A-worry-a-day

Live Aloha! Festival Tomorrow Sunday 9/7

2008-09-06T15:41:00.000-07:00

Vegas: Day 6

2008-08-31T14:56:00.000-07:00

Friday we packed up, checked out (11am) and left our bags with the Bell hop. Our flight wasn't until 3:30 so we had some time before we had to be at the airport.

We walked around a bit, soaking up the last bit of potent sun and then stopped back at the Hawaiian Tropic Zone to use up a buy-one-entree-get-one-free coupon someone had handed us. I had my first ever Cuban sandwich, with both pork and ham. Though it was too much for me to eat in one sitting, I am now a fan and will seek more out in the future. I went with what turned out to be my standard Vegas drink, the mojito.

And that was our last indulgence in Vegas. Our flight had us back in Seattle that night at 6, a welcome change from most of our recent trips that get us back after dark.

We returned to a very needy cat, ate Taco Bell (tradition for returning home from travels) and caught up on TV.

Fun trip. Not sure when we'll be back, but I will definitely have my eyes on another Cirque show, another celebrity chef experience and maybe a day trip to check out Lake Las Vegas.

Oh yeah, Vegas doesn't really recycle.

Vegas: Day 5

2008-08-31T14:39:00.001-07:00

Thursday would be our last full day, and last night in Vegas. After a return to Starbuck's in the morning for my iced coffee fix, we caught a cab to the Las Vegas Natural History Museum.

Our primary reason for the trip was to view the traveling exhibit on Forensic Entomoloy since Dan studied Entomology in college and loves all things bug-related.

The exhibit featured real crime scenes and detailed how insect evidence was used to solve the crime. There was a video featuring CSI's William Petersen as you walked in, and plenty of information on how insects swarm to a corpse and the various stages of bodily decay.

It turned out it was a pretty neat museum, with an impressive display of taxidermy and some well-executed living history exhibits.

The person working the ticket office was kind enough to call us a cab (the museum is pretty far from the main drag of the Strip) and we had the driver drop us off at the Hilton for one last meal at Quark's. We sat up at the bar and I ordered fish-and-chips and drank two James Tea Kirk (sort of like a blue version of a Long Island).

The food was just what I wanted, and the drinks wonderfully toxic. We then made one last trip to the gift store so Dan could pick up a memento. On the way out, we were taken by the walls of fan mail, hundreds (at least) of people celebrating their fond memories and staking claim that the Hilton was making a horrible mistake.

It was very touching, especially one that simply read "Thank you for providing a place where I could forget about my problems."

Here is a Klingon drawing from a kid:

The rest of the day was mellow. We spent some time by the pool again, and later I worked out. That night we ordered room service, which was awesome. I had a chicken caesar salad with an entire warmed chicken breast on top.

We also split a piece of chocolate cake.

We sipped a moderately priced bottle of white wine that we ordered, and watched "Smart People," the dramedy starring Ellen Page, Sarah Jessica Parker and Dennis Quaid. The characters are frustrating but compelling, and I liked the story. At times it was very dreary, but that was kind of the point I think.

Vegas: Day 4

2008-08-31T14:12:00.000-07:00

Wednesday morning I broke from routine and started the day at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, as there was one in the Miracle Miles Shops. I worked at the Los Feliz store in LA for about 8 months back in 1999/2000 and ever since I've had a soft spot for their vanilla powder. Whether it be in a Cafe Vanilla (drip coffee, steamed milk, stirred-in vanilla), a Vanilla Latte or the favorite Vanilla Iced Blended, the stuff is golden. Addictive. Yum. I ordered an Iced Blended and picked up a couple muffins for our breakfast. Lighter fare is better for us in the morning, we've learned.

We spent the late morning strolling up and down the Strip, checking out the new Palazzo Casino Hotel, an expansion of the Venetian. Nicely done, very upscale.

Nursing minor sunburns and weathering the heat, we stopped at La Salsa Cantina in the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace for some refreshments. There are two locations of this chain Mexican restaurant in the shops, and the other we had been to a few years back. Our server was extremely animated, and would constantly shout "Showtime" and clap his hands when drinks were ready. This location was more subdued, but our bartender was very friendly and made a mean mojito.

She also recommended we check out the Atrium at the Bellagio to see the train exhibit. It was very cute - and popular!

After ambling our way back to the hotel and spending a short amount of time by the pool (mostly in the shade this time), we headed back to Cheeseburger Las Vegas for a late lunch/early dinner. It was just so good! This time I had the Island Cheeseburger, with pineapple and teri sauce. And it wouldn't be the same without some liquid aloha.

Then it was back to the MGM Grand, as we had tickets to see Cirque du Soleil's Ka. It's something we've been wanting to do for a few years now, but have always balked at the ticket price. This time, we planned ahead and sucked up the cost. It was worth it. The show was spectacular, and our seats were amazing. Having been in involved in many theater projects, I thought I had seen the limits of what could be accomplished on stage. This opened my eyes to a whole other world of expression and entertainment. The show is a technical feat, featuring a stage inverting to a 90 degree angle at one point in the show. As cliche as it sounds, it is truly a visual feast and as I understand it, Ka is one of the first to attempt a linear plot. I think they succeeded. As an acrophobic, I did feel my heart racing at several points during the show. The performers were often hanging loosely from cables, being shoved off moving stage pieces or flying across the audience.

Highlight #2 of the trip, and our second and last big splurge.

After the show we ordered some room service and pizza and relaxed in the room.

Vegas: Day 3

2008-08-31T13:12:00.000-07:00

Tuesday I awoke a new man, replenished with a good night's sleep and plenty of fluids. After another Starbuck's run, we headed back to Planet Dailies in time for breakfast. I had the eggs benedict while Dan ordered an omelette. Both came with tasty home fries.

I'm a big eggs benedict conoisseur. This one rates in the middle. Eggs were cooked well, and not too much sauce (a good thing), but the english muffin was a little too thick and overwhelmed the dish.

After breakfast, we walked around and did a little shopping at H&M and the Ben Sherman Store. We then headed back down to the pool. We sat next to a girl from Dallas who asked us where we were the night before. When we told her we had stayed in and watched a movie in our room, she was a little shocked and bewildered. Vegas is different things to different people, I guess. As I was getting ready to go work out, Dan ordered us frozen margaritas that really hit the spot in the heat. I then checked out the hotel's fitness center and spa. It had a fair number of machines and some mats. After a quick work-out I used their sauna and shower and then headed back to meet Dan in the room.

We didn't want to spoil our appetites since we had reservations at a hot restaurant that night so we had cocktails for lunch at Trader Vic's in Miracle Miles Shops.

The drink menu was inspired and fun. I had their classic mai tai and then went with some other fruity drink with Bastard in the title. Both were well made, and worth the cost. Dan's first drink was the "Menehune Juice" and came with a little menehune doll!

This was our third experience at a Trader Vic's, having been to the one in Bellevue, WA twice. They do a nice job. It's a nice blend of tiki kitsch and Polynesian class if that makes any sense.

After changing into our suits (the wedding ones), it was time to head over to the MGM Grand where we had dinner reservations at L'Atelier by Joel Robuchon. Robuchon is a famous French chef, one of the most renowned in the world and he has two restaurants at the MGM. One is a more traditional, fine dining experience while L'Atelier allows the diner to peer into the inner-workings of a gourmet kitchen. Seating is around a bar, with the chefs preparing the dishes right in front of your very eyes. Angry French epithets and all!

We went with the Discovery Menu, which was 9 courses served over the course of the evening (roughly 2 hours). Dan will discuss this in greater detail with enticing photos on his blog so I won't ramble on too much.

Let's just say that at $148 per person it was well worth it. Perhaps my favorite dish was the Capuccino of green asparagus with parmesan.

Or was it the first of TWO desserts, strawberries with basil infusion and olive ice cream? Or perhaps the chilled leek soup with Maine lobster? Or the free-range quail stuff with foie gras and served with truffle-mashed potatoes?

Clearly, this was one of the major highlights of the trip. To accompany the meal, I had two glasses of a very nice white wine, though I cannot remember the name. As the cheapest on the menu, it was $15/glass.

Highly recommended for an indulgence!

How does one follow up such a meal? First we stopped at Trader Vic's for a nightcap. and watched some Olympic diving. Then, spent and full-but-not-gross-full, we trotted back to our room and watched another movie. This time we went with another comedy, "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" that was pretty funny and was filmed on the North Shore of Oahu and featured some great Hawaiian musicians.

God I love French food.

Vegas: Day 2

2008-08-31T09:37:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the warped core beach feast on Day 1, Day 2 was slow-going. It was close to noon by the time we started to stir (hurray for black-out drapes!).

I got up a bit before Dan and headed down to the casino level and found a very busy Starbucks. After ordering my usual (grande iced coffee, no sweetener, room for cream), I was a bit shocked that it cost $4.30 when it is less than 3 bucks in Seattle. Oh, well. Vacation mode!

Each of the major casino hotels has its own version of a 24-hour diner with a host of options, including breakfast. Planet Hollywood's is called Planet Dailies. It's located on the main casino floor, an open atmosphere with around 50 TV screens that are mostly playing Extra interviews (there is an Extra tie-in with the hotel - even an Extra lounge!). We missed the breakfast cut-off so went with sandwiches. I went with a ham and cheese with fries.

After each eating half, we made it back to our room and decided to check out the pool area. It's located on the 6th floor of Planet Hollywood, and is comprised of 2 pools, 2 hot tubs/whirlpools, a big area in between the two pools with umbrellas and lawn chairs, an outdoor bar (was closed the whole time we were there) and an indoor bar.

Spacing out in the triple digit heat with some magazines was just about my speed that day.

After a few dips and one beer it was time for another nap and some downtime in the room. I checked email and learned that my sister was in London craving good Mexican food. This made me crave Mexican food so that night we wandered over to the Luxor, where we stayed on our last visit in May 2007. There was a Mexican restaurant and margarita bar on the mezzanine level that we really enjoyed and were excited to go back. Unfortunately, it was closed for construction. This led us to wandering around the Strip, still slightly hungover and dehydrated, in search of a decent Mexican meal.

We finally opted to try a place at New York-New York called "Gonzalez y Gonzalez." During our very first trip to Vegas in 2004, a waiter at this very establishment was quite rude to us so we had avoided going back. But we figured time had passed and this time we were actually eating food (that was the problem last time - they were angry that we were only drinking).

We both had the Perfect Petron Margarita - nice and smooth.

For dinner I ordered a combination of a chili relleno and chicken tamale. The relleno was particularly tasty, with some good heat to it. Dan had some shrimp tacos.

We felt a bit rushed, and the space was a little cramped. But overall a much more positive experience.

After dinner we were both pretty wiped out so we just picked up some beverages from a store on the Strip and went back to our hotel and watched "Baby Mama." Perfect hangover flick. Love Tina Tey and Amy Poehler and the supporting cast was terrific. Sigourney Weaver was marvelously bizzarre and nuanced, as always.

So, Day 2, while not a complete bust was a little reminder of what happens when you drink too much the night before! The cloudy feeling never really went away until the next morning....

Day 3 to come!

Vegas: Day 1

2008-08-29T10:50:00.000-07:00

Per usual, I am behind on posting about our recent trip to Vegas so I will attempt to do it in pieces.

This was our fifth trip in as many years, and the longest we've stayed there (5 nights). It was also our first late-summer visit. Temperatures ran in the triple digits the entire time we were there, which didn't bother us at all.

Day 1: Sunday, August 17th.

Our flight was at 10:20. We always fly Alaska to Vegas, though flights are often delayed/cancelled. After a quick cab ride from Beacon Hill, in which we had to instruct the cab driver how to get to the airport from our house (cab drivers are so confused by Beacon Hill!) we arrived at Sea-Tac around 8:15 or so. After checking in, we learned that the flight was oversold and seats would be assigned at the gate. This was a little concerning, but we arrived early and at the gate we got our seats without any problem.

We landed in Vegas around 12:45 and at the baggage claim I ran into an old co-worker. Pleasantly random! The taxi line at the Vegas airport was unbelievable, but we were impressed by how quickly it moved. Checking into Planet Hollywood was a bit of a disappointment. Even though it was close to the check-in time of 3pm, only a smoking room was available.

So we opted to wait for a non-smoking room and walked around the attached Miracle Miles Shops. We were excited to try the Hawaiian Tropic Zone restaurant, new since our last trip, so we stopped in there for our first Vegas cocktails. A guy handed us a few coupons on the way in so we were able to get 4 drinks for the price of two. I had mojitos, while Dan opted for a classic margarita.

The drinks were smooth and refreshing, but the atmosphere was less Hawaiian than we expected. It was afternoon so we couldn't really get a sense of what the "scene" was like, but there was a platform above the bar that is apparently where women dance. It had a pretty sleek interior with some outside seating with covered cabanas also available.

After checking back for a room once with no luck, we decided to head back into the mall for dinner. We opted for Chesseburger Las Vegas, one of the newer locations in the expanding franchise that began with Cheeseburger Waikiki. Two surfer girls from California started the company after realizing there was no place in Hawai`i to get a mai tai and a cheeseburger.

The interior of this place was definitely Hawaiian! We felt right at home.

Dan tried their mai tai, which was reportedly very good while I couldn't resist a Kona Fire Rock Ale on tap. We split the "It's all Good" burger with some onion rings. Mmmm...heaven in a bun.

