Category Archives: Seattle, Washington

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All Caught Up

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Thursday we did more shopping, found the Best Buy and the Target, things MK can’t live without, and then last night we went to our first Mariners game, which was fantastic fun. I really hope my parents come down in August and watch the Red Sox with me. It’s a great stadium, and there’s a bus right outside that took us there.

Today is actually the 100th Anniversary celebration for Pike’s Market, so we’re headed out to see what that is all about. We’ll venture out to a bar for the first time tonight, and tomorrow try out brunch. Can’t wait!

auq.jpg The Denver aquarium had a bar…

odd2.jpg MK learned even more tricks with the camera…

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Settling In

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As I mentioned here, Wednesday was the best! day! ever! It didn’t start out so well, as I had a little (a lot) of trouble finding the gym, it wasn’t where I remembered it…but after I worked that out, I got in a 2 hour fantastic workout. I came back to make us lunch and we got ready for our day out exploring.

We put on our sensible shoes are headed down. We’re on 8th, and Pike’s is down by the waterfront, but it’s not that bad of a walk. We toured up and down a few streets before making our way into the market.

pike place market

I remember it from when we visited, but saw it in a whole new way this time. The fruits and veggies, the fish, the flowers, this is stuff I can actually buy, instead of just looking around at it! It was kind of full, and that’s a little tricky. But it is just such a happy place to be with all that going on, so I don’t mind. We headed from our street to the opposite end, and took that way back, heading in a big loop back toward the mall area. We saw a place that had a Happy Hour, which it was, and went in. It was a appetizer fare and drink special deal, and I immediately ordered a plate full of oysters. I had been waiting for those since I got here. They were exceptional. That was what made the day. That’s all it took. Yum.

We made it back to our place and had a big dinner. Happy Day.

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More Shopping And Driving

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Background: I got my driver’s license the day before I moved to Austin. I then learned about crappy highways and things that don’t make sense, roads that end then begin again farther down, and the like. It’s crazy there. Or so I thought.

First thing in the morning Tuesday (I know, I’m so far behind) I go to the little gym here and run. And I suck. Shockingly, I know. It’s been like two weeks. I get showered up and put on the most expensive outfit, jewelry, and makeup, and perfume, I can find. I’m a sell out to the pressure, I know. MK and I go hunting around a little to see if we can find a place to get a cord he needs for his computer. We got soooooo lost. The roads here are bizarre!!! They are currently digging up the underground bus system and putting in an underground rail system, so they’ve created special bus lanes, shut down lanes, closed ramps, put stop lights on ramps, extended HOVs, and generally made the biggest mess ever. Makes Austin look deserving of roadway of the year awards.

We fall into a Costco, I guess they started here, and go shop-happy. We get his cord at the Office Max that appears to be in STARBUCKS CENTRAL HEADQUARTERS. That was a crazy place. Then it’s time for our meeting with you-know-who. We only had to u-turn twice (instead of three times) to get home. We put the groceries away and head down to the lobby. You-know-who tells us stuff that we already figured out for ourselves and is only slightly pleasant, probably due to the rude glaring look I have, the yawns I keep faking, and the eye rolling and watch glancing I throw in for good measure. I address MK instead of you-know-who when I ask who handles the recyclables. Take that. I thought about psyching on the handshake, but he wouldn’t have understood.

I make us some lunch, and we lounge a little. The time difference shouldn’t affect us too much, but it is a little strange to call the east coast, and figure out the TV schedule. I tried so hard to get on the internet and say hi, but my computer wasn’t picking up any free wifi. Grr. We went for a nice walk three blocks down, where the mall and Nordstrom’s is. That is going to be good times.

pacific place
www.rawseattle.com

I already know. There’s so much there! We browse the restaurants and look at the menus in the windows. We stopped at Seattle’s Best, which I learned is OWNED by Starbucks (I bet y’all already knew that) but wasn’t very clean. Or good. They took so long to make MK’s drink that we have a free coupon to use, if we ever go back. We found the equivalents to the Austin Chronicle and read those for a bit. Then it was home for dinner. Kind of a low key day, but the exploring was fun. MK does a great job figuring out where things are. I do not exactly have an excellent sense of direction.


