more coffee, surprise! Then took the bus back home. All in all, it was a fun adventure. The best part is that it makes the city a lot more accessible--it was a 20 minute ride into downtown (same as in a car) for $1.25 but WITHOUT the ridiculous parking costs! It was nice.
When Lana comes this week, I think I'll see if she would be willing to park at Chris' house and do the bus thing when we hang out downtown! I think she'll go for it.
Sunday I went to a new church because I didn't feel like driving 40 minutes from Chris' house to my church--but I might start going there more permanently. It was small (40 or 50 people) and felt nice. I met six or seven people that I know I would see again--and at the end I got a free coffee mug, a subway gift card, and some chocolate. It was friendly and nice. I like that it feels like a place where you can really get to know people (unlike the vast--but awesome--overlake).
All in all it was an awesome weekend.
Not looking forward to: Chris leaving. I've gotten used to him being around :) Good thing its only a week!
Looking forward to: LANA VISITING!!!! 2 days!!! most excellent!
13 December 2007
The Great Job Hunt!
6 more rejections yesterday.
I think my chosen field is being negatively affected by the mortgage crisis. Could just be me though...
I think my chosen field is being negatively affected by the mortgage crisis. Could just be me though...
10 December 2007
Pacific Northwest Ballet
My office Christmas party was this weekend--Friday we closed at 2:30 (AWESOME!) so we could all go home and get fancied-up for the PNB showing of "The Nutcracker." The show started at 7:30, but traffic was AWFUL! It usually takes me about 20-30 minutes to get to Chris' house, but it took nearly an hour, and then an additional 40 minutes from Chris' house to the Seattle Center where McCaw hall is. That is not usually that long of a drive either.
A quick sidenote--Seattle traffic is SOOOO bizarre. The speed limits are all low (30 on most streets, 60 on the highways) but NO ONE goes the speed limit--everyone pretty much drives 5 under ALWAYS. Or, if you catch people speeding it is pretty ridiculous. But traffic isn't predictable--it gets cloggy at wierd times and in wierd places. If I had to use one word to describe Seattle in general (people, traffic, life) it would be Quirky. This place is strange.
Anyway, the show. It was alright--nothing spectacular, and definitely not worth the $58 per ticket that my boss paid for them! I don't understand the Nutcracker--I mean, i get the story line and such, but, I don't get why it is such a HUGE deal for ballet. As far as interesting music and dancing goes, it isn't that incredible. It is nostalgic and that is nice, but, there are only so many times you can see it--and even still, the Baryshnikov version on tape is SO much better.
Chris and I decided that we are either going to go see "Dracula" (the ballet) or "Pagliacci" (since neither of us has ever seen an opera).
We went roller skating with a big group of people on Saturday night. It was kind of lame. Bailey wanted to for her birthday, and it was an ALRIGHT time, but, considering that the majority of people there were kids there who were as old as I was the last time I went skating, I think our group was a little out of place. The police officer there even asked us if we were drunk skating that night--alas, no. no we weren't.
In other news--I am going to find out from my church what I need to do to play in the orchestra on sunday mornings. It would be early, but, i think it would be good for me to get my day going like that.
A quick sidenote--Seattle traffic is SOOOO bizarre. The speed limits are all low (30 on most streets, 60 on the highways) but NO ONE goes the speed limit--everyone pretty much drives 5 under ALWAYS. Or, if you catch people speeding it is pretty ridiculous. But traffic isn't predictable--it gets cloggy at wierd times and in wierd places. If I had to use one word to describe Seattle in general (people, traffic, life) it would be Quirky. This place is strange.
Anyway, the show. It was alright--nothing spectacular, and definitely not worth the $58 per ticket that my boss paid for them! I don't understand the Nutcracker--I mean, i get the story line and such, but, I don't get why it is such a HUGE deal for ballet. As far as interesting music and dancing goes, it isn't that incredible. It is nostalgic and that is nice, but, there are only so many times you can see it--and even still, the Baryshnikov version on tape is SO much better.
Chris and I decided that we are either going to go see "Dracula" (the ballet) or "Pagliacci" (since neither of us has ever seen an opera).
