Fake Banana

2011-01-27T10:04:00.000-08:00

i'm saying goodbye to fake banana. although some great fun(ny) posts were made here i can't help but decide that it's time to move on. i feel like sometimes all blogs do is make you want more than you thought you wanted or sometimes make your brain decide that you need something you never needed.

perhaps one day i'll shake all that and transform my blog into a different format but for now...adios.

happy 2011!

12 days of México

2010-12-31T08:24:00.000-08:00

#7 New Year's Eve

"If you are looking for the biggest Mexico New Years celebration, it will be found in Mexico City. From Zocalo, the city's main square, the route to the Palacio de Bellas Artes will be closed down, as will part of the Paseo de la Reforma Boulevard. In the afternoon, music will begin to fill the air as bands play on the various stages set up along this route. Hordes of people will be out to enjoy the festivities, most likely with a drink in hand, awaiting the excitement of midnight. After a long fireworks session, the party continues, and it doesn't stop until well into the early morning hours. Especially along the Paseo de la Reforma, the atmosphere is carnival-like. In addition to the energy that the bands bring, various dancers and floats make their way about this stretch, making you wonder if you were somehow transported to New Years in Rio De Janiero without your knowing it."

We will report back later with video and pictures that will have hopefully captured it all.

12 days of México

2010-12-19T12:04:00.000-08:00

#8 Mezcalerias

Mezcal is my friend. It can be yours too. Like a fine cigar or any high end liquor, you want to sip and not shoot. Mezcal comes from the maguey plant, a plant that thrives in the state of Oaxaca and is the main producing region for this smokey liquor. No, mezcal does not have a worm in it...in fact any liquor with a worm at the bottom means its a bad quality liquor and like any terrible alcohol, if over consumed you will get ill.

In Mexico City, mezcalerias (bars that specialize in mezcal) are very popular amongst the hipsters. In the neighborhood of Condesa we look forward to returning to one bar in particular called La Botica. You can get a beer for a $1.60 and a mezcal shot for as little as $3 or less. There are a few others that I want to visit in other neighborhoods but I just loved the coziness of La Botica's storefront...no bigger than my living room and open to the street but fits enough tables for all the cool kids to have a drink and relax.

La Botica - Colonia Condesa, D.F.

12 days of México

2010-12-16T22:02:00.000-08:00

#9 Salón Los Angeles

I'm reallllly excited to visit this dance hall. I've read to expect a flashback to 1950's-60's México, where every man is wearing a hat, and every woman is wearing a lovely dress, and a Cuban orchestra plays the hits. The club is known for it's special danzón dance nights, a dance that is original to Cuba but is currently more popular in Ciudad de México than it's birth place. The Plaza Ciudadela hosts a spectacular showing of couples who practice the danzon every Saturday afternoon. I want to show up for a quick lesson so Brian and I are ready to shuffle with the old folks at Salón Los Angeles.

12 days of México

2010-12-15T09:29:00.000-08:00

#10 Xochilmilco

Now I am not sure if Xochilmilco (cho-chill-mil-co), let’s call it Xochil for short, is a barrio or another city. I do know that this place is south of Coyoacan and therefore south of the city center of D.F. This area is made of canals and waterways that date back to an ancient Aztec lake. The canals nowadays are used for floating down the river in festive, colorful boats called trajineras. The weekends are said to be the busiest time and the most fun. The boats can be rented privately or you can hop on one with a bunch of strangers. The trajineras can be pulled over to the docks to pick up mariachis and food and drink vendors.

12 days of México

2010-12-13T10:21:00.000-08:00

#11 Parque México
1. it's a park
2. bars and restaurants surround the green space

This park in the barrio of Condesa, the same neighborhood where we will live for about 20 days, is a great spot to sit down, relax and watch. The bars and restaurants around the park are really sweet too, lots of sidewalk cafes and outdoor dining. One time we walked through the park to find a dog school in session. It was so cute! Thirty dogs all sitting, pawing, and lying down at the same time. And the weather? The temperature in D.F. during our stay will range from about 70-75 degrees during the day and dip down the low 40's at night. Very similiar to our best summer days in Seattle but I'll take it as long as the sun is shining.

Brian at Parque México December 2009

12 days of México

2010-12-12T10:00:00.000-08:00

#12 Coyoacan
- Coyoacan is one of sixteen barrios in Mexico City (or Distrito Federal aka D.F.). It's a beautiful neighborhood that contains much of its original colonial era architecture, narrow streets, and lush green plazas. On our last trip to Mexico City, we visited Coyoacan but only to visit the house of one of its most famous residents, Frida Kahlo. This time around I hope to spend a couple of days around the neighborhood and taking in its quaint bohemian vibe with more photo taking, shopping, drinking, and general gallivanting. Drinking cafe at a spot called Cafe El Jarocho is popular amongst the locals. A cappuccino costs M$7 (about .56cents USD). You can stand with your drink at the high tables or take it to the curbside benches adjacent to the storefront.