www.istockphoto.com

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Then We Were There

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Reflections on the road trip: We had a great time seeing the sights and driving up through the northwest. MK is the worst side seat driver of all time, so I was happiest when he was sleeping. He also kept me committed to my diet by not allowing any junk food to be consumed in the car. Isn’t that terrible? We had Oatmeal breakfast bars, grocery store sandwiches, and plain almonds for snacks. Dinner would be more sandwiches and bars. To me, road trips aren’t real unless they include McDonalds (esp. for breakfast) and chex mix and cokes and slurpees and honey roasted sugar coated peanuts. But Noooooo. MK was convinced that the eating out we did the week before while saying our goodbyes more than negated this past 6 months that I’ve spent committing to working out and losing ten pounds. He is still waiting for me to thank him.

We roll up into Seattle on a cool bridge that goes through a cliff or something. And there is a traffic jam. Good start, huh? We are about 3 hours early for the realtor that is letting us in our place, so we drive around the city to see what we can see. It comes up on lunch time and we start to look for a place. There is nothing within 30 miles of our new place, as we drive by and around over and over, where we can eat and park the car. Hmm. We pull into “Taco Time” just because they have a lot. MK thinks it will be fine. I think it is not taco time. I was right, and it will never, ever again be taco time as long as I live. Suffice to say, without elaborating: yuck, yuck, yuck.

We still have time, and in my SUPER SWEET AUSTIN PERSONALITY THAT THINKS THAT EVERYONE IS FRIENDLY, I decide to run in to the lobby and ask where we can leave our car until it is time to meet our realtor. I have been driving. 10 hours. I have jeans and a striped shirt on. I even have makeup on. But WHAT does mr. works at the front desk tell me in his terrible accent? Basically that I couldn’t possibly be moving in to this luxurious downtown upscale residence. He looks me up and down and hands me his ‘card’ in case he can help me ‘clear up my confusion’. So help me, it was all I could do to get in the drivers seat and turn that bus around. MK is lucky he was there. I was irate.

Rant: Clearly, who do these people think they are that just LOOK at someone and make assumptions? You don’t know me! I could own the building! You just work in it. Can YOU afford to live there on your salary!?! Don’t get an attitude with me. I have never been so upset. The being in the car all day and being tired and cranky didn’t help. It took MK a long time to calm me down. We parked down by the south side bridges and walked along the north end of the international district. Me, of course, looking at my reflection everywhere trying to see just how bad and poor I looked, lest another Seattle-ite break my heart talking down to me.

Finally, it comes up on 4 and we head back. I’m not smiling. Our realtor lets us in and re-introduces us to the HELP. I get over that when I see our place. It’s just like the pictures.

Realtor leaves and we start taking things up. He let us know we were going to have to have a meeting with the HELP that they call ‘orientation’. As though all these rich snooty snootertons don’t know how to work an elevator…MK goes to the front desk to arrange it. Of course, he’s in an FC UK pressed polo, he gets no slack from jean-paul-conciergey. WHO THEN TURNS TO ME, AND ASKS MK “WHO IS SHE TO YOU?” I swear, friends, he is fixing to get a beat down.

We unpack most of the car and get hungry again. There is a Whole Foods a block away, so we load up on dinner and breakfast and head back. MK unpacks and organizes, I work on the closet and learning the new cable channels, and cook dinner. By the way, it was plenty sunny out, and we headed up to the roof. We had the wine dude at WF get us a WA red and white. We brought the red up there, and toasted to the view, the sunset, and me not murdering any helpless old gentlemen. I’m not sure if day one was a success or a devastation. I’m going to need more time.

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Yes, that’s our view from the roof. Click on it, it’s lovely.