We went roller skating with a big group of people on Saturday night. It was kind of lame. Bailey wanted to for her birthday, and it was an ALRIGHT time, but, considering that the majority of people there were kids there who were as old as I was the last time I went skating, I think our group was a little out of place. The police officer there even asked us if we were drunk skating that night--alas, no. no we weren't.
In other news--I am going to find out from my church what I need to do to play in the orchestra on sunday mornings. It would be early, but, i think it would be good for me to get my day going like that.
03 December 2007
Oh stormy skies....
Seattle has been having some interesting weather this weekend.
On saturday it started snowing around 1 or 2 and had coated the ground with huge, wet, fluffy flakes about 2-4 inches deep. Drivers here seem to be so scared of snow--they become their own worst hazard. Overly cautious, mostly.
It rained the following day, wiping all that snow away. The rain continued heavily all throughout last night (unusual for it to rain hard for any length of time in Seattle). This morning driving to work several roads were flooded. Later today they are expecting gale force winds (i guess it is 100mph on the coast right now?). I only hope that if another tree falls down in our parking lot, it doesn't fall on my car. I can't afford to buy a car right now, and taking buses will be more expensive than driving (go figure).
Chris had a soccer tournament saturday, after which we got Indian food with Eliza and Joe (Joe plays soccer with Chris). It was great food and it was fun to hang out with those two--they are pretty quirky and really fun. After dinner we grabbed some beer and went over to Paul and Nick's house (also on the soccer team) to have an end-of-season/holiday party. It was a blast--we decorated the tree with beer cans and bottles and bottle caps.
I like Chris' soccer team--his friends are really fun people and I hope we start hanging out with them more.
In other news, I am still looking for a new job. I wish I lived in the city--but for now I am glad that I live in the suburbs. I am having trouble getting my act together with money. I haven't started saving yet since moving here--I think I am really struggling to feel like I am on my own two feet. Yikes. In some way I should have expected this because for the last four years in college I have been mostly deficit spending out of my savings and college account, only saving when I was able. I think I should have expected that I would have a poverty-mentality with my money and been a little more cautious with it. I keep saying "after this next paycheck I should be level" but i still feel unstable. It might be that I need to deal in cash for a while until I can re-learn to be deliberate about where my money is going--that always seemed to help back in college.
Makes me nervous though to not have any savings built up--you never know when things are going to happen (such as some jerk rear-ending you and costing you a couple grand in damages and rentals, etc).
On saturday it started snowing around 1 or 2 and had coated the ground with huge, wet, fluffy flakes about 2-4 inches deep. Drivers here seem to be so scared of snow--they become their own worst hazard. Overly cautious, mostly.
It rained the following day, wiping all that snow away. The rain continued heavily all throughout last night (unusual for it to rain hard for any length of time in Seattle). This morning driving to work several roads were flooded. Later today they are expecting gale force winds (i guess it is 100mph on the coast right now?). I only hope that if another tree falls down in our parking lot, it doesn't fall on my car. I can't afford to buy a car right now, and taking buses will be more expensive than driving (go figure).
Chris had a soccer tournament saturday, after which we got Indian food with Eliza and Joe (Joe plays soccer with Chris). It was great food and it was fun to hang out with those two--they are pretty quirky and really fun. After dinner we grabbed some beer and went over to Paul and Nick's house (also on the soccer team) to have an end-of-season/holiday party. It was a blast--we decorated the tree with beer cans and bottles and bottle caps.
I like Chris' soccer team--his friends are really fun people and I hope we start hanging out with them more.
In other news, I am still looking for a new job. I wish I lived in the city--but for now I am glad that I live in the suburbs. I am having trouble getting my act together with money. I haven't started saving yet since moving here--I think I am really struggling to feel like I am on my own two feet. Yikes. In some way I should have expected this because for the last four years in college I have been mostly deficit spending out of my savings and college account, only saving when I was able. I think I should have expected that I would have a poverty-mentality with my money and been a little more cautious with it. I keep saying "after this next paycheck I should be level" but i still feel unstable. It might be that I need to deal in cash for a while until I can re-learn to be deliberate about where my money is going--that always seemed to help back in college.
Makes me nervous though to not have any savings built up--you never know when things are going to happen (such as some jerk rear-ending you and costing you a couple grand in damages and rentals, etc).
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