Feeling satiated by food and drink, we were finally ready for room 3217. The hotel used to be the Aladdin, but the new owners are slowly making updates to reflect the new image. The room itself was a little on the small side, but the bathroom was awesome. It must have been recently remodeled: double doors, separate deep tub from the walk-in shower, toilet room with door, plenty of space.

Our view wasn't so bad, either.

We took a nap on the comfy bed.

Then it was off to the monorail for a quick ride over to the Las Vegas Hilton.

The monorail is an easy way to get from South to North strip. It costs $5 per ride, or you can buy unlimited 3-day passes for $28. I've never had to wait long, and they are nice and cool inside.

After being dumped off at the Hilton, we cruised right into Quark's bar. As mentioned in previous post, the Star Trek Experience is closing on September 1st so this would be our last trip to enjoy it. We pushed our way in, grabbed two seats at the bar and began sharing a Warped Core Beach.

It is less scary than it looks, and actually tastes pretty good. It contains five types of rum, and plenty of raspberry flavorings. We normally only share one, but we got caught up in the nostalgia of the impending closure and ordered a second one! Uh-oh.

Apparently on our way back to our hotel, this 15 year old Elvis impersonator talked us into posing with him.

Also, I found my fashion twin!

The rest if somewhat blurry, but the night ended in alka seltzer and proved to be the only night we attempted to drink like twenty year olds.

More to come....

Garden Update

2008-08-13T14:11:00.000-07:00

See

Last week we harvested our first tomato and had it with some falafel.

Then, last weekend we harvested all this summer squash!

Dan cut if up and grilled it for our dinner guests. People were very pleased.

Not only that, we use some carrots from our garden and added them in with the store-bought ones for our Moroccan carrot salad (also for dinner guests).

What fun it is to grow our own food! Next up are the cucumbers...they are getting very close.

Drink

Mix half a glass of limeade with a Corona. It is refreshing and you will like it.

Also, I mixed up a batch of "Azul Margaritas" for our aforementioned guests (My family, for my mom's 65th bday). I mixed limeade (from concentrate) with a little less than the instructed amount of water, added in the juice of two limes, about 2.5 cups of tequila and 1 cup of blue caracao. They were mighty tasty if I do say so myself.

Remember

After dinner there was a rainbow over our house!

Remember Showbiz Pizza? I had my 8th or 9th birthday party there, and thanks to my mom I now have the evidence. She recently dredged up some old photos for a gift/display at our wedding reception.

Not to Worry

Headed to Vegas on Sunday. The highs look to be around 105-107 and the lows around 80. People think we are crazy, but we get along well in the desert heat. Once you've made it through Burning Man (higher temps with very little shade and no shade, AC or swimming pools) "hot" takes on a new meaning.

I found a great Vegas Blog that I've been looking at to get ideas on what to do.

More from the City of Sin!

Making a Living and eating it

2008-07-31T09:53:00.000-07:00

See

Tuesday night Dan, our good pal Ruth and I ventured out to Rebar, to see the Brown Derby's latest concoction of camp, hilarity and irreverance: a staged reading of the movie 9 to 5.

It had been a while since I had seen one of their shows, but I knew a lot of the actors in this one and really wanted to make the effort. I'm glad I did, as it was thoroughly entertaining - and I hadn't even seen the movie. I think my friend Scott as the alcoholic office worker with bizarre wig was my favorite.

The show closes tonight. Doors open at 7pm and tickets are $14. Opening night was packed.

Eat/Drink

Before the show we had dinner at Machiavelli , a restaurant I always tend to forget about. Dan and I had our second date there, and I believe I've been there two other times in all the years I've lived in Seattle/Capitol Hill.

This time I tried the spinach shells with Italian sausage and marinara, and we shared a bottle of white wine. The prices are very reasonable and the menu is straightforward but offers enough diversity to require some decision making.

I'm partial to La Spiga for Italian food on Capitol Hill, but I think Machiavelli is worthy of keeping on the ol' radar. It can sometimes get really crowded, which has turned me away a few times, but early weeknights seem to be optimal for quick, affordable, tasty dinners.

Read

I finally finished Look to the Source. I picked up some valuable insights into the Hawaiian belief system (both ancient, and as interpreted today). Much of it had to do with rituals around death and grieving, though, so I had to fight my inner superstitious worrier.

I am now reading Fornander's Ancient History of the Hawaiian People to the Times of Kamehameha I with introduction by Glen Grant.

Abraham Fornander was a Swedish emigrant who came to Hawai`i by way of the whaling industry, and later became a successful journalist who boldly made his stance as anti-missionary and devoted much of his life to educating the world on the history of the Hawaiian people. He fought against the missionary's idea that until the haole "discovered" Hawai`i, there was no means of civilization or order. This book is actually the second volume of a complete history of ancient Polynesia, but has been re-printed and targeted to those with a specific interest in Hawai`i's past.

Remember

I have been a little side-tracked lately with our Hawai`i Blog. Check it out!

My brother-in-law is running for Judge of King County Superior Court. He has had a phenomenal career as a Prosecuting Attorney, is an undeniable leader in the field of law and is unequivocally dedicated to justice.

To learn more, check out his web site. The primary is August 19th!

Worry

This cat needs a home!

DansinHawaii now Live!

2008-07-22T15:17:00.000-07:00

First post is up! More to come. Check us out!

http://www.thedansinhawaii.blogspot.com

I love summer

2008-07-16T14:58:00.000-07:00

See

My vegetable garden is a bit of a success! We harvested broccoli last week, and had it with our dinner.

What an accomplished feeling to create our own food! Doing well also: squash, cucumber, carrots, tomato

Still hope, but in need of a comeback: basil, red pepper.

So, it turns out I really dig gardening (veggies in particular). I'd like to learn more, and next year build some raised beds to keep the critters out. I was too late for rhubarb this year, and that's one crop I really enjoy. Reminds me of growing up and eating the sauce and pies and cobblers and jams my mom would make from the garden we had in the backyard.

Eat

I've been to Cafe Flora twice in the past week, both sort of related to work. Last week I was invited to a dinner with the Database Resarch group (who I work with) and I tried the Yakima Valley polenta. It came with many seasonal fruits and veggies (bing cherries, snap peas, kale) and some cheese and a raspberry coulis. It was tasty, but nothing can beat their yam fries with cayenne aioli. Yum.

Last night my co-worker Ashish and his wife, Shalene took us out to celebrate our recent wedding (really, I don't know when it will all end with the generosity, but I'm completely grateful and surprised when it happens). I suggested Cafe Flora because I knew Shalene didn't eat meat, and I think it was a good choice. This time I had the "french dip" which used portobello mushroom instead of roast beef. It was served on a nice toasty bun with melted swiss cheese, along with a cup of mushroom au jus and a nice helping of those delicious yam fries. Beyond gastronomical delights, the evening was full of good energy, catching up and learning a bit more about each other.

Drink

It's summer so anything cold seems epicurean, but last week I got hold of a Chateau St. Michele Dry Rose that knocked my socks off! I have to re-post the label when I get the image uploaded. But who knew? Rose. Yum.

Update: here is the pic, taken near our recycling bin

Read

I have been reading this book I got in Hilo last month. It is a bit dense at times (particularly in summer, on a crowded bus, which is too often when I find time to read), but the encyclopedia style is user-friendly and helpful if you get lost or need to go back and reference something you didn't fully absorb the first time. It is essentially a look at Hawaiian words, what they meant in ancient times, how they related to a specific belief or custom and what the significance is (in 1972) today.

I think the book is targeted toward case workers so that they can better understand their clients of native Hawaiian descent, but for Hawaii-philes like myself there is definitely plenty to dig into from a purely cultural awareness perspective.

Remember

I just volunteered to help with the first ever Live Aloha Festival happening on September 7th from 11am-7pm at Seattle Center. Every year as part of their FESTAL programming they offer up a whole weekend for a particular culture. So far Hawai`i has been left out. But this year, thanks to many who rallied for it, a one-day festival will take place in hopes for future expansion. More on that to come!

Also, I went to Discovery Park for the first time EVER on Saturday. What a beautiful spot! We hiked on the trails for an hour or more, soaking up the sun and enjoying the natural surroundings.

I love summer!

Star Trek Experience Closing.

2008-07-01T13:23:00.000-07:00

I just learned that the Star Trek Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton is closing, which includes Quark's - my absolute favorite bar in all of the USA! I am not a huge trekkie, but my husband is a bit so we visited the Experience on our first trip to Vegas in May 2004. We got there late so we only got to experience one of the rides.

According to news reports, the Experience will be closing in early September, which means our trip this August will be our last time to share a big bowl of cocktail with dry ice.

Sad. We've been back every time we've visited since and always meet people sitting at the bar. I think being in such a silly atmosphere helps break down barriers and people just feel comfortable to chat and reach out. There are plenty of big city bars out there with red walls, candles, moodiness and sleek. But only one Quark's.

A new chapter

2008-06-26T11:18:00.000-07:00

It's been some time since I've posted anything so I thought I'd quickly get back in the rhythm of things.

The month or so leading up to the wedding was pretty busy, attending to many details and plans. Everything turned out, well, perfect. Just as I had imagined it. All the planning really paid off in the end. It was a beautiful time, a trip of a lifetime really.

I will post more about it, and Dan & I are also going to work on a new blog just for our Hawaiian adventures.

But for now, here is a link to some photos and descriptions of the trip (more photos from the professional photographers to come):

Dan and Dan in Hawai`i

A princess, a show and some noodles

2008-05-20T08:20:00.000-07:00

Read

Yesterday I finished reading Pauahi: The Kamehameha Legacy by George Hueu Sanford Kanahele , the free book I received from the Kamehameha schools as an incentive for completing one of their on-line courses. The book seems designed to reach out to the kids in the school system, to invoke in them a sense of pride in the woman who founded the Kamehameha Schools.

Bernice Pauahi Bishop was part of the Kamehameha Dynasty, and was offered the throne twice. Both times she turned it down. She married a haole, a man named Charles Bishop. Together they traveled, studied, and worked hard to make Hawai`i a better place. Upon her death, Pauahi had become the wealthiest woman in Hawai`i after inheriting thousands of acres from her parents and Princess Ruth. She was never able to have children herself, nor did adoption work out for her and Charles. Instead, she became the largest benefactor of Hawaiian eduction and cultural perpetuity ever.

The author does a lot of conjecturing on what Pauahi might have been thinking, or what her impressions of certain experiences and events probably were at the time. It's a quick read, one I did entirely on my bus commutes (which means certain passages I might not have fully comprehended/appreciated because of the noise/distractions). I think one of the truly beautiful things about Hawaiian culture is the constant effort to remind future generations of where things began, to instill gratitude. Whether it's a generous ali`i, a taro root, or the magnificent Sea it's always revered and respected.

See/Eat/Drink

On Friday night Dan & I made a trip to old neighborhood (Capitol Hill). Surprisingly, after living there for more than a decade, we don't find ourselves back very often. I think part of it is the parking, and part of it is just that we like our house so much.

We met up with our friends Jason & Jayson, who we hadn't seen in quite some time for dinner at one of their favorite new spots, Boom Noodle. The owners of the successful Blue C. Sushi restaurants are now venturing into noodle territory.

I began with a mojito and then munched on a chicken skewer that was very tender and well seasoned. For my entree I went with something very basic, beef yakisoba but later wished I had been more daring.

After dinner and another drink at the new-and-improved Cha Cha, we went to Annex Theatre to see our friend Spencer's play called S2. It imagined a bleak dystopia, a familiar setting for modern satires, where Corporation meets Government and people speak in robotic, repetitive phrases and a pre-occupation with sex seems to distance real human contact. The acting was quite impressive and the use of visual backdrops was innovative. We all agreed it could have been edited down a bit, but I know how hard it is to let stuff go in a script.

Post show, we went to yet another new Capitol Hill establishment called Grey Gallery & Lounge for another drink. There was a little living room-esque area upstairs that we crowded into, and caught up a bit before calling it a night.

Remember

After our crazy (for us) Friday night, we mostly stuck around the house for the rest of the weekend. Dan finished the patio (pictures to come!) and I planted some carrot seeds and re-potted the tomato plant. Veggies seem to be growing. We've also been using Crest White strips to brighten our smiles for the wedding, and I'm finding them challenging. The bottom ones tend to slip off and for some reason I can't swallow easily while they're in. I will persevere, though, since white teeth are tantamount to a healthy marriage.

Fun weekend!

2008-05-13T10:19:00.000-07:00

Eat/Drink/See/Remember

I had a super fun weekend!

It started out on Friday with happy hour at Luau, my favorite Seattle bar to celebrate my sister Lisa's last day of work at Amazon. She is now a free agent so we all toasted to that. I had my usual Mai Tai, as I'm sure I've mentioned before that they are the best in town. For dinner, I tried one of the last remaining items on the menu I hadn't yet tasted, the Fried Rice with Sausage. Yum! Leftovers for a great Sunday breakfast, too.

Since we had so many people in our party, we go to sit in the ultra-cool Bora Bora room, which is usually reserved for private parties and requires a fee. It has a nice fish tank that my nephew Jack enjoyed almost as much as his Sprite with cocktail umbrellas!

Saturday morning we awoke early and headed to the Woodland Park Zoo to meet up with my future in-laws for the Garlington Mother's Day fun. It had been years since I'd been to that zoo, and I was impressed by now well they keep the grounds and by the expansive exhibits. I had a great time with my new camera.