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On The Road Again

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Sunday morning started at 5 again, much to my wanting to beat my husband unhappiness. The part I was awake for watched and saw everything of was Wyoming. It was beautiful.

view.jpg view2.jpg

MK drove most of the way. I took over in Utah and got us to Boise, Idaho. I will never be able to tell you how he heard that Boise was cool…but it wasn’t. There was a cute little downtown and whatever but it was a college town. In Utah, I learned that when your car dies, that’s where it goes. We saw tons and tons of abandoned motor vehicles. Not on the road, just around. In huge piles. It was just the little corner, but it wasn’t very pretty. I wonder who owns that land…since it was Sunday, the stores in Utah were closed, even the Subway we tried to eat at. WTF? I wouldn’t want to be moving there…hahaha just kidding, Mrs. Standin.

Anyway, so we’re in Boise, at the hotel, and they were nice enough, and told us to go eat at some brew pub. At least the Red Sox were on. The service was brain dead. It was late. So, we went back to the room for sleepy time. We were really exhilarated though, knowing that we were about to embark on the last leg of our journey. BUT, we put on the alarm on my phone and turned it up. That was dumb, since with the time change, people might accidentally call and wake you up!

We got back to bed okay, and up a little later that usual (6am) to get ourselves to our new home. We drove through Oregon, where there were great big trees – which I missed in Texas, and it was beautiful. Crossing the Washington border got me really excited. This is our new home state! Since the last time we where in Seattle, we flew, we had no idea what the rest of the state looked like. I felt like I was exploring my new territory. MK drove but I was awake and excited. Even though we were still 5 hours away. We drove by the place that the music festival we’ll be attending next month is at, that was fun, to know we’d be back. There was water and snow and great views everywhere. There are tons and tons of vineyards in the Yakima Valley, where we drove up through, and that got me excited. I’ve never had any WA wine, but I will!

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I’m Back

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Well, somegosoftly fans, we first have to give thestandin a big round of applause for keeping you (and me) entertained. I was so happy to be blog free for a while, even though I had a little internet-withdrawal-syndrome. I have to do this in date/time order, or I will get all confused, even though today was the best! day! yet! and I can’t wait to tell you about it. My little fingers are flying to get us all caught up and on the same page. Of course the pictures will be late, I have no idea where the cord is.

We left Austin at about 6am on Thursday. We went to bed around midnight. I had cleaned the whole place so well we had no where to sleep. I thought I could throw the air mattress on the wood floor of our living room, but somewhere between MK’s toss and turn 3 and 7 I realized I’d be up all night from the squeaking unless that went back in the bedroom, despite the marks it’d make on my carpet, after vacuuming in these little perfect sweeps so they could see how clean it was. We actually woke up at about 5, and had this adventure time of not being awake and not being able to get everything in the car. It’s too embarrassing, so there are no pictures, but we seriously put that car full like a secret Mensa puzzle. You couldn’t do it. It was crazy. We have so. much. crap.

MK drove to Wichita Falls, Texas. I didn’t know there was one of those. In fact, I didn’t know that every town has similar street names, and every state has similar county names. Let me preface this segment with a little background: I’ve lived in CT most of my natural life. This included numerous trips through MA, RI, VT, NH and ME. But it’s not like I paid any attention. I was little. Then I lived in TX, Austin to be specific. All you travel from there is Houston and Dallas. So this drive…this going through parts of Texas I’ve never been awake for… well it made me realize things. Like why people look at me LIKE THAT when I tell them that I’m from Texas. Ugh. I drove nine hours straight. Amarillo, everything before it and after it – well I’m fairly sure that’s the armpit of civilization as we know it. It was frightening. To stop for gas. To eat. To LOOK AROUND. Freaking gross, nothing to look at, forsaken place. And I almost forgot to mention that after the TX/OK border, I hit the NM border in style…thinking it would be beautiful…and it was under construction. The speed limit was 35. For an hour. Then 45. For an hour. Ugh.

