Just when I thought I’d exhausted the weekends of running around to various summer fun…I really think Seattle has more of this stuff than anywhere.
I’ll be at either
or
The International District Festival.
www.sausalitoartfestival.org
All these to do’s on the “quatorze juillet“. Happy Bastille Day “Fête Nationale“!
See the pages for the information, if you’re a blogger. If you’re not, feel free to add your five in a comment.
#4Five Non Essential Items I Would Try to Bring to my Desert Island:
I probably wouldn’t survive long…
www.scuba-diving.co.za
There are too many things that we’ve done that I keep forgetting to tell you about. My little sportsac has a little notepad for me to remind myself of these things when they happen. I wonder where it is…I should really start using it.
When DW was in town we headed off to the EMP and SFM. For the price of one admission, you get into the Experience Music Project and the Science Fiction Museum. Everyone in Seattle had told us that EMP was a waste, so we had skipped it so far. We were going to check out the Sci Fi stuff. Which is something I initially had zero interest in doing, to be honest. And then, going through the Museum was neat. Paul Allen owns half of it as his personal collection, so we know who the real cool kids are, but that’s fine. When you can’t fit Space Invaders costumes in YOUR home anymore, I think you should build a museum.
I learned a lot, which led to me reading my first real science fiction novel. I was amazed to learn about the social commentary and expression the media provides. Very interesting. Makes me happy I branched out.
As for the EMP, well, there was a lot of Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Heart (did you know that one?), Pearl Jam, Disney stuff. I was really excited to see the original sheet of lyrics to Burden in my Hand. That’s Soundgarden. We did mess around in the sound lab and watch people fake perform on the real stage. If there weren’t so many kids, I would have done it.
www.flickr.com
I’ll let you know how it goes…
www.myspace.com
The new adventures that I mentioned last month started off pretty well. I succeeded in changing my routine, as I mentioned here.
Final count on the Calendar of Progress:
My experiment for this month was to do exercises that didn’t really require the gym in addition to my runs. It doesn’t really count as weights. Ideally, my goal started out as sit ups or push ups every night. But I hate sit ups and push ups. To get creative, I bought a magazine. I, nearly every night, would do three or four long sets of three or four of leg extensions, lifts, squats, dynamic lunges, scissors, and pilates type leg extensions and etc. The results were very interesting. Each day I felt as though I had completed a good workout. I would definitely believe that over a short time targeting a body part even without weights and a gym membership you can see results. My legs are stronger and I plan on continuing this regimen and adding on to it.
www.spiralvisions.com
In between all our vacationing, we checked out Die Hard and Transformers. I have to post about this since I know that you consult me on the ways of pop culture before you do anything.
You should go see Die Hard.
I’ve never actually seen a single Die Hard. I must have dated a lot of wussy men, considering everyone I tell that to seems SHOCKED…I also don’t particularly have any love for Bruce Willis. The character I do love is Justin Long’s. He’s cute. It is a boy movie, and has all those elements, a hot chick, fight scenes, plenty of blowing stuff up. What it ALSO features that most of these dude flicks I am forced to watch don’t is a watchable, understandable plot. A cameo from Kevin Smith, and I’m in love. I was interested in the whole thing, beginning to end. I’d go see it again.
On the other hand, Transformers I’ll give a B-. It couldn’t have been more cheesy or made less sense. But you still need to see it, since more people are talking about Optimus Prime than Paris Hilton. It is what it is. I just wish Michael Bay would have found someone with a brain to watch this thing and explain the parts they left out and the obvious questions they forgot to answer. Everyone walking out was talking about the same things. For me, the best part was the previews…they’ve got the movie world abuzz.
www.cache.gizmodo.com
“I prefer the cartoon look myself…”
Folks, Canada is where it is AT. I don’t even know how to tell you that I want to apply for citizenship, get my maiden name back, and assimilate immediately. Really.