It also happened to be "Mom & Me," the second busiest day of the year at the zoo so we opted to go elsewhere for lunch. I had just read in one of the Seattle magazines about May in Wallingford, supposedly the best Thai in the city. It wasn't crowded so we were seated immediately and the lunch menu appears to be the same as the dinner one so all options were available to us. I went with the red curry w/ chicken.

Delicious with some nice heat (as they say on Top Chef!). Dan's parents both ordered the Phad Thai and they mixed it right at the table. All in all, I was impressed by the decor, service, presentation and tasty food. I will be back, maybe to try to lounge downstairs for happy hour. I hear they make a mean cocktail.

After a few quick stops (EE Robbins to pick up our rings being one of them!) and a brief stop at home to wrap Mom's day gift #2, it was back to Wallingford to celebrate the Dembiczak matriarch. My sisters had taken my mom out to a day at the spa, lunch and shopping so we opted for casual this year with some pizzas and a salad. The pies came from Olympia Pizza, which used to be a favorite dining spot for us when we lived on Capitol Hill. It was a pleasant reunion, as I scarfed down 3 slices of garlic chicken.

And for dessert, my sister Lisa brought some tasty chocolate chip cookies.

With all the excitement of Friday and Saturday, it was nice to not have any plans on Sunday. I attended to usual Sunday chores (laundry, grocery shopping, preparing for the work week) in addition to finally planting some veggies! We'll see how green my thumb is, but the line-up is: basil, squash, broccoli, red pepper, cucumber and tomatoes. Dan made great strides with the patio, and I helped him on the first shift. Lifting concrete is hard work!

Only 29 days until we leave for Hilo!

Catching Up

2008-05-05T13:29:00.000-07:00

A little bit of everything

Oh dear, it's been forever. I came down with a nasty bug that rendered me useless for a good chunk of April. You can read all about it (and my love affair with hot dogs) in Dan's blog.

Aside from the illness, there have been a whirlwind of wedding plans and that pre-vacation frenzy that happens when you take more than a week off from work.

I have had time to eat/drink/read/see/remember/worry, though.

A few highlights:

On April 26th (Saturday) we drove up to Snoqualmie Falls and stayed a night at the beautiful Salish Lodge. This place has to be the best hotel in the region. The service is impeccable, the place is always spotless and no one raises his or her voice in the lobby or spa. I love it. This was our second time, and the first on our own dime (Dan's parents bought us a spa package a few years back - wonderful!). This time we took my parents up as we got them a gift card toward their stay for their Christmas present. We decided to tag along and got a room next to theirs.

Much good food was had (you can also read all about what we ate on Dan's blog). I particularly loved the ahi nicoise (don't ask me to pronounce) and the smoke salmon brioche with caviar and poached egg I had for breakfast.

Dan is installing a cement patio in our backyard, all made with recycled pieces we got for free. Someone dumped it all off for us in front of our house so transporting it to the back was an exhausting chore. I helped with it some, but Dan ended up doing the lion's share of the work.

I am very excited to see how it turns out. I think it will the perfect place to hang out this summer with friends, food, and firepit!

We decided to take our cat outside and he met our neighbor's dog.

Last week we had to go to Bellevue so we dined on a vast array of pupus at Trader Vic's (they pass the good mai tai test, too!)

So much more, but I am so behind. I'm learning Hawaiian (slowly) by CD and book. I began reading a new book on Bernice Pauahi Bishop. I bought my first suit yesterday.

Only 37 days until we leave for the Big Island! It is really clicking in!

Talking Story, eating chicken, getting woo-woo

2008-04-08T08:05:00.000-07:00

Read

On Sunday I finished reading Hotel Honolulu. While a bit long for a novel, it turned out be a fairly quick and breezy read, and all-in-all supremely entertaining. That first paragraph did not lead to disappointment!

The story centers around the unnamed narrator (seemingly close in nature to the actual author, Paul Theroux), who has left the Mainland and the world of writing to become a regular guy in Waikiki. He gets a job managing a run-down hotel owned by a capricious, debaucherous millionaire named Buddy Hamstra. Buddy ends up figuring into the story heavily, particularly in the final third.

The novel is really a connection of short stories and anecdotes of all the visitors, employees, local gossips, prostitutes and locals who touch the Hotel Honolulu and make their impression upon the narrator. It sometimes reminded me of Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City series, though less enduring. Here most characters are introduced, and then maybe given 1-3 chapters of backstory before some sort of resolution is met. However, there are a handful of mainstays whose stories are interwoven throughout the narrative.

Theroux has a firm command of the English language and uses it to explore some interesting themes of language and literature in relation to our culture, or any culture. The narrator exists, constantly, as an outsider, one whose world has been in books and often flails in attempts to understand this new realm where the sun always shines and improper grammar reigns.

This passage eloquently paints the picture of our narrator's inner struggles:

"The printed word was a source of energy to me, giving me hope and verifying what I felt. In fact, for long periods on this island over the past years I had felt that there was much more dreamed in literature than every contemplated in heaven and earth."

The first two-thirds are chocked full of bizarre histories, scandals, perversions and surprising twists. The last third slows down, becoming more of a meditation on what it means to be a grown man in a new place trying to make sense of a life that doesn't always seem the right fit.

Great read. I recommend it - great for a plane ride or a vacation in the sun.

Eat

This past Friday we went to the Eylsian Fields Brewery to celebrate Dan's sister's 37th birthday. I had no idea there was another Elysian. I've been going to the one on Capitol Hill for years, for its consistently tasty food and casual atmosphere.

This one is a bit more upscale and elegant. The space, located across from Qwest Field, is very spacious. The bar area is separate and there are even some private dining areas that I assume are rented out for events. The menu was more upscale, too, with several seafood dishes, steak but still with some standard options like burgers and salads. I went with the roasted chicken and mashed potatoes. Perhaps it was because I hadn't eaten much that day, but I could not stop raving about it, all the way to the car after dinner and even the next day! Yum!

Remember

Last night I took a class called "Intro to Huna" at South Seattle Community College, through their Continuing Education program. It was a two-hour seminar, introducing the basic elements to Huna, an ancient philosphy practiced by Hawaiians. It is unclear exactly how it came to be practiced on the Hawaiian Islands. Some believe it came from Egypt and was then delivered by Israelis while some believe it originated in the land known as Atlantis while even others believe it came from up above. Regardless, people still practice it today and it actually makes a lot of sense.

In Huna, there are three selves: the young or low self (child), the middle self (the one who speaks and reasons) and the high self (like your own personal god, or guardian angel who you ask for things).

Our instructor was an engaging speaker, brimming with passion on the topic. The idea that had the most resonance for me was, to no surprise, that we worry about things we don't want to happen, and all that energy goes into thinking "I don't want to feel sick" or "I don't want to be poor." Our younger self does not hear the "don't" and so we end up experiencing, or bringing about, exactly what we do not want. Instead, we ought to focus on what we want in positive terms.

I still feel like I have more to learn on this topic before I can speak to its full effects. I look forward to doing more research and allowing it to change some of my habits.

Bucolic Luxury/Fraternal Splendor

2008-04-01T13:14:00.000-07:00

Remember (and Worry)

Moloka`i Properties Limited, owners of the Moloka`i Ranch and the beautiful Moloka`i Lodge announced last week that it is shutting down all operations including Molokai Lodge, the Kaupoa Beach Village, the Kaluakoi Golf Course, the Maunaloa gas station, the Maunaloa Tri-Plex theatre, cattle-rearing, and the company's substantial maintenance operations.

Over the next 60 days more than 120 employees will be laid off. This is very significant to the island's economy, as the populations stands at about 8,000. The operations closing down will likely have a devastating impact on the few remaining businesses on the West side of the island as well.

My fiance and I visited this area twice back in late November/early December 2006. We first had lunch at the Lodge (one of the most impressive hotel lobbies I've ever seen) at the outside bar, and then came back on our last night on the island to indulge in the main dining room. The meal was very pleasing as I recall, and the service quite attentive. The grounds on the hotel property were well maintained and within walking distance was the small strip of businesses - collectively making up the town of Maunaloa. There we found a delightful kite shop/toy/book/souvenir shop and purchased some christmas gifts for my nephews as well as a few things for my dad. It was a little oasis -- a quiet corner of the world where you had all the amenities of a vacation resort in a pastoral setting that has become increasingly difficult to find in our ever-developing world.

Now the fate of all the properties is up in the air, as I'm sure the bidding will begin for new ownership. There is a strong movement by the people of Moloka`i to gain the land so they have more control over its destiny, but with a $200 million price tag it will take more than just creative fundraising.

The basis of the sudden closure seems to be a frustration with the strong opposition by the Moloka`i people to the company's "Master Plan." Much of this plan is ostensibly the development of luxury properties at La'au Point. It is unfortunate that such drastic action had to come of all the disagreement.

See

My fiance loves television. And I love that he loves television. Before I met him, I wasn't quite in the "Kill your TV" camp but dangerously close. I watched a few shows here and there, but mostly rented movies. While I still mostly prefer to sit down to watch a program as opposed to just zoning out with the remote, I've become much more of a TV-nut. Often I will hold out on shows that my fiance records, not wanting to commit myself to yet another 30-60 minutes per week.

One such show was the ABC Family dramedy Greek. I thought "How could a show about college kids in fraternities and sororities on the same network that does High School Musical and that show with the (now) pregnant girl be entertaining to men in their thirties?"

One night I finally sat down and gave it a shot. Okay, pretty snappy dialogue. I have a weakness for teenager stuff (Heathers, Mean Girls, Bring it On, all those John Hughes movies -- not to mention, those tempestuous years of adolescence on 90210!). I took me about two episodes before I was fully hooked, but then I just added it go the list of must-see TV. It's a smart show, a sweet show and it appears to be a step toward the edge for the network. One of the main characters is gay and rushing a fraternity and he hooked up with another frat gay. Drama ensues, and highlights the inherent intolerance in the fraternity system. Kids have sex and drink, and the sexy villainess of the show is not played by a buxom blonde but by a talented up-and-coming Indian actress. All of these things point to a show that is not only entertaining to someone like myself, but also a show that is moving in the right direction for a network that has so much influence on today's youth. Go ABC Family!

There Goes Pele! (See and Remember)

2008-03-26T13:26:00.000-07:00

She's at it again. For the first time since 1982, Kilauea on the Big Island of Hawai`i has begun erupting. People are flocking to see, as lava drifts toward residential neighborhoods in the Puna District.

Hotel Honolulu Cantina Moon

2008-03-22T14:27:00.000-07:00

Read

I just started reading Paul Theroux's Hotel Honolulu, a 424-page novel about a blocked writer trying to lead a normal life as the manager of a run-down Waikiki hotel. It is one of those rare treats in literature; the very first paragraph is magic. It pulled me in immediately and I have marveled at the writing every since. It's quick, smart, clever-but-not-too-clever and accurately depicts the Hawai`i they don't write about in guide books or resort brochures.

I am pasting in the first paragraph because I think it is so brilliant:

"Nothing to me is so erotic as a hotel room, and therefore so penetrated with life and death. Buddy Hamstra offered me a hotel job in Honolulu and laughed at my accepting it so quickly. I had been trying to begin a new life, as people do when they flee to distant places. Hawaii was paradise with heavy traffic. I met Sweetie in the hotel, where she was also working. One day when we were alone on the fourth floor I asked "Do you want to make love?" and she said "Part of me does." Why smile? At least we did it, then often, and always in the same vacant guest room, 409. Sweetie got pregnant, our daughter was born. So, within a year of arriving, I had my new life, and as the writer said after the crack-up, I found new things to care about. I was resident manager of the Hotel Honolulu, eighty rooms nibbled by rats."

That is craftsmanship. I have mostly been reading non-fiction and how-to lately so I am elated that the novel I picked to shake things up is such a good one so far. It kind of makes me want to write fiction again, though I'm so rusty after focusing on scriptwriting for all those years.

Drink

Last night after work I headed over to the old neighborhood to meet up with our friend Sarah, who was visiting from Bellingham. She recently moved up there to go back to school for graphic design. She had us all meet up at the new and improved Cha Cha Lounge. The lounge is now underneath the restaurant portion, Bimbo's Cantina and does not open until 5pm so we hung out up there for a little bit. The service was fast and friendly and the Bartender's Margaritas made very well (maybe too well...easy to drink those suckers!). The downstairs is like a whole other world. While the old Cha Cha was compact, cramped with low ceilings and not a lot of open space, the new Cha Cha is palatial in comparison: high ceilings, plenty of seating, very open floor plan. The decor is still kitsch, but with an upscale twist. And yes, still very red.

See

Did you see the moon last night? Dan took this picture as we headed to our car in Columbia City after another reliably tasty meal at El Sombrero.

Beacon Hill Groper (Worry)

2008-03-19T08:31:00.000-07:00

There is a man in our neighborhood who has become quite prolific in groping Asian women, mostly at bus stops. His most recent attack happened close to the main drag of Beacon Hill, on 14th Avenue South. He seems to be getting bolder, as his assaults are happening during broad daylight.

How can this man still be on the loose?!? Authorities are starting to consider that this might be the work of more than one person, too.

If anyone has information on the case, detectives say they should contact the sexual assault unit directly. The number is 206-684-5575.

Shamrock Caesar (Remember)

2008-03-17T18:36:00.001-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day. Here is our beloved feline, Caesar.