As you will recall, the first part of our trip included a very special stop in Denver, CO, home to some very special people. MK finished the drive to Denver, and we got in at about midnight. Since we were staying at the SB all inclusive resort, I immediately requested a back rub and a beer. I got the beer. Then we passed out – sleepy time. Then it was FRIDAY…That morning – busted, around noon – we went to the VIP eatery those of you that were in ‘yoga’ with me may know that the Real World Denver went to called Snooze. It was dee-lish-ious. Wow.

snuz.jpg

SB took us to her work, right down the street. Ladies and gentlemen, my favorite roommate ever- probably including MK- works at a THINK TANK. You’ve seen them. She has a bball court and a ping pong table and limitless other recreational activities located throughout the office to ‘inspire creative thought’. My creative thought is jealousy. I want to work there. But not live in Denver. More on that later. We went to the Denver Aquarium.

outaqu.jpg

As an ode to my father, Semi-Professional African Cichlid Breeder, I was reflecting on the fact I think I’ve been to every aquarium in every city that I’ve ever visited that had one. Paris (France, not Texas) is the only place I couldn’t recall trying to find the local aquarium in. Anyway…it was a nice little aquarium and it also surprised me, since I’ve been to so many aquariums, as it had

TIGERS.

liger.jpg

I know. That’s crazy, right? They were chillin’ around the rainforest exhibit. That’s all I can say about that. I’m thinking “Are you sure these guys are supposed to be here?”

This is us and a 250lb. grouper:

grouper.jpg

Ooooh, and I almost forgot to tell you that we fed stingrays:

stingray.jpg
All that exploring made us thirsty, so we hit up some bars. We went to a place called Sputnik for nothing other than the promise of an old time photo booth, which turned out to be out of order. 😦 Luckily, we found so much more. MK had a fascinating Vanilla infused homemade vodka shot, SB went with a pomegranate martini the likes of which I’d never seen. (I had a beer.) Yum.

sputnik.jpg

We rolled over to The Hornet next, to see what we could see about the rumor they had a all day weekend Bloody Mary Bar the like of which I’ve mentioned here. We had yummy drinks here too, and some lobster asparagus and something else I forget what pizza. (SB?)

The events that transpire next are rewarded with their own post.

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Bon Voyage

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If I was a color, today I would be blue. The day has finally come when our dear friends pack their car and begin their cross-country trek to the Evergreen State. We joined CK and MK for one last lunch Wednesday at Ski Shores, where we reveled in the sunshine and the sight of little kids (okay, us too) throwing bread and french fries to the fish and turtles just off the dock. I was able to fight off tears only by imagining the screaming fits CK and MK will likely have whilst trapped in the front of their over-stuffed SUV for the next five days. If only they had a video in the dashboard a la Oprah and Gayle. I’m not saying it would be a chronicle of the demise of their marriage, but if MK shows up in Seattle with only nine fingers, for instance, will we ever know the truth?

Here are a few of the things that I will miss the most:

1. Sitting in the meat-locker that is Rudy’s on 620, scarfing down brisket and sausage, while MK and BB talk shop, CK picks at chicken and we complain about the latest dumb things our husband/neighbor/Rosie O’Donnell did/said.

2. Sitting at Freebird’s, doing much the same as in No. 1.

3. Making plans to meet up with the K’s, which always involved a minimum of nineteen phone calls, of which MK only answered two. I still don’t understand this ritual, since we only ever met at Rudy’s or Freebird’s, but I’ll miss it nonetheless.

4. Having my eardrums assaulted alternately by a) the screaming toddler who, when not released for a beating, apparently lives in a cage upstairs of the K’s apartment, and b) the Rave music CK played to drown out Satan’s spawn.

5. Knowing someone who can fix my camera and teach me all sorts of nifty tricks, without whom I would not be able to share pics like this:

tbpic.jpg

These things may sound lame and not worth shedding a tear over, but what it all amounts to is that our best friends are gone, and we already miss them. If all goes well, they’ll be in Denver by tomorrow morning. Wish them luck!

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This Is It

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Well, we’re all ready to go. Everything is packed. All that’s left tomorrow is a little laundry and cleaning, and we’re out of here.

