See
Our neighborhood is starting to light up! We had to put more lights to keep up.
Last Wednesday we helped my mom get her tree up and decorated while my dad rested. I think it turned out well. I always hated decorating the tree when we were kids. I would put up one ornament and then spook off to write in my journal or something.
We then took pictures so my dad could see.
Eat
On Sunday we drove to Snohomish for the annual Garlington "Bridging the Holidays" party. Rather than get together for Thanksgiving or Hanukkah or Christmas, they decided many years ago to begin a tradition of combining all the festivities into one event.
This year it was hosted by Dan's Aunt Ellen and Uncle Jim, a delightful couple who raise Irish Wolfhounds. There are like 8 of them living in their house right now!
It was like Thanksgiving all over again, but somehow with even more food. In addition to the usual turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and cranberry, there were two types of stuffing (wild rice and cornbread), a green salad, rolls, a spinach-feta pie and a famous Garlington recipe, corn & oysters (made with saltine crackers, among other things).
Dan was in charge of desserts so of course they were amazing. He made three things.
My favorite: Okinawan sweet-potato-haupia pie with macademian-nut crust. So, so good! We had the cheesecake version of this when we were in Hilo, but this was much better. The haupia is a stiff, cocounut pudding - and is very good on its own, too.
He also made this marvelous French apple tart for something on the lighter side.
Finally, (and he did this all in what seemed to me like the blink of an eye) there was the pumpkin cheesecake. I did not try this, but it received high marks.
Drink
About a year ago I forsook microbrews. They were heavy, filled my sinuses and gave me headaches. I much preferred a light, Mexican beer like Corona or Pacifico or a Saporo with my sushi.
However, I did always have a yen for Fire Rock Pale Ale. This past October we went to the Kona Brewing Company where that and several other brews are made. I had three pints of my old favorite.
I was feeling pretty crummy that day - some weird stomach thing. But by the third pint I was ready for some pizza - what the place is famous for (after the beer, of course).
Delicious - even with horrible cramping!
I now am back to buying microbrews, but strictly Fire Rock. I just wish I could get the pizza in Seattle, too.
Read
I finally finished the book by Francine Prose on "reading like a writer." Parts of it were a bit dry for me, but all in all I gained quite a bit from it. I especially liked her revocation on some of the truisms that remain unchallenged in writing workshops like "show, don't tell." "Tell that to Jane Austen," she says. Which is nice to hear. I mean, sometimes you gotta tell, particularly in fiction.
Perhaps the most validating point for me came at the end of the book in an interview the author did with Atlantic Online:
For one thing, I think that the idea of writing by committee, or learning to write by committee is insanity. It's just simply insanity. I mean, writing is a very solitary process. It's all about being different from everything else--not the same. So when you're writing to satisfy the tastes of a group, and presumably you know those tastes after a while, that's actually quite dangerous.
I have always found writing to be something I need to do on my own, and have always tried to put a filter on peer critique. I think writing for television would be challenging, that way, because so many people put their hands on it. I did have a good experience the one time I wrote a script with assistance in the story development stages, but writing is ultimately a loner activity in my humble opinion.
Remember
Moving to Beacon Hill has brought me further away from Ballard and its fantastic spa, Habitude and a little further away from the massage therapist I was seeing on Eastlake.
So, I did some digging and found a spa and massage center closer to my new digs, in Little Ethiopia.
The spa, called Seattle Art of Wellness is run by a number of independent contractors who share the space and work together. They use all organic products and offer a number of services, including several different type of body wraps.
I had the 90-minute full-body massage and I was pretty impressed, though their web site/scheduling system is flawed. I made an appointment on Friday evening, paid via PayPal and received my confirmation. Saturday morning I had not received any confirmation from the Spa so I called to leave a message. I later received a call back saying the spa was closed, but fortunately the therapist was able to re-arrange his Sunday morning and get me in at 11.
So, they seem to be working out some organizational kinks. There was no music during my massage, which was a little awkward. The temperature was very comfortable, though, and they even provide a drawer to put your clothes so you don't have to drape everything over a chair. That's a nice touch.
It's no Habitude, but the prices are lower and conveniently services the South End. I'd definitely go back, but this time I'm calling my appointment in!
Worry
I've recently become aware of some scary news about a local man who is in dire need of a heart transplant. His name is Benny Lagmay and he runs the Hawaiian restaurant Lei's in Duvall with his wife. Several fundraising efforts are underway and I am directly posting the latest news below. I don't know Benny, but he sounds like a pretty amazing person. Equally amazing is the unwavering in his town and with the NW Hawaiian community at large. Wishing Benny a healthy heart for the holidays!
By now, you have likely heard Benny Lagmay's story – how his heart
problems have gotten worse recently, leading to staggeringly high
medical bills, and a need for a heart transplant, soon, in order to
survive --- and that it will come at a cost of over $250,000; a
massive expense for an independent businessman.
Remember the Western Washington windstorm of December 2006? Benny &
his wife, Tonya, opened up their Hawaiian restaurant, Lei's in Duvall,
to feed people who were without electricity. They did this without
charging them – a perfect example of what people from Hawai`i would
call "the aloha spirit."
Mayor Will Ibershof, has proclaimed this Saturday, December 15, 2007,
as Benny Lagmay Day in Duvall, and the Chamber of Commerce has rallied
members of the business community to support the Lagmay family at this
time of great need. Dozens of businesses are donating portions of
their proceeds from that day's business to the Benny Lagmay Donation
Account at US Bank, while others are making cash contributions,
putting donation buckets out, or provided items for the recent
fundraising auction.
If you can pay a visit to Duvall's businesses this Saturday to show
your support for Benny, or just to stop by and thank these businesses
– thank you! If you can't make it out that day, you can contribute at
any US Bank branch.
For more information on the Lagmay family and Benny's medical
situation, please see the November 22 edition of the River Current
News at www.rivercurrentnew s.com. For more information on Benny
Lagmay Day in Duvall, call Diane Baker at (425) 844-1621. For more
information on the Benny Lagmay Donation Account, send e-mail to
oohda@msn.com.
Participating businesses include: Duvall Flowers & Gifts; Serendipity
Photographers; ReMax/Cornerstone; Snoqualmie Valley Music;
Windermere/The Linnerooth Team; Duvall Auto Parts; The Quilter's
Garden; Duvall Paw Patch; The Healing Place; Cherry Valley Veterinary
Hospital; P+G Speakeasy Café; Main Street Insurance; River City Arcade
Café; Main Street Massage; Duvall Foundation for the Arts; Duvall
Variety; Wachovia; Duvall Performing Arts; Duvall Books; Duvall Barber
Shoppe; Quality Mortgage; The River Current News; Rocking "E" Feeds;
Naturescape Landscaping; Sacred Breath Therapeutic Massage; Teddy
Bear's BBQ; Valley Shell; Alpental Landscaping; BearzAbout; Duvall
Main Street Laundry; Think2A; Marty's Music; Countrywide Home Loans;
Towne Realty; Tuxedo's Antiques; DuVall's Dazzling Designs; The Bee's
Hive; Curves; Duvall Therapeutic Massage; Northwest Art Center;
Maily's CC Espresso; JP Landscaping; North Valley Excavating; Family
Childcare & Preschool; Duvall Grill --- and others are still signing up!
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