I love dressing him up, but it doesn't make him so happy. I used to have a Santa necklace thing with bells that I would make him wear around Christmas. Despite his grumpiness, he is a surprisingly tolerant cat - and he loves to cuddle. He is 9.5 years old (or so) and just the best house cat a guy could want.

Mission Accomplished (Eat & Drink)

2008-03-10T09:10:00.001-07:00

Saturday we did our taxes (mostly) and so we decided to treat ourselves to a nice dinner. We've been wanting to check out West Seattle now that we are so close, and this was a perfect opportunity as we had no time schedule and a full tank of gas.

I did a google search of "West Seattle restaurtants" and this very helpful site came up. We decided on The Mission, based on our love of glam Tex-Mex and a good recommendation from my sister. Having glanced at the menu on-line, it seemed to fit in with some of our other favorite places with a creative bent on the standard burrito: The Matador, Cactus, Agua Verde, and Mexico.

The interior of The Mission is very sleek, with dim lighting and high ceilings. There is a bar with some high tables (where we were seated), some booths along two of the walls and then an upstairs open-balcony with more seating. The layout definitely felt clubby, almost like a swanky version of The Eagle (a really cleaned up version!).

They also have this cool display right outside the front door:

The service was incredibly fast and friendly, which helped to ameliorate the news that their kitchen was only serving a limited menu that evening. I decided on the tamale special (chicken and jack cheese) while Dan tried the sweet potato tacos. We both had their cadillac margarita (my favorite cocktail and done very well here).

Tacos

Tamales

Margarita

Me trying to master the wide screen feature on our new camera

The food was very tasty, prices fair and atmosphere hip without the attitude. I will undoubtedly be back, adding it to the growing list of inventive Tex Mex cuisine in Seattle (whoever said you couldn't find good Mexican in Seattle?!?).

Seventh of 2008

2008-03-06T13:05:00.000-08:00

See

My fiance has a mastercard through CitiBank, which belongs to the Thank You Network. How it works is simple: each time you charge something with your credit card, you earn points. You also can earn points by booking travel through expedia, through certain car rental services, and through certain retail chains like The Gap.

Over the years we wracked up enough points to redeem a pretty snazzy camera. We went with this model, the Panasonic Lumix FZ8 DMC-FZ8. I've just played around with it a bit, but I am eager to learn how to master all its bells and whistles. It will be so wonderful to have such a high quality camera for our next trip to Hawai`i.

We had some points left over so we added on this digital underwater camera. Supposedly it doesn't take very good out-of-water photos, but for snorkeling (and in the bathtub maybe?) it seems to excel. Now I can capture all those bright yellow fish I see!

Yet, a third camera? Yes, indeed. Our simple and sleek Canon (insert exact model) deteriorated, finally forcing us to not even try to capture moments with it. It began to create horizontal lines that cut through the image. So long old friend. I do like the newer model better, and it will be nice to have a familiar camera that can easily be stuffed in my pocket along with the more complicated Panasonic for when we choose to be more artful in our photography.

Eat

Who is this fiance, you say? His name is Dan Garlington and he just started a new food blog, documenting each day what he cooks and eats with pictures and commentary. Check out What's Cookin' Good Lookin' for great recipes from a man who loves food (all kinds)!

This will also let you know what I'm eating, too, which begs the question of what direction this section should take. Hmmm...

Drink

Tuesday I took the day off, and met my friend Ruth for a late lunch of wine and cheese at bustling Cafe Presse at 12th and Madison. This was my second trip, the first being a dinner date with my fiance to redeem a gift card we had received.

I had just been to the doctor that morning (more on that soon) and was ready for some vino! I went with the server's suggestion for a crisp White, and it was exceptional. I wish I remembered the name; it started with a G. I had a cheese plate, while Ruth had the Croque Madame. At 2pm, the front area was almost at capacity so I slipped in the back to grab a table. It, too, was fairly occupied. It eventually cleared out, as we sipped our wine and chatted as the sun spilled through the high windows. It's a very pleasant way to spend an afternoon.

My lunch:

Me and my lunch:

Read

I finished up Access: Introduction to Travel & Tourism. It did not turn me away from wanting to pursue a career in that industry, but I do think there will be challenges with finding a way in that doesn't require a huge pay cut or dealing directly with the public. But I'm confident that in time, if it's still what I want, I will find a way! The information is presented very clearly, the chapters seem just the right length and the activities and questions make you reflect and flex your muscles. I can see why it's used often in a classroom setting.

Next, after catching up on the latest issue of Hana Hou, is this guide to wedding readings and vows, from "The Knot."

Picking readings for a wedding is challenging, as it turns out. It's easy to recollect all the books you've enjoyed, or that have had some riveting impact on your life. But finding specific passages that seem appropriate in length and theme for a wedding ceremony so far has been tricky. Maybe this will help!

Remember

An old friend of mine, a very talented actor and writer, has created a new blog called 40licious and it's all about being 40 in youth-obsessed Los Angeles. I can vouch for Vanessa having very keen insights and a natural ability to find humor in everyday life.

And speaking of blogging, this will be the last (for now) of the sorta-weekly newsletter-y format. I will now attempt to blog more regularly, as these things actually happen as I realize that is when blogging is at its most relevant. I will stick to the same headings, though, but they may not always be the in the same order.

So, we'll see how yet another direction goes with this here blog!

Worry

I passed my physical with flying colors! Hurray, and yes I'm a silly worry-wort.

The people on the Big Island, though, have something to worry about. There is a disturbing movement to genetically modify crops in the agriculture industry there (and in all of Hawai`i), including the culturally significant taro.

Leave their poi alone I say!

Sixth of 2008 (Mostly Old news)

2008-02-29T09:15:00.000-08:00

This is very delinquent. I had it all planned since last week, but then got distracted. However, I just received a new digital camera so hopefully I will learn how to use it soon and post with more alacrity.

This one will be short and sweet

See

On President's Day (see, it's been a while) I finally saw the Best-Picture Winner No Country For Old Men. I loved it. The story is straightforward, and not that much different than any typical thriller. But the Coen Brothers elevate it to art with their skill and sensibilities. Performances are great, cinematography amazing (surprised it didn't win for that, too) and the script is tight and metaphoric in all the right places. Some thought the ending was dissatisfying, but I enjoyed its subtlety.

The following Sunday my family gathered in our living room to watch the 80th Annual Academy Awards, hosted by the great John Stuart. I wasn't as emotionally invested in the awards this year (most years I'm psycho about it) because I just didn't get around to seeing many of the films nominated and then that led to a general sense of apathy. I really had fun watching them, though, and the run time was not exruciating this year! In fact, it might have been more enjoyable to watch them with people since I didn't need to hear every single acceptance speech. I still followed along, but fared horribly in my predictions. My sister Lisa won, but that meant nothing in terms of remuneration. We did send her home with a piece of lasagne.

Eat

There is a new Hawaiian barbeque/plate lunch place on the odd corner of 12th and Boren called Northshore Hawaiian Barbeque. We checked it out recently for lunch. The space is deceptively large, with a full back area that could easily house a bar if they decide to get a liquor license.

I had the huli huli chicken plate lunch, which of course comes with two scoops of white rice and a scoop of mac salad. The mac salad needed salt, but I was fairly satisfied with the chicken (more than I could eat, portions are generous). They also offer breakfast and a few desserts, such as haupia. It's a casual place, but there is table service. Drink offerings are limited to coffee, tea, sodas and Hawaiian Sun "juice" (ie, corn syrup that tastes vaguely tropical, but delicious all the same!).

Drink

I'm on a cleanse right now, in preparation for my physical next week. But I have recently indulged in two new cocktails!

On Valentine's Day I tried the Pele's Revenge at Luau: passion fruit juice, white rum, lemon-lime and amaretto. Shaken and served up, like a martini. Delcious, but sweet. I had one and then switched back to the original Mai Tai (which Laua does the best job of in town).

Then last weekend I had a mango-ginger margarita at The Islander. It's not quite margarita weather for me yet, but it was damn refreshing and not too heavy on the mango. It still had the lime-tang you want from the famous thirst-quencher.

Read

I finished the autobiography of Queen Lili'uokalani (and subsequently purchased a DVD documentary on her life and watched it). She was an incredible woman, so much integrity and dedication and so remarkably full of hope even in her darkest hours. Some of her musings on America were a bit depressing in light of what has happened since the late 1800s. She believed strongly in America, and viewed the illegal imperialistic overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy as an enemy of just a small fraction of selfish businessman. Sadly, the two became one in the same.

I am currently reading Access: Introduction to Travel and Tourism by Marc Mancini. I've been harboring the notion of breaking into that industry for some time, and this seemed like a good first step to see if it's something I ought to pursue further. The book is workbook-style, with questions and activities after each chapter. I like this, as it forces me to comprehend and not skim over things and if I'm reading something on the bus with distractions, I have the motivation to go back and re-read to find the answers. I wish more books had this feature. It helps fight the lazy bug!

Remember

Remember the Smurfs? I do! I collected them, idolized them and watched the cartoon religiously. And now, thanks to my loving fiance, I can re-live my childhood with the first season on DVD.

I already have tomorrow morning planned out: honeycombs and milk being delivered by Safeway tonight. Next I'll have to get the little guys out of storage for a photo shoot. They are making a comeback, you know! The big screen feature comes out soon.

Worry

Still a little worried about the physical, but my week of good health has helped ebb the anxiety.

Ralph Nader running for President should make everyone worry!

Also, beware of twin porn actors because they might steal your stuff!

Fifth of 2008

2008-02-17T17:58:00.000-08:00

See

Last night was the WORLD LEADER PRETEND party, the 32nd cacophonous adventure thrown by Guerrilla Masquerade Party. I went as Abe Lincoln, Dan went as the Pope and our friend Spencer went as Fidel Castro. Other costumes included a Mary Todd, another Abe (with gun shot wound!), a prime minister of Israel, another Fidel, another Abe, and the Dahli Lahma.

The party took place at Sunset Bowl, which sadly will soon shut its doors and be razed to make room for condominiums. In the meantime, though, business is booming! The bar was jam-packed and the wait for a lane was in the 3-drink range.

Also, my camera officially bit the dust last night.

Eat

Last weekend we returned to doing something we often did in our younger days, which is go out for breakfast! We happened to be up very early on a Saturday so this definitely did not qualify as brunch.

Already having tried Beacon Hill's Baja Bistro, we headed south to our favorite neighborhood that's not technically ours, Columbia City. I sure wish Beacon Hill had half the restaurant variety as C-town, but I musn't be selfish and the drive isn't too bad.

Having attempted in the past and been too late to beat the enormous crowd, we took advantage of our early rise and got a table at Geraldine's Counter.

I knew the place was owned by persons who also owned another Seattle establishment, and the whole time I was convinced it was Coastal Kitchen. Silly me. My co-worker corrected me that the sister restaurant is El Greco on Broadway.

Confusion aside, the meal was delicious and the coffee pretty darn good (they serve Vita). I had a savory scramble, chocked full of sausage, mozzarella, peppers, hashbrowns and onions. The side dish of bread can be either a homemade biscuit, muffin or a slice of toast from the Columbia City Bakery across the street. The sourdough was top notch. Service was fast and friendly. It's a busy place, not a lot of privacy and can get loud. But it's breakfast. They also seem to have an extensive lunch and dinner menu.

Clearly, we enjoyed it.

Drink

The embodiment of Abe Lincoln actually began on Tuesday with "Fours Bars and Seven Years Ago." From the GMP website:

It's become an underground tradition for some well known Seattle artists to celebrate the birthday of Abraham Lincoln by growing beards, dressing in top hats and suits, and spending February 12th roaming the city having drinks and turning heads.

This year, ol' Abe is turning 199 years old, and in honor of that momentous occasion, we've all been invited to join the fun!

Dan took on the Lincoln garb while I tagged along in street clothes to join in the revelry as much as possible on a school night. First stop was the Hideout on First Hill, which is a cozy and artsy nest with happy bartenders who make mean French 75s.

I fully attribute my struggle against daily life on Wednesday to those two little darlings.

We made it to the second stop, the War Room for "Lesbian Hip Hop Night." Yeah, I don't know either. But we had one more drink (and hated ourselves the next morning for it) and enjoyed the gawks and John Wilkes Booth jokes. The turnout was great and there were plenty of women sporting the Abe beard - very impressive!

Read

I am almost finished with Hawai'i's Story by Hawai'i's Queen, a 400-page recount of the fall of the monarchy by the last reigning sovereign of the Hawaiian Kingdom. She is careful to stick to the facts, but her impressions ultimately prevail and they are most justified in this moving, sometimes shocking memoir of the final years and days leading up to the overthrow of the Hawaiian Monarchy by the "Provisional Government" of the US.

I look forward to finishing it and will reveal more then. There are several appendices, which describe the different geneologies of the royal families and some newspaper articles from the time of the Queen's forced abdication from the throne.

I started taking a distance learning course two weeks ago, through the Kamehameha school system. The title of the course is He Inoa 'Ala and it asks us to consider the origins of our names, the names in our families, the very act of naming. Primarily, the material covers name (inoa) traditions in Hawaiian culture. However, the benefit of this knowledge can be applied anywhere as we all deal with names on some level every single day.

The course is divided into three sections, each to take approximately one week. We go at our own pace, and after each section are asked to reflect upon what we've learned about in the discussion boards. So far we have a very eager group! I was a bit intimidated at first, not being a Native and having a pretty ordinary name. Everyone is so kind, though, and yes so filled with "aloha" that I have not held back in posting my impressions and finding parallel applications to the issues raised in my own experiences on the Mainland.