It’s a strange feeling…I never planned to stay in Austin, it was always just temporary, for college. Little did I know I’d make such amazing friends, meet the love of my life, become so close to his friends, and my family that is here. Now we’re leaving. I’m excited and sad at the same time.

We had the greatest dinner last night at the County Line, laughing and chowing, drinking and chowing. I’ll miss the bbq! I’ll miss the great company of TB and BB. Tonight we’re heading over to Hula Hut, despite the nasty weather, to say our goodbyes to everyone else. You’ll be at the mercy of the phenomenal guest blogger, thestandin. I promise to carefully chronicle our road trip and the great stories I’m sure we’ll have from our weekend in Denver, our night in Boise, and our first impressions of Seattle. When I wake up, after a long nap. Thank you all for your well wishes, your continued support of my little blog here, and everything else. I’ll talk to you in a week!

waving goodbye
www.ocg.at

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Harsh Reality

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Two suitcases: Full. Closet: Still not empty. I wouldn’t call myself spoiled, more like, never throws anything away. But I have a temporary closet and three big bags in storage, and still can’t manage to pack small enough for this trip. I know I am headed to a place with an exceptionally small closet and chest of drawers. That I have to share. I can’t decide what to take and what not to. The big issues are the cooler weather, meaning more heavy clothes, and the working out and hiking plans, which make all that kind of stuff necessary. I keep thinking about all these events that are going to come up and I’ll be forced to remember an outfit that I don’t have with me that would have been perfect. In reality, there will probably be no events.

I did however, make a cunning and stunning purchase a while back that I kept meaning to tell you about. Snippy had a good time hearing this one: I bought rubber shoes. They are for gardening? Rain? Nothing? I can’t determine if they will work at all, but it rains in Seattle, so surely I need rain shoes. Here’s the idea:

c8_1.jpg

Although mine are not yellow, they are already packed so you’ll have to imagine these with leopard and black bows. I know what you’re thinking: “But, somegosoftly, you hate leopard.” To which I reply, “I also hate rain but enjoy cheap shoes on sale.” Or maybe you are thinking, “Those don’t look like they will keep your feet dry, as you wear them to look fashionable, but they are not galoshes you can stick your pants in to and they make no sense.” I have to go with “You are probably right but I will be sure and let you know.”

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Weird Week

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The last week before you put all your things away and drive for five days is very odd.

Your diet: I’m eating cans of tuna that have been in the cupboard for a while. I made pancakes without a spatula. I’m over-seasoning everything. Because we’re trying to get rid of all the odd stuff. We have no pans or anything now, so it’s Lean Cuisines for dinner. Mmm.

Your wardrobe: I’m wearing and washing things over and over, half of my clothes are in suitcases to bring, the other half are in storage. And some things I can’t decide what to do with are sitting lonely on one little closet rack. Don’t make fun of me if I’m in the same shirt for the week.

Your schedule: I’ve been getting up earlier and earlier, and in the middle of the night, thinking of things to do, and then not being able to relax until I’ve done them. During the day, I don’t feel like working out after moving heavy things, so I wait until late – or don’t go at all.

Your communication: I’ve been calling friends to let them know I’m leaving, reminding family, and writing through email, myspace and blog all over to make sure everyone knows and cries. It’s like having a baby, it’s all we talk about. Get a grip, somegosoftly, it’s 6 months.

Your mood: MK and I are a little insane. We’re trying to fit everything into the back of the car, so we’ve turned into snoopy snoop comparer’s.

Actual conversation tidbits: “Well, if you’re bringing three toothbrushes I don’t see why I can’t bring these notebooks..”

“Like you’re going to use that dictionary. You can’t spell.”

“Maybe if you quit burning CDs and got our taxes done, we could pack that computer.”

“How about you just buy me a new laptop when we get there?”

That last one was me, duh.

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In other somegosoftly news, last night I had a very exciting dinner conversation, and bartered some of my time for a guest blogger that will tide you over while I’m on the road. A really good, funny, better than any guest blogger ever guest blogger.

Yay!!!