Parroquia de San Juan Bautista, built in 1592 - Coyoacan, Mexico City

the countdown begins.

tu casa es mi casa

2010-11-05T12:39:00.001-07:00

architect marcio kogan

architect Olson Kundig
my dream homes so far are in sao paulo and the other very very close to hom e.

its basketball season

2010-11-03T18:12:00.000-07:00

this means that most evenings when i come home, i will find brian watching whatever NBA game is being televised. in the off season, i forgot how cute it is to find him set up in front of the tv with snacks, sweets, and a drink. in this case sparkling water but most times its wine or fresca.

solamente espanol

2010-11-02T23:47:00.000-07:00

What a nice feeling day today had but I think I'm coming down with something. I feel like everyone around me was getting sick but me. Brian just gave me a tablespoon of honey lemon. Does that really help cure an inflamed throat? I made my grandma's infamous caldo for dinner on Sunday (mind you when I was not feeling sick) and we had it for dinner and lunch ever since. I hope tomorrow is the last of it because it would be so yummy to have baguette with butter and fig jam.

Here is a picture of new favorite spanish studying spot...arabica lounge. apparently all the furniture belongs to the owner, as in from his very own apartment. he must have an empty house by now.

we finally found the "cool" vancouver bc!

2010-10-18T12:34:00.000-07:00

i sure did talk alot of shit about vancouver...thinking that the only fun things to do are shopping on robson or walking down davie and eating poutine at fritz. i now know that i was wrong all the entire time.

charisse and i drove up on saturday morning for a one night excursion. we utilized one of those "these are the cool shops, restaurants, and bars in vancouver" maps. it took us to main street where we visited a rad shop called ifound. its like world beadz but 100 times better. lots of beautiful vintage pieces to make necklaces, tons of unusual charms, and beautifully colored stones. main street has lots of great vintage furniture shops...mint condition stuff that was reasonably priced. nothing a thrifter would go to and resell but definitely fun pieces that you could definitely purchase for yourself or gift to a friend. also on main street is a really hip record shop called dandelion records. they sell the kind of stuff that you see at the MoMa museum shop and fun design-y things that you would see on design blogs or retrofit home...lots of stuff with pretty packaging. i love those kinds of things. and of course they sell records...lots. they got my attention with playing the new fresh & onlys. i wanted to buy it so bad (even included the much wanted MP3 download) on vinyl but the very last copy instore was snagged within seconds of me walking in.

we checked into our hostel on granville street in the central part of vancouver. i sold this hostel to charisse by telling her there is a club on the street level where all the internationals hang out. alas the club was closed down (actually since the beginning of the year) because of its rowdiness. damn. i can only imagine all the seedy canadians going to the club to take some australian chick home.

in the evening we visited gas town for drinks. we found a totally beautiful french restaurant called l'abbattoir. although we didn't eat, we did have delicious cocktails. mine a pisco drink with apple, fresh lime, house made cinnamon syrup, whiskey barrel bitters and shaken so well it had an inch of froth at the top. charisse had a gin drink with lemon, maraschino, and creme de violet. oh soo good! our next round included a caiprihinia for me and another gin drink for Charisse that had fresh raspberries, sweet vermouth, mint, and lemon. we walked down the block to another bar to meet a couple of her friends that were visiting in town. the bar was called the alibi room and was warm and cozy inside with lots of long wooden tables and low lighting.

the next morning we visited commercial drive. it was rather early and since we had to pay for overnight garage parking we left the hostel by 10am. there were not very many shops open but it was fun to window shop. i am in love with this area of vancouver. it reminds me of all the neighborhoods in brooklyn...lots of storefronts with big colorful plastic awnings, restaurants of all cuisines with a sprinkling of some with a more modern aesthetic. we ended up at a cappuccino bar, its the kind of place where the old men hang out in the back of the cafe and watch soccer on tv. charisse and i sat on the sidewalk with the foamiest yummiest cappuccinos. i smoked a canadian cigarette (exports?) to feel further indulged by the delicious cappuccino and warm sunlight on a cold fall morning.

i can't wait to go back with brian and more friends.

oh and this cool installation (in progress) by lead pencil studio on the way out from border check in

epic portland weekend

2010-09-13T16:53:00.000-07:00

We drove up Friday night and immediately headed to a bar to watch Dan’s band the Grapefruit League. We met Libby, Erin, and a new friend Melissa at the show and of course it was all awesome. After the show we headed to Bunk Bar for the best bahn mi in the entire world - the pork belly bahn mi. It was so good that we all ordered two more sandwiches to share.

Saturday morning was a fun brunch at the Screen Door. Our favorite brunch spot in Portland!

this little corndog had a maple sausage inside. libby is excited.

We all ordered a sufficient amount of food and then naps were in order but not until after we all headed out to check out Dan and Vanessa’s mobile shop Wanderlust. I bought a rad vintage seersucker dress, a fun zipper pouch, and the most radical suitcase tote ever.

wanderlust

Then we were happy to meet up with Travis Ritter, who is now in Portland, at Mississippi studios for The Thermals show with free beer. It was MFNW and although we made no plans to really see any shows, seeing the Thermals was a nice treat thanks to a good friend who let us Seattle-ites come to the show for free.

Finally it was nap time.

For dinner we all checked out the food carts at SE 12th and Hawthorne. I had a philly cheese steak sandwich that was good but not awesome however I did finally get to try the poutine from potato champion and it was excellent. We went to Valentines and Rontom’s for drinks, both really great bars with good music and drink selections. Rontom’s has a huge outdoor patio that I love to spend time at then to Beaker & Flask for a night cap that turned into the bartender keeping the bar open