Excited to delve into the final week's material starting tomorrow! We have to do homework for this lesson with our families. Project!

Remember

February 8th was my nephew Blake's 8th birthday - man, that seems really old. We celebrated the following night and our gift to him was the EyeClops. It is sort of like a magnifying glass you hook up to your television to look at objects more closely on the screen. It's pretty neat, and I think my nephew will really enjoy it.

My sister might have to endure him dragging bugs into the house, though!

Worry

I have a genuine worry this week. I made a doctor's appointment for March 4th - the dreaded physical exam that seems to be somewhat controversial. Some doctors feel it is a waste of time/money and one shouldn't bother coming in unless they are at risk or exhibiting symptoms of an illness.

Well, last time I was in for one was about four years ago and the doc said every 3-4 years until you're 40. I guess that's the magic age for yearly check-ups. Can't wait! I hate doctor visits, even though I'm pretty sure I'm perfectly healthy. My mind goes to crazy places.

So, on March 5th I will hopefully have put this worry to rest for another 3-4 years!

Fourth of 2008

2008-02-08T08:38:00.001-08:00

Read

Lost is back in all its Darwinian glory, and I have never been more captivated! The first two episodes have been marvelously crafted, with equal parts suspense, mystery and a little bit of the old "What the *#!*?" that we Lost-o-philes crave in our own masochistic ways.

I am sad, though, that because of the writer's strike we may only see 8 of the 16 episodes, but hopefully next season they will do 24 to make up. It's definitely on a path to the end, and I would hate to see the original plan compromised by fewer episodes. I am very intrigued by the "freighters" and the "Oceanic Six." We know Jack, Kate and Hurley survive, but who are the other three? And do Ben, Juliette and Desmond count or are they survivors (or not) of another kind since they were already on the island?

I would not be surprised if English/Philosophy professors had students write papers on this show. It's full of literary references, and has endless possibilities for theses.

Turning to the big screen, or I guess the intended big screen, I have now finished the trifecta of 2007 pregnancy comedies: Knocked Up, Juno (which I recently gushed about) and most recently via netflix, Waitress.

Keri Russell sheds the Felicity image in this dramedy about a down-and-out wife/waitress stuck in a loveless marriage with a belligerent husband (played by the always-good Jeremy Sisto). When faced with pregnancy, Russell's character is anything but glowing. She curses the baby constantly, in many of her interior monologues where she concocts new pie recipes (her one true passion).

Much comedy and small-town antics ensue and the ending is as sweet as any pie our beloved Waitress would have us eat. However, to add some bitter to that sweet, the filmmaker, Adrienne Shelley, was murdered in her office in New York. Her death preceded the announced that what would be her final film had been accepted to Sundance.

Eat

Last weekend we met our friend Carey for lunch at Teapot Vegetarian House on 15th Avenue, Capitol Hill. Carey has become vegan so it was a natural choice. All the food on the menu is made with meat substitutes, though the dishes are what you'd find in a typical Chinese or Thai restaurant.

My favorite is the almond fried tofu.

Delicously fried and golden with that rich almond sauce...I always eat too much of it! I washed it down with a Thai iced tea. Dan ordered the Bounty of the Sea, which I can never get into for some reason.

It's not that I don't like seafood, but something about it is just too slimy for me or something.

Anyway, it's a good option for dining with vegans, vegetarians or if you're just in the mood for some good food minus the animals. There is something pretty amazing about almond fried chicken, though, I have to admit....

Drink

While at the Wallingford QFC a few weeks ago, I came across this wine. It comes from Chile and has an interesting backstory.

From foodrereference.com: Chilean winemakers were ignorant of its existence until 1994 when French ampelographer Jean Michel Bourisignot discovered it amongst Cabernet blocks. The grape was brought over from France in 1850 along with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot cuttings, and got mixed up with its more famous brethren.
Today Chile is the foremost and largest producer of Carmenere from phylloxera –free stock. Chile’s warm climate, long growing season, and fertile soils are ideal for this unique grape. In the 150 years plus of its replanting, Carmenere adapted its new home and yields wines that are particularly rewarding.

Since then I've purchased it for two different occasions and it's really growing on me. It's very smooth, but with a slight spicy kick - a hint of cinnamon or nutmeg maybe if you want to get all Sideways about it. Great for these cold winter months, indeed!

Read

I recently finished two more books about Hawai'i (surprise!).

The first was a small guidebook about the very small island of Lana'i, called, appropriately The Pocket Guide to Lana'i.

Lana'i has changed dramatically, perhaps more so than any other island, in the past 100 years. At one time the island was responsible for growing 90% of the world's supply of Pineapple. In fact, it was known as the "Pineapple Island" and owned largely by the Dole corporation.

Later, though, the pineapple industry headed to Asia where it could make a bigger profit and another company, doing business as the Lana'i Company bought the island. It is now roughly 90% privately owned and has been transformed into the "Enticing Island" -- which alludes to its private, remote and luxurious aspects. There are two world-class resorts with equally renowned golf courses, but aside from that development has been slow. The island's population stands at around 3,000 residents, and it is difficult to book a room in any of the three hotels (a third, Hotel Lana'i is more of a quaint lodge, with only ten rooms).

I also read Family Traditions in Hawai'i, which I picked up at the Hawai'i General Store on my last visit to Wallingford.

It is written by a UW graduate, and goes into detail about the various cultural practices amongst the diverse population on the islands: Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Tongan, Samoan, Korean, Loation, and of course Hawaiian.

It was a nice glimpse into how different families celebrate holidays, weddings, funerals, and birthdays. With Chinese (or Lunar) New Year beginning yesterday, it was especially relevant to learn about the customs involved with that special time of year. One is lisse, the giving of money in red envelopes. The firecrackers are to scare away the evil spirits and often meals on New Year's day are vegetarian, with the idea being that no animal should be killed on the holiday.

Remember

They say there are only five bowling alleys left in Seattle, but one of them is right down the street from our house! A few weeks ago, along with our friend Ruth, we ventured down 22nd Avenue to Imperial Lanes.

It seems to be owned by a corporation of some sort, which might explain the freakishly good customer service. Talk about attentive! We were served pizza and beers lane side, and never had to bowl empty-handed. The beers kept coming all night long, and we ended up bowling a third game unexpectedly because at around 9:30 all the lights go down, the music goes way up and the lanes light up like a christmas tree. It's pretty neat. I'll be back for their happy hour. They have "bowls of mai tai" on the menu. Enough said.

Worry

No need to worry about our lovely feline. The Vet saw him and said he was as healthy as can be, albeit a tad overweight and perhaps some early signs of gingivitis. He got booster shots and was such a good boy through the whole thing. In the waiting area, he barely made a peep, even in a room full of sick dogs and cats.

He seems to really enjoy our new bedding, too. It's a Valentine's Day gift for Dan and me, but Caesar thinks otherwise.

Third of 2008

2008-01-25T08:32:00.001-08:00

See

Last week on DVD I watched The Namesake, Mira Nair's follow-up to the sensuous Monsoon Wedding. The film feels deeply personal and continues with Nair's celebration/examination of Indian culture in modern times. The story begins with a young woman in India (played beautifully by actress Tabu) being sent by her family to New York to marry another Indian working on his Ph.D.

As they learn to love each other, they discover their children are growing up in a completely different world - in particular their son, Gogol. Gogol is named by his father, after the author, whose book he was reading when he had a fateful encounter with a stranger on a train. The film traverses through the family years, through conflicts and tensions between American and Indian attitudes and ultimately ends with Gogol as a central character.

It's a terrific little film, both visually and emotionally rich. I find it so moving to see people fight to hold onto family tradition. It's heartbreaking to think of everyone being the same, in a dull and homogenized world. Stories like these speak to the complexities of honoring culture in multi-generational households and the value of staying connected to our origins.

...Moving from past to future, I also had the chance to view the History Channel's special "Life After People."

The show predicts, based on scientific knowledge, what will happen when the human no longer roams the planet. Beginning with just a few weeks after human extinction and moving along all the way to several thousand years after, "Life After People" showcases the decay of modern buildings and bridges (due to the lack of human upkeep to avoid corrosion), the flourishing of plant-life and the new kingdom once again ruled by non-humans. It's an interesting - though sometimes spooky - exploration of what Earth will look like when we all go away.

To learn more, go to the show's web site

Eat

Last Monday I had the day off so I treated myself to lunch at El Quetzal, the very authentic Mexican restaurant on Beacon Avenue. Well, to call it a "restaurant" might be a stretch. It's just a slight store-front without about half a dozen tables. Many dine in, taking advantage of the homemade chips and salsa (which you aren't offered if you do take-out).

This was my second time there, both times I've done take-out. This time I decided to go with the Chile Verde, chunks of pork with chiles in a tangy tomatillo sauce. Served with rice, beans and tortillas. The flavors were just perfect, but I had trouble with the pork so only ate about half. The meat just seemed...too gray to me.

However, on my first trip there I ordered the Carne Asada tacos and was completely satisfied. Aside from the lack of space, another reason to not dine in is the limited beverage menu: no cervezas to wash down all that hot salsa! Apparently the owners don't want to spend the extra money for the license so it's just sodas, making it a great place for lunch (they also serve breakfast all day long).

Drink

This past week after working out, I tried two new (well new to me) energy drinks: Mango-Acai Talking Rain and Lemon-Lime Hi-Ball.

The Mango-Acai Talking Rain is not carbonated, which is not in my favor. The flavors were also a bit too much. It is part of the "Twist Organics" line, not to be confused with the "Twist Naturals" product. Acai seems to be the new pomegranate. It's everywhere, especially in gyms and healthfood arenas. It's loaded with antioxidants and often featured alongside blueberry in energy drinks and smoothies.

The Hi-Ball drink comes in a very fun-shaped bottle so immediately it draws your attention. It comes in original, club soda, lemon-lime, grapefruit, wild berry and orange flavors. I had the lemon-lime, which contains a host of B vitamins, natural caffeine, ginseng, taurine and guarana. Just ten calories. Very refreshing, but definitely gives you a jolt. Not to be had late in the day if you're an insomniac!

Read

I finished up Toni Polancy's book So You Want to Live in Hawaii? yesterday. As a resource, it's extremely valuable and I'm sure I will refer to it many times in the future. I just have two main issues with it. One is that it does skew slightly toward the negative, as some reviewers on amazon suggest. While she does offer several anecdotes from others who have moved to the islands and succeeded, these are set aside as side-bars in a different font and one might even skip over them to continue reading some of the less-than-dreamy statistics or horror stories.

It seems to me that the book's intended audience was the caucasian who might not fit in with the local Hawaiian population. Since most people who dream of moving to the islands after a killer weekend in Waikiki are probably White, I see the validity in that. But reading on and on about "racism" in that context made me feel a little weird. The author does give historical context to explain why Hawaiians might be wary of "haoles" as we are called in Hawaii and maybe I'm just being sensitive after reading so much about Hawaiian history lately.

My second issue is that there is an entire chapter devoted to "Religion," an entire chapter devoted to "Military" and yet the "Romance" chapter only mentions gay relationships/dating in passing and there are no other resources listed out for gay malihini. Hawaii is a bit of a gay mecca so I thought it was disappointing that there wasn't more in the book for the would-be gay Hawaiian residents. I may even write the author a note about it, as a suggestion for future editions of the book.

Remember

The Culinary Communion recently opened its doors on Beacon Avenue, which "teaches cooking and wine classes in the Seattle area in an effort to create a community of food enthusiasts, or “foodies.”

The school is housed in an old house in the heart of North Beacon Hill and offers classes in seafood, sauces, meat curing, as well as regional cooking such as cuisine from Japan, Spain, Mexico and France. In addition, there are classes in baking and tasting/education workshops/series on wine, bourbon and gin! We are lucky to have this center of goodness in our neighborhood.

Worry

As the world mourns the tragic loss of actor Heath Ledger, one radical Christian group has plans to picket Heath's funeral because he played the role of Ennis in Brokeback Mountain (which, by the way, is one of the very best performances in film history, in my opinion).

Hopefully they will not be successful. There really isn't much one can say about any group motivated by that much hate and so devoid of human compassion. I really hope someone stops them from adding pain to the Ledger family.

Second of 2008

2008-01-18T07:46:00.000-08:00

See

Now, to share a few material items I've recently acquired...

Last weekend I made a jaunt down to Tukwila (which is actually quite close to Beacon Hill) to use a gift card at Best Buy I received for my birthday. I knew I wanted a new shaver (I replace/upgrade about every two years). I'd been a Norelco man all my life, but the New Year's energy took hold and I decided to go with this instead:

The tiki lamp and hula girl soap dispenser are old hats, but the Braun 360 is my favorite new toy! It comes with a self-cleaning station so between each shave the head goes into a slot which activates a cleaning cartridge. Thus, your skin is less susceptible to blemishes! It's an awesome shaver all around - simply the best shave I've ever had. Sorry Norelco, but I've gone Braun.

Also a birthday present, this Phillips digital picture frame came via my future sister-in-law (an employee at said company).

The blurriness has to do with my digital camera about to blow (hopefully soon I'll be reviewing a new one of those). In real life, the images are crystal clear and there are different settings for how you want to view. You can just load pictures into a USB connector and use either an AC cord or battery to power up the show. We haven't played around with it too much, but have since received yet another one (for Christmas). Excited about this new technology, as I'm extraordinarily sluggish when it comes to organizing old pictures into photo albums.