Our trip to Vancouver was AWESOME. The drive was beautiful, if not super interesting. I-5 takes you up from Mt. Rainier to Mt. Baker, and the views were clear and great. The border, which you can see in the pictures is guarded by a stone pillar and a flower flag, only took two hours to get through. As soon as we made it to Vancouver, we took in the view of the city and drove right past it to the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. Since 1889 it’s been full of bratty kids trying to sway you into a stranger all stumbly-like. It’s extreme, you can also see evidence of that in the pictures…
We did the tree top adventure, then realized the exchange rate was one-to-one and that meant a 15$ salad was really 15$. It was going to be a long trip. Despite my worthless American currency, I love Canada. Tourists abound. Everyone sounds like you but really does say aboot. So hot. The weather was perfect. I think the sun has a little smiley face on it up there. After the excitement at Capilano, you run right into Grouse Mountain, another fantastic tourist trap. We headed right to the top and ate our 3pm lunch in 10 minutes flat. Canada adventure made me hungry. There were bears, as you see that at first looked friendly, but put on a mud wrestling show for us. There was a loggers show, and a gondola that we look so cute on. For only 199$ you too could experience the thrill of a 15 minute paragliding trip, which we passed on. Super fun-ed out, we went to the city to check in to the hotel and check out the night life.
MK got the coolest hotel in the world, the Pan Pacific in Canada Place, where the WTC and Cruise ships and all kinds of other random things hang out. There’s a pic of our view from the room right out on to all the water. We got prettied up, had some coffee, and made our way out to Robson Street. Holy cooler than Seattle, Batman. There was more shopping than anywhere. There was tons of expensive cars and interesting people and food and lights and parties. You say this is the most livable city? I can see it…
I got some new shoes, which put that song into my head about new shoes on (that’s the only part I know) so I was a hummy happy lady. We checked out all the downtown until it closed and found Yaletown, the hippest part of the place. We ate dinner at a super cool oyster bar, where they taught me all about beer and oysters and vintage soul music. Too much fun. We popped into a couple bars and couldn’t get over how happy everyone was and the great vibe just running around everywhere. It’s the best episode of the Twilight Zone, no bad ending. Then we got so sleepy!
For breakfast we went and checked out where I will be living someday, Beach Drive. We ate omelettes in the sunshine and drove from beach to beach to beach. Every one had an amazing view. Right before lunch we made it to Granville, where the public market is even bigger and prettier than Pikes. After a lunch stop and more exploring we made it over to Stanley Park, the Spanish mossy beach, and in and out of countless parts of the city, the Chinatown, campus, and south and west of the city.
If I had only known, I would have picked Vancouver over Seattle. I would have my dual citizenship documents expedited. I can only agree with everyone else that thinks this is the best place to live, it was like nothing else I’d ever seen in any other of my travels. Maybe if the exchange rate improves, eh?
www.anomie.typepad.com
The 4th of July here was undoubtedly the best weather we’ve seen in Seattle to date. It was pretty, clear, and the warmest day yet, high 80s. The night before we’d purchased a full days worth of roof food. We went for a walk in the morning. Around noon we headed up to grill our turkey burgers, expecting a full roof of people intent on remaining in the sun until 10pm. There were maybe 5 people. We brought up chairs with which to steal the best spot, and cooked and ate. I got some great sun hours. We visited with friends and shared beers and stories. Good times.
Running up and down for refills and breaks from the heat got harder and harder as the day went on, and numerous people I’ve never seen, don’t think actually lived here, and can’t determine where they all could have parked started to show up. In addition, South Lake Union got busier and busier too, filling up with boats. We could also just barely make out the people filling up Gas Works Park across the water, which you can see getting packed in the photos across the water.
Burnt and burnt out, MK and I took a breather around 6 and checked out some tv and some snooze time. Revived and hungry again, we managed just barely to find room on the grill for some chicken and eat on our laps. Somebody paid a DJ to show up, and fill the air with house music, which would have been fun if he were not terrible. It was novel, at least.
And then, the fireworks. You can also see in the photos the Space Needle. On the left is Puget Sound, where the first set of fireworks began. Then a helicopter circled Lake Union with a giant American Flag, and the main fireworks display there began.
Some of you might have noticed (in my dreams you all pay way too much attention to this website) that last week, July 5th, to be exact, was my little bloggy anniversary- I’ve had this silly space for one whole year now!
I’ve learned so many things about the interweb, computers, people, and how to blog, I just haven’t employed any of that here. I would apologize to you, but, well, that’s just not my style. I will, however, accept any gifts you feel like bestowing upon me. That is my style.
www.forum.belmont.edu
Cat Killfoil 