Eat

No trip to Tukwila would be complete without dining at a chain restaurant so we opted to try out a fairly new Bahama Breeze in the parking lot of Southcenter Mall.

The place is deceptively large and decorated in lots of wicker and Island-inspired touches, with a bent toward Caribbean. We had to wait for our table (popular place at 1pm on a Sunday) so we had a cocktail in the bar. I had a mojito that was very good and Dan had a pina colada which he also found favorable. I was pretty ravished and maybe that had something to do with it, but I really give the food 4 palm trees.

I had the "Breeze Wood-Grilled Chicken Breast Moist and tender with citrus butter sauce, fresh broccoli and cinnamon mashed sweet potatoes." The portions were reasonable, unlike most chain restaurants where your meal makes a suspicious dent in the table. I was satiated, but could have had a bit more and that's supposed to be the perfect way to eat. The sweet potatoes were yum yum!

Also, our server was very sweet and friendly and even walked me to the bathroom rather than just point. Not that I plan on making Tukwila a common destination, but this is a place I'll definitely return to when in the parking lot.

Drink

Last month we had a small get-together with family and our friends who are married with a kid. We wanted to use our punch bowl so went searching for a festive drink. Thanks to Better Homes and Gardens, we found "Crimson Sippers."

Though the color seemed more purple to me than crimson, the beverage was a big hit and easy to make:

Ingredients:
2 pints pomegranate juice
1.5 cups sugar
12 fresh sage leaves, lightly crushed
2 2x1/2-inch strips lemon peel
1 cup lemon juice
1 750 ml. bottle dry (brut) sparkling wine or club soda, chilled

We went with the alcoholic version and boy did these little sippers go down smooth!

Read

Yet another gift I received for Christmas was this book:

It is written by Timothy Gray of Variety fame ("Reel Life" column) and illustrated by J.C. Suares. It's a joyful nugget of Hollywood mockery, something you can easily read cover-to-cover on a bus ride. Some of the slang, or "slanguage" as it's called, is just simply ridiculous. Who calls a Western an "oater?"

And yesterday this book came from amazon:

This is one of those books I put in my wish list, then took out and then decided finally to just buy it. I had put it off simply because I knew its success was in dissuading Mainlanders from packing up and moving to Paradise with visions of a carefree life. I didn't want to lose the daydream of a future life on the Islands on those days when the rain and gloom seemed too much to take.

However, the book isn't all skepticism but rather realism. I think I'm ready to find out what it's really like to live like a local, rather than a tourist (despite convincing myself that somehow renting a house and buying groceries makes me more a kama`aina than a sun-drenched mogul at a 4-star resort in Waikiki). Full review to come!

Remember

For 6 years, I went to Liana Hair Salon on Capitol Hill (12th Ave, right next to CHAC) to get my hair cut. It was always easy to get in on short notice, the prices were reasonable and all the stylists were friendly and adept at cutting a man's hair. Plus, they had punch cards so every 11th cut was free!

It's a great place, but with the myriad choices of hair salons on Beacon Avenue I thought it made sense to at least try one of them out. The business district on Beacon Hill is surely lacking in some areas (no post office, no pizza joints), but there are an alarming number of hair salons -- even hair academies.

After trying to get in at The Chop House and deciding that $45 is too much for my hair, I wandered around and stopped at Lee's Hair Salon.

You enter through a sliding glass door and there are three chairs/stations to the left. To the right is a huge stack of magazines. Lee was not in the front area at first, but a person visiting her informed me that she would be there soon and checked the prices for me. Twelve bucks. I could handle that. Soon after Lee came out, a middle-aged Chinese woman who spoke broken English and had a sneezing problem. She asked me what I wanted and I told her my basic requirements. She went to work with precision and care, though had to stop for a delivery of some sort.

The cut took about twice as long as the ones at Liana, but the results were roughly the same and I spent $2 less. Lee must have a tendency of overheating because periodically she had to stop and open the sliding door for air. She also talked smack about the barber shop next door, but I didn't quite understand the context.

I was pleased. I'll go back. Lee only accepts cash, but I did see a current business license on the wall.

Worry

This month's issue of NW Hawaiian Times has an update on Benny Lagmay, who I wrote about last month. The Duvall "Benny Lagmay Day" was a success, along with the benefit, but he still needs help to reach the $250,000 mark for a new heart.

You can still donate to the Benny Lagmay fund at any US Bank location and some of the Duvall businesses are still donating portions of proceeds to Benny.

Let's hope it all works out for the Lagmay family. The article in NW Hawaiian Times is not on-line yet, but you can pick up an issue of the paper at most businesses in the International District, or the Islander Restaurant or Hawaii General Store.

First of 2008

2008-01-11T08:25:00.000-08:00

See

I finally saw Juno last Saturday at the Neptune, and I've been praising it ever since. It's one of those rare times in cinema where the acting, music, editing, writing and directing all coalesce into something perfect. The film clearly has its own unique aesthetic - one might say similar to Wes Anderson, though the beauty is that while the story begins self-consciously - by the end it takes us somewhere truly sweet and genuine. The journey of the central character is mirrored by its tone. I will buy this when it comes out on DVD. I already have the soundtrack downloaded. What people are saying is true: the strength of the writing is what has pushed this movie to the top of the heap. I absolutely adored every minute of it. My face hurt a little bit from smiling, in fact.

...and for something completely different but equally satisfying...just finished up the first season of Dexter. It's the Showtime series about a serial killer who works in forensics and kills other serial killers. The first season is comprised of 12 episodes, and has a nice arc that culminates in a very dizzying finale. It took me until Episode 3 to really get into, but once I was hooked there was no turning back - no making plans even, until I had watched all episodes.

I hear CBS is going to start airing heavily edited versions of the first season in February, in an attempt to buoy ratings in the face of the writer's strike. I would discourage viewing it this way, as I just can't imagine what would be left. It's a show about serial killers!

Also interesting is the Miami it portrays - a much different Miami than Nip/Tuck in its first four seasons. More Cuban, less plastic.

Eat

One of my New Year's resolutions was to make less daily/nightly trips to the grocery store by stocking up better and planning meals in advance. Dan suggested we try Safeway.com and so far so good. Our first order gave us a week's worth of meals and some added bulge to the pantry. Last night was order #2. You place the order the night before and you then select a 2-hour window when you have to be home to sign for the delivery. A very nice man came to our house last week and even placed all the groceries on our dining room table.

The only downfall is that if some items aren't available, you aren't notified until the order comes. You aren't charged for them and you when you make the order you can select "substitutions" or "no substitutions." We only had 3 items that weren't in stock. Delivery fee is $9.95, but only $4.95 if your order is more than $150 or you are willing to give a 4-hour window. First time is free.

Drink

Seeing movies at Pacific Place, or really any trip to Pacific Place usually means stopping for a margarita at Mexico. They have a very extensive menu of my favorite cocktail (Mai Tai runs a close second), but my favorite right now is the Costa Margarita, a slight variation on the original by adding in some orange juice and a float of Grand Marnier Some other options include Hibiscus, Pomegranate and even Coconut. My second favorite is the El Matador, which ends up being more like two drinks since it is served with the shaker.

I think their food is great, too, if a tad expensive. I had their seafood quesadilla last weekend and it hit the spot without giving me that bloated feeling one sometimes gets from a plate of Mexican food.

And, it kind of feels Vegas-y to be drinking in a mall.

Read

I just finished up reading two books.

Chelsea Handler's My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands is not as dirty as it sounds, but just as hilarious as you'd expect from the comedienne with no allegiances. She recycles some of her jokes from story to story, and some of them I recognize her using on her show, but there's still plenty of fresh moments throughout. It's on par with David Sedaris of Augusten Burroughs in that "creative non-fiction" way of making "memoir" funnier through careful embellishments and clever asides.

Exploring Historic Hilo is just that, a pictorial look at the town's past with a sprinkling of reflections from various residents and explorers of the port town. It also comes with a nifty pull-out map that I'm sure will come in handy on my next trip therein June. Much of the pictures were made possible by the Lyman Museum, which I was lucky enough to explore a bit back in October and the that I hope to see on my next trip.

Remember

On New Year's Eve we decided to make coconut shrimp and ahi poke. Instead of fighting the crowds down to Uwajimaya, we found a spot right in our own neighborhood called Mutual Fish. It's a fresh seafood market on Rainier Ave, and clearly a local favorite. You get a number and wait until one of several workers behind the counter yells it out. You then scramble to the front, scream your order as loudly as possible and take your fish to the pay-out counter. It's all incredibly efficient and festive.

In addition to sashimi-grade tuna, one can find sea scallops, octopus, lobsters and a host of other oceanic treasures.

The shrimp and ahi were delectable!

Worry

It's time to take our cat, Caesar, to the vet for a routine check-up. He will be 10 years old this year. We've decided on Rainier Vet Clinic since it's close, reviews are good and they seem to have reasonable prices.

Caesar is a very healthy cat and I sure hope they don't find anything lurking in his little body.

Tell, eat, give

2007-12-11T07:58:00.000-08:00

(Note: This post is several days late due to a family emergency. Most of it was ready to go last week and I just had to add in some pictures).

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!

Pearl Harbor Day

2007-12-07T08:24:00.000-08:00

See

On Wednesday night Dan & I went to the "Hawaiian Christmas Concert" at Town Hall, featuring Amy Hanaiali'i as headliner. Amy has become famous for bringing back the ha'i (falsetto) in Hawaiian music. She just released a Christmas album and her current tour is to celebrate and promote its success.

This was my first time in Town Hall. It's a very impressive space and made for a beautiful setting for the night's festivities. The edifice was constructed in two stages between 1916 and 1922, at the peak of the Christian Science movement. It remained in use by the 4th Church of Christ until it became Town Hall in 1998.

There were two opening acts, first Kalae Bobo Miles performed with his band.

They were very good, and it was really moving to hear the response from the crowd when a song from Hawaiian past began. It was instant recognition and praise and you could just feel the history in the room.

Then came John Peterson, a slack-key guitarist who also performed with Amy. He is an amazing guitarist and all-around sweet guy. He recorded Amy's Christmas album with her on Oahu.

After a brief intermission came the "the Island's top songstress" as she is commonly referred to in the media. Amy has garnered much praise, including multiple Grammy nominations. She will be performing at the Aloha Bowl this year and her album is currently #4 on the World Music charts.

I am not sure why, but I was expecting someone more demure, when in fact she is quite the Bette Midler!

One might even go as far as to say she's a bit of a gay icon! She performed many songs from her Christmas album as well as some old favorites and some jazz and latin stuff for variety. The range this woman has is phenomenal and her presence is grand.

You can learn more about Amy and her music/tour dates at her website.

Eat

Before the concert, I met Dan at McCormick & Schmick's down at the bottom of the Columbia Tower for dinner. Since Dan works in that building, it's a convenient place to meet up. This was only my second meal at the chain, after eating at the Lake Union restaurant a few years back.

Of course I had to start with a cup of their famous seafood-corn chowder. Very good, though a bit thin for my taste.

The menu is printed daily, to incorporate the freshest seafood and ingredients available. I decided to try the Arctic Char, grilled and topped with a sundried tomato-basil butter and served with mashed potatoes and broccoli.

From Wikipedia:

Arctic char or Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus(L.)) is both a freshwater and saltwater fish in the Salmonidae family, native to Arctic, sub-Arctic and alpine lakes and coastal waters. No other freshwater fish is found as far north. It is the only species of fish in Lake Hazen. It is one of the rarest fish species in Britain, found only in deep, cold, glacial lakes, mostly in Scotland and is at risk from acidification. In other parts of its range, such as Scandinavia, it is much more common, and is fished extensively. In Siberia, it is known as golets (from the Russian голец).

The Arctic char is closely related to both salmon and trout and has many characteristics of both. Individual char fish can weigh 20 lb (9 kilograms) or more with record sized fish having been taken by angling in Northern Canada. Generally, whole market sized fish are between 2 and 5 lb in weight (900 g and 2.3 kilograms). The flesh colour of char varies; it can range from a bright red to a pale pink.

It did taste a lot like salmon, but maybe a little milder? Meltier? Anyway, it was excellent and I will definitely order it again. Incidentally, it also appears on Monterey Aquarium's list of fish to eat and not feel guilty about!

Drink

Last weekend as we were decorating and become all-around Christmas-fied, I went searching for hot buttered rum mix at QFC to kick-start the season's cheer. I searched and searched, and finally had to ask someone in the bakery section. They keep it in the freezer section with the ice cream cakes in case you shop at the one on Rainier and McClellan.

We are out of rum so I've been using equal parts Maker's Mark and Brandy.

I love the way a hot alcoholic beverage goes down and immediately begins to warm you up. Kind of like red wine on meth. Hard to stop at 1, but dangerous to keep going. All that sugar can lead to a nasty headache the next day.

Read

I get a lot of email. I'm on several yahoo groups, many having to do with Hawaii. I recently joined one for gay professionals in Hawaii. A few days later my inbox was full of forwards to incite action, concern or, in some cases, inspiration. I tend to not read these, and honestly I still have yet to read the whole story.

However, in skimming to the end I came to this old quote that the emailer put in with his salutation:

Good friends are like stars....You don't always see them, but you know they are always there.

Since I recently moved away from the neighborhood where many of my friends live, and due to the course of life often don't see many of my closest friends more than a few times a year, this really spoke to me. A good reminder of the old cliche: quality, not quantity.

Remember

Today marks the 66-year anniversary of Pearl Harbor.

While it was an elegiac time for the country, perhaps nowhere was the fear more palpable than on the Islands of Hawaii. In this month's issue of the Northwest Hawaiian Times,
you can read an account of that fateful Sunday morning in December from Elliott Manning, whose parents passed down the story to him. He wrote the account as a letter to his kids Heather and Blake so that they, too, can keep the memories alive.

Worry

It being Pearl Harbor Day, I keep thinking about some of the recent history I've read surrounding WWII and the Hawaiian people. Taking a snip from our friends over at unconstitution.net:

Though not a state at the time, Hawaii was placed under martial law in 1941, following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Many of the residents of Hawaii were, and are, of Asian descent, and the loyalty of these people was called into question. After the war, the federal judge for the islands condemned the conduct of martial law, saying, "Gov. Poindexter declared lawfully martial law but the Army went beyond the governor and set up that which was lawful only in conquered enemy territory namely, military government which is not bound by the Constitution. And they ... threw the Constitution into the discard and set up a military dictatorship."

In fact, Martial Law was only supposed to remain while there was an imminent threat of land invasion by the Japanese. However, it did not go away for the duration of the war.

They say know your history or it will...that's right.

After 9/11, it seems that this same type of fear-play has been most dominant, allowing power to reign and individual liberties to be stricken for long past any sort of "imminent threat." Let's hope that we can look out for each other and not be taken advantage of in times of peril.

Columbia City & Decorating

2007-12-02T15:10:00.000-08:00

See

This weekend we began our Christmas decorating. Saturday we began with the outdoor lights (still a work in progress):

The experience called for some very hot apple cider - and we even had real snow!

After buying up all the red and white lights at Lowe's yesterday we realized we really needed to go back for one item:

Because, really, who doesn't need a light-up palm tree!

Today we also put up the tree, which is a (surprise!) tropical/Hawaiian theme:

Eat

Friday I hardly ate anything all day because I knew we were going to one of my favorite Mexican restaurants, El Sombrero, in Columbia City.

They serve up the best pollo in Seattle, the Pollo Asado dish: three small chicken breasts, pounded out flat and soaked in a spicy citrus marinade. Served with a healthy portion of rice & beans, guacamole and your choice of tortillas.

Yes,this is Mexican comfort food - as we whiteys know it - and done much better than your standard Azteca.

Dan had the seafood chimichanga, which I can also vouch for as delicious.

Drink

Yep, we are still in Columbia City for this section, and still at El Sombrero. If you are a lover of the margarita, you must have try the Margarita Grand, with a generous dose of Grand Marnier - and check out the size! Have two and you'll be loving the art next door at the very snazzy gallery (trust me).

Read

We have decided to go with 4 readings for our wedding, 1 from each of our siblings (who happen to all be sisters). Okay, that decision has been made. But wait! What do we have them read?

Some of my favorite books:

Time to keep looking, I think...but it will be fun to search for those perfect passages that speak to Dan, the reader and myself.

Remember

When we rented this house, we were most worried about one thing: no dishwasher. After going without for most of my years as a renter, the last place I lived was blessed with that wonderful instrument that swishes and sometimes clanks and ultimately makes our lives abundantly saner.

Living 6 blocks from Lowe's can be dangerous, and it wasn't long before we threw our wallets at this little guy, the portable dishwasher.

It's a very strange thing, and pretty clumsy. You wheel it over to the sink, plug one cord into an electrical socket and the hose clamps onto the faucet. You turn the hot water on, get your soap and settings ready and then you wait 2 hours for it to finish.

Seriously. It takes forever. So, we now have plan when we can run the dishwasher and we often end up doing dishes by hand in between the two or so times per week we have time to run it.

Still glad that we got it, sure, but something to consider if you're in the market for one.

Worry

The roads weren't too slick on Saturday night, as we made the drive down to Kent to retrieve more of my past to go through, burn, recycle, mock and blog about.

Dan made a snowman with the powder on the hood and it survived several miles.

I hope people are careful this season, and I hope people stop using their cell phones while driving. I hear that the State Patrol will be cracking down this season, giving out hefty fines to any drivers on the road with a phone in his/her hand. I'm still unclear as to what the law actually is on cell phone use in cars, though.

Xmas is creeping

2007-11-29T15:40:00.000-08:00

See

I am pretty much digging the new season of Nip/Tuck. I was not overly impressed by Season 4, as it seemed to wander all over the place and the organ harvesting storyline was a bit much, even for this show. But the move to Hollywood was a smart move on creator Ryan Murphy's part. There is so much new material to work with, and it seems to be returning to its "Let's keep getting a bit darker" roots.

I'm curious as to how Julia will get out of being a lesbian, and what will come of Kimber and Matt's meth addiction. It really does take place in Los Angeles!

Eat

Today for lunch some of my co-workers took me out for a belated birthday lunch. I got to choose the restaurant so I chose Agua Verde, the Tex-Mex Cafe and Paddle Club on Portage Bay. I decided to try the mango quesadilla that an old co-worker used to always get. I wasn't sure how mangos would pair with chicken, chilis and cheese, but...yum!

It's a great little place, especially in the summertime. I have yet to go there outside of work lunches, though, so I can't vouch for their margaritas.

We had a gay old time chatting the chat about work, restaurants, and after-work drinking habits. We decided to have a holiday cocktail party at work where we each bring the fixings for a cocktail and prepare them for the group. I think I'll go with my passion-fruit margarita conconction.

Drink

When I was at Hilo Hattie last month in, well, Hilo, I bought 6 bags of 100% Kona Coffee. Only 3 were for me and I'm about to use up my last one.

I don't think I want to go back to the 10% stuff you get at the grocery store. A cup of 100% Kona coffee is one of the great joys of my humble little existence. I love mornings, and there's no better way to enjoy them than with a piping hot cup of goodness.

Yesterday I received a promotional email from Cofees of Hawaii on Molokai, which I visited last December. Turns out they are offering 100% Kona bags for just $13.95. I think I will allow myself this one teeny extravagance.

Read

On Sunday, my parents dropped off several boxes from their storage area - boxes of weird stuff from my childhood, high school, and college years. My trumpet from Band. My collection of John Deer Tractors. College notes. Report cards. Class notes.

And then some pretty bizarre stuff.

This is a list of a group of friends I made up in my head. It includes their class schedules, school activities, SAT scores and cumulative GPA. On another sheet I even went so far as to include which colleges they were applying to and which teachers they had.

The really crazy thing is, I remember these kids! I made them up in my head so they were real to me. Kelly really wanted to prove herself as more than a cute cheerleaders so she thew herself into Life Sciences and Ecology. She later went to Western to major in Environmental Studies.

Am I really that weird?

Remember

In the same batch of memorabilia I went through last night, I found an envelope with little scraps of paper in it. Each had something nice to say about me. This was from Leadership Camp in high school:

Apparently I was considered a stud, popular with the ladies, and a smoldering James Bond. Good to remember on those days the mirror tells me otherwise.

Worry

On June 15, 2008 I will be getting married here:

So far we've sent in a signed contract and deposit for the officiant and are collecting referrals for photographers, bakeries, florists, musicians and caterers. We decided to plan the thing ourselves (with the help of this truly aloha woman who is marrying us) rather than go with the planning service.

We will have a meeting this weekend. I know that sounds weird, but we really do need to set aside time to make big decisions about invitations, readings, rings, etc. Getting married is a really big deal and can be incredibly stressful.

My goal: to make it something joyous, special and not full of neurotic energy. I am making my own vow to my wedding: I will not worry too much about you and ruin it.

Birthday

2007-11-26T07:57:00.001-08:00

See

On Friday this arrived!

My very first dining room table! It all feels so grown up. I can't wait to have dinner parties and say important things after too many glasses of wine.

It's from the Metropolitan collection at Macy's, where we also bought our couch. I recently learned the difference between contemporary and modern design, and realized I prefer contemporary.

Eat

To celebrate my 33rd birthday (observed), Dan took me to Campagne on Saturday night for some sophisticated-yet-not-fussy French cuisine.

I started off with a cocktail that had rum, oranges, muddled cherries and bitters. We then shared the bacon-scallop appetizer that came on a bed of carrot foam. For my meal, I went with the fixed price option (a really great value at $45 for light entree/salad, main entree and dessert). I had the leeks with salmon roe and then the braised lamb shoulder. It came in a crock pot! I inhaled it, as after moving on to wine I started to get a bit tipsy and ravenous. For dessert, I attacked with equal fervor a twice baked chocolate cake with cherry coulis and vanilla ice cream. Like a warm brownie...yum! They also gave us some chocolate truffles with a candle for my bday.

Service, ambiance, food, wine all deserve the highest rating. Highly recommended.

And...as we were finishing up, who came in and sat down two tables over but the queen herself!

Drink

Since Saturday was my default birthday (it's actually today, but what fun is a Monday?), we got to do some of my favorite things.

After a trip to the Hawaii General Store for some Christmas shopping, we zipped over to Luau for some afternoon cocktails and snacks.

That poke was pretty incredible, and they serve the best mai tai in town. I've now tried almost everything on their food menu, including the famous Loco Moco. The service is always friendly and efficient, the food is consistently tasty and they have happy hour from Noon until 6pm! It's one of my very favorite places in Seattle.

Read

My birthday Saturday began with my favorite breakfast (eggs benedict) and a surprise gift from Dan:

We both fell in love with Chelsea Handler when her first E! show came on, and we've since been enjoying the latest incarnation, Chelsea Lately. She makes me laugh and she's testatment to being hot and funny at the same time.

I will be devouring this shortly, after finishing the Francine Prose book.

Remember

Yesterday my brother-in-law was at Mrs. Cook's in University Village to promote his product line, Gurgle Pots. It began as an idea he had after visiting France for a wedding, and now it's taken off to the point of having to quit his day job and enlist the help of his parents to fill orders. He is also busy coming up with new products. He visits China periodically, where they are manufactured (no lead!).

It's all very inspiring to me to see something really take off, and for it all to have happened inside a garage.

Worry

Today the writers and studios return to the negotiating table.

I guess this doesn't really qualify as a worry, though it does suck for the LA economy and for all the people who can't do their jobs.

My best hopes for a speedy resolution that will make both sides happy.

I need my full season of LOST!

Thanks

2007-11-23T10:47:00.001-08:00

See

In September, I moved to Beacon Hill with my better half, to this wonderful house:

After living on Capitol Hill from 1995-1999 and then again from 2001-2007, I was ready for the transition to a quieter, even remotely suburban neighborhood. The house was built in 1954, has 4 bedrooms, a garage, huge laundry room and an actual dining room! I am most thankful to have this as my home.

The main drag of Beacon Hill is Beacon Avenue:

Here you'll find authentic Mexican restaurants, a dry cleaner, a fantastic little coffee shop, a grocery store, Filipino restaurants, a bakery, a library and a few other neighborhood jewels.

We also have one bar, the Beacon Pub:

I have only been four times since moving to the neighborhood, but it's a fun place to knock back a few and sing some karaoke (on Friday nights only, starting at 8:30pm). It is also a popular spot for this local celebrity

Eat

I am still full from yesterday's festivities. The brunch went swimmingly and there was more than enough food for the five of us. My favorite dish was the turkey bacon-gruyere quiche. I went back for a huge second piece.

Later, we went to Wallingford for the Dembiczak turkey dinner at my sister's house. She put on an impressive spread - and with equally impressive table scaping!

For dessert, I had a piece of cranberry-coconut-peach pie. Yum. I was so ready to explode, though.

Drink

My main contribution to our dinner last night was bringing 2 bottles of this wine.

It pairs nicely with turkey, if a bit sweet for my taste. I still much prefer Pinot Grigio as my main squeeze in the White department, but it was a pleasant off-roading experience.

According to about.com, "Gewurztraminer can be made in dry or sweet varieties and are generally best if enjoyed sooner rather than later post-bottling. Flavors qualities include: honey, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, apricot, pear, and rose."

I think it's the honey aspect that makes this wine a 2-3 glasses affair for me, as opposed to the 5-6 I can take of my preferred white with its crisp green apple flavors.

Read

Last night at the dinner table, my brother-in-law read an excerpt from this article on gratitude in yesterday's Seattle Times.

The highlight is below:

Gratitude has been called the gateway to the virtues. As Cicero put it, "Gratitude is not only the greatest of the virtues, but the parent of all others," opening the heart to deeper appreciation, compassion, repentance, forgiveness, generosity and wisdom. Giving thanks should be cultivated as a habit. It is a kind of therapy for the spirit.

It's worthy of a read. Being grateful is something I have been working on ever since returning from my last trip to Hawaii. Once you slow down, breathe and appreciate all that you have, happiness undoubtedly will follow.

Remember

There is a new boutique on Beacon Hill called Buggy, featuring new and used clothing for kids along with some toys and books. They will be hosting an open/house gift getting extravaganza the weekend of December 8th-9th and will soon be offering knitting workshops. Check this new small business out!

Buggy is located on the west side of Beacon Avenue, about a block south of Galaxie, and is open Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Worry

Between carbo-loading meals yesterday, we went for a walk to both take advantage of the gorgeous day and walk off the ten bricks in our guts. After stopping at the Red Apple to pick up some tupperware, we were called "faggots" in the parking lot by some very young children in a car.

Yes, these are kids and it's not uncommon behavior. What is unfortunate is that these kids were racial minorities. Homophobia is disappointing all-around, but when it comes from a group that has suffered from the same blows of discrimination, it's incredibly frustrating. Dan made them own up to it by asking them to repeat the word and then telling them now rude it was. I think it made them a little scared, as it should.

Turkey Eve

2007-11-21T07:51:00.001-08:00

See

This is my office. I've been spending 7-8 hours per day, 5 days a week (minus holidays and vacations) for the past 2 years and 2 months. It's a really nice office.

I'm really lucky in that I get it all to myself. That other desk you see is used for excess paperwork, boxes and an old copy machine I never use.

I often stop to gaze out my window:

Not a bad view. I feel really fortunate to be surrounded by so much beauty in my workplace. It makes all the emailing, number crunching and paper-pushing less monotonous.

Eat

Tomorrow morning we will be hosting a Thanksgiving brunch for the Garlingtons. Dan put together a menu that incorporates the tastes of the big feast:

sweet potato biscuits with turkey gravy
turkey bacon and gruyere quiche (made last night - and it looks wonderful)
turkey sausage
yam home fries
orange & cranberry scones
pumpkin bread
cranberry juice

My mouth is watering!

Drink

Each day at lunch (usually) I go work out at the gym on campus. When finished showering and back in my work clothes, I often stop at the little juice bar/cafe to grab some food to bring back to my desk. I'm often very, very thirsty. My love of all things sparkling led me to this new item:

What better way to refresh after a tough (or medium) work-out than with an all-natural, no-calorie soda that comes in a variety of interesting flavors. So far I've tried the tangerine-lime, black-cherry-apple and my favorite thus far, the mango-peach.

Each one also has different ingredients that give it that extra something to qualify for the name (ie, ginseng is in "Focus"). Similar to Izze, but a smaller portion/zero calories and, according to their website they "do good, too, with a commitment to social and environmental causes."

Read

I am now on Chapter 4 of Francine Prose's book, which I first mentioned in Monday's blog. Chapter 2 was all about words, chapter 3 was all about sentences and chapter 4 -- anyone? -- that is correct, is all about paragraphs.

Chapter 3 ended with a wonderful quote from Hemingway's A Moveable Feast, a great little memoir I read in my late twenties (or, uh, last night).

Sometimes when I was starting a new story and I could not get it going...I would stand and look out over the roofs of Paris and think, "Do not worry. You have always written before and you will write now. All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know." So finally I would write one true sentence, and then go on from there. It was easy then because there was always one true sentence that I knew or had seen or had heard someone say. If I started to write elaborately, or like someone introducing or presenting something, I found that I could cut that scrollwork or ornament out and throw it away and start with the first true simple declarative sentence I had written.

Pretty great words, huh? The author then brings up the interesting concept that Hemingway and others have consistently confused truth with beauty. In art, are they one and the same?

Remember

This year for Halloween I recycled a Daniel Boone costume, made by the talented and resourceful Daniel P. Garlington for one of his costume parties. I had just returned to the Mainland the night before my friends Jason and Jayson were throwing a combination Halloween/housewarming party at their swanky new pad in the up-and-coming South of Madison neighborhood (maybe it deserves to be called SoM?).

Here I am with my good friend Spencer, who went as an Ewok. After some champagne I told him he looked more like be belonged in a nativity scene. Without the mask, it would make more sense.

Worry

Sooner or later my luck with technology is going to run out. Yesterday my iPod nano froze up (this has happened before), but my beloved was able to fix it after I went to bed so I awoke to the familiar joys of a symphony at my fingertips. I wonder, though, if I'm hard on these things. I ruined one while running in the rain and this freezing thing has happened at least three times.

What next? Digital camera?

I must remind myself, especially now at Thanksgiving time, that these are simply ridiculous things to worry about. So I wouldn't have music to listen to while I run? Big deal. We have yet ANOTHER iPod in the house. So I wouldn't be able to take picture for a while. I could go take polaroids and scan them.

Sometimes I drift toward the increasingly popular idea that technology is only making our lives more stressful. But then, without it, I wouldn't be here.

"Icy Hot"

2007-11-20T07:54:00.000-08:00

See

Last night's viewing on the Dembiczak-Garlington big screen was Deathproof, the Quentin Tarantino portion of Grindhouse. I now wish I had seen the whole thing in the movie theaters earlier this year, or at least have the opportunity to view the whole thing on one DVD. The Robert Rodriguez portion is #3 in my netflix queue.

It's a pretty simple plot about a guy (Kurt Russell) who likes to kill young, sexy women with his "stuntman" car. While it didn't come close to the brilliance of Pulp Fiction or Kill Bill, it was a really enjoyable ride. I enjoyed the second half better, with more believable and engaging characters, though the payoff at the end really was tied to the structure of the first half and it being so true to the horror genre.

That Tarantino sure creates some kick-ass female roles! Whatever people say about him in terms of violence/exploitation, I think it's more than evident that he loves women if you look at his body of work. With this movie, I also came to realize that Rosario Dawson is kind of interesting.

Eat

Looking for a low-carb, light and healthy dinner? Take one package of Caesar-Lite (salad-in-a-bag) and add shrimp, smoked salmon, tomatoes and avocado. Go light on the dressing and only use one tomato (two makes it a bit mushy). You can even throw out the croutons if you're feeling uber-Atkins. Serves two.

Drink

It being the season of all things cranberry, I've been in search of new ways to enjoy cranberry juice in beverages. I recently bought some cranberry-pomegranate juice and added it to unflavored Talking Rain sparkling water. Very refreshing - and - wow, non-alcoholic. Great for an Autumn brunch or if you're the designated driver or for your friend who's come out of rehab to visit for the holidays!

Read

I recently read these two memoirs from survivors of Hansen's disease. Both were exiled to Kaluapapa on the island of Molokai.

While both are worth reading, I found Henry's story more compelling and inspiring. It also seemed to have the benefit of a stronger editor/collaborator. Olivia's story was touching, but the timeline was jumpy and the tone was very angry. Henry was able to move past his diagnosis quickly, to make the disease only one part of his life while ultimately reaching out to educate so many different people (almost, it seems, by accident of his very giving nature).

But what is really striking is how both lived (and continue to live) such long lives, far surpassing so many of their loved ones after being given a death sentence at such a young age. Both were lucky (and unlucky) in love, were able to travel, learn, and grow old with such a remarkable perspective. And after all the confinement and mistreatment, both came to find that Kaluapapa would always be home.

I recommend reading both.

Remember

Last month when we were in Kona I attended my very first real Luau (the only other one I attended was in Vegas at a casino).

Here you will see two men unearthing the pig from the imu, or underground oven.

It is wrapped in banana leaves and has a smoky flavor to it. Along with the kalua pig, other traditional luau foods include lomi lomi salmon, teriyaki chicken and beef, ahi poke (or other seafood), poi (a paste made from taro root), and haupia (a stiff coconut pudding).

There is also an open bar with mai tai punch along with other beverages. After the food is served, performers take you all over Polynesia with different forms of dancing, chanting and costumery. It's a gay old time.

As you can see, we enjoyed ourselves.

Worry

Hate crimes rose by 8% in 2006. Read about it here.

Sometimes I worry about random acts of violence, especially around the holidays or surrounding some other joyous occasion. It's like that part in the movie where everyone is laughing and dancing around and then there's a knock on the door. "Oh, that must be Blank, late again, ha ha."

But it's not Blank. It's a man in a policeman uniform. There's been a shooting.

Stuff like that.

New format

2007-11-19T10:01:00.000-08:00

See

On Saturday we bought this:

I'm a wee bit embarrassed for spending so much on such a monstrous television, as it has often been something I've snickered at in the past. But, alas, here we are in our thirties living dangerously close to the city limits. Basically, I love it and I can't believe we waited this long. We told ourselves we'd use our tax return for it and now it's become our early (and only) Christmas present to each other.

Eat

Yesterday I decided to make caramelized apples as a seasonal Sunday treat. It turns out it is very easy. You just slice up some apples (I used Granny Smith) with plenty of butter and then add in some brown sugar. We decided to get crazy and add vanilla, cinnamon and oatmeal. Then top with five times suggested serving size of Cool Whip and add more cinnamon. It's like breakfast!

Drink

On Friday night my friend Ruth came over and other Dan made her a Pumpkin Pie cocktail. I dislike the taste of pumpkin, but those who enjoy it seem to think this is a hit. It is made from pumpkin-infused vodka (homemade!) and amaretto. Shaken and poured into a martini glass.

I chose to drink vodka sodas and then way too many Coronas as the evening went on. I ended up singing Yaz's "Only You" at the Beacon Hill Pub's karaoke night.

Fun time!

Read

I received this book from my parents for my birthday and began reading it yesterday:

The author's point-of-view is that she finds the acamedic approach to literature disheartening and political. She dropped out of graduate school because she found that her peers didn't even enjoy reading books and felt that their job as students was to pick apart the Greats based on contemporary societal trends and politicial correctness. Instead, she wants to focus on the written word and the stories as they were intended by the authors.

So far, oddly, I'm getting waves of nostalgia for my college lit courses. We'll see how it goes. Not a bad read so far....

Remember

Saturday afternoon (prior to purchasing Monster TV) we checked out the new toy store on 12th Avenue on Capitol Hill called Izilla Toys.

The logo is right; it is fun for everyone! Apparently it had a previous location in Madison Valley and has now moved digs. The space is deceptively large and they are about to expand next door to include a separate book section. The owner is incredibly helpful. I told him I was shopping for nephews ages 2, 4 and 7 and he knew exactly where to take me, asking all the right questions and pointing out that their products are all made in safe conditions (not in China) with natural woods and stains.

I easily found 3 gifts, and spotted something very exciting from my own childhood: Smurfs are back! They look a little different, though, and it is cause for some concern as to how much my current stash is worth...but good to know the little blue guys are getting back in the game.

Worry

My right eye was twitching earlier, but now it seems to have stopped. The strange symptom that I thought was dizziness seems to be doing away.

Worried that soon I'll have something new to worry about as it's a somewhat low-anxiety day....

Worry-free zone

2007-10-24T20:34:00.000-07:00

So I started this blog to focus primarily on the absurd amount of worrying I do. I thought that by documenting each day the insane things I get myself worked up about, I would thus feel more relaxed.

I was quite worried before leaving for Hawaii that I would not be able to enjoy my vacation because I would be so worried about work (as has been the case in past vacations, though it seems to pass by day 2 or 3). It's been a while since I took 2 weeks off from work, and so I expected to have a hard time letting go.

It really hasn't qualified as a worry! I've thought about it a few times and as we get closer to returning home (sadly), I think a bit more specifically about projects. But the thoughts come and go and fortunately do not latch on.

So what have I been worrying about for the past 8 days?

I did convince myself that Dan was dead when we were snorkeling on the Kona side of the Island. I lost him and the waves were picking up. I wondered how I'd get his body back to Seattle, if they were able to find it. Morbid. Temporary.

I worried briefly about getting eye cancer after seeing a segment on Entertainment Tonight about some actress who had a kid with it and one eye had to be removed!

And that's about all I can think of at the moment! (besides the initial freak-out with the luggage, of course)

Progress on my part. Simply enjoying a vacation. What a concept.

Right now I'm sipping a mai tai up on the "whale tower" of the house we're renting. It's a balcony up on the roof and overlooks the tops of the jungle and the Pacific. I've spent quite a bit of time up here, reading, drinking and sunbathing (no one can see me!).

Hawaii inspires me. I won't go into it too much, but I feel a sense of stillness and peace that I don't experience anywhere else. I look in the mirror less. I get fewer headaches. I enjoy fruit. I smile more. Part of this is vacation, sure. But it's different than being on vacation in Vegas or New York. I can just sit and stare at the ocean or a tree for hours. Normally I would think of that as a stoner/hippie activity.

The day after tomorrow I get on a plane back to my busy life of a 45-hour work week (plus commute time), a gym regime, a social calendar, bills, errands, chores and a dark and dreary climate. Hopefully, I can take some of this home with me and not lapse right back into anxiety. I really do look forward to the coming months of birthdays, holidays, and spending time in our new home.

big island

2007-10-21T21:07:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted yet because, well, I've been very busy and preoccupied. I had all the best intentions of starting fresh with my new perspective and intent to share.

And here I am. Sunday night. October 21st. I've been on vacation for 5 days on the Big Island of Hawaii, under the pretense of it being a "working vacation" to find a place for my wedding next year. It's my third trip to Hawaii, in 3 years, and 3rd island. Spent 3 nights on the Kona side and then drove to this house near Kehena Beach on the Hilo side on Friday.

I'm in love. Hawaii just feels right to me.

I'm taking a lot of pictures and will soon post and narrate.

A few highlights: Kona Brewing Company (yummy beers and pizza), kayaking and snorkeling and seeing dolphins near James cook monument, swimming in the pacific ocean, eating fresh passion fruit, my first real luau, a trip to the zoo and drinking a bowl of kava at, yes, a Kava Bar.

And...think we found the perfect spot for the ceremony today. Fingers crossed!

Aloha Air did lose my luggage on the flight in and I did not receive it until 9:30pm that night at the hotel, but aside from that...no drama. It sucked, but I think it's made me appreciate this trip even more. And, for the record, I did reach a point in my bitching/worrying/catastrophosizing where I realized I had no business complaining about losing STUFF when I had reached Paradise. But honestly, I'm really happy to have my clothes, shoes, shaver and cell phone cord back.

aloha!

kana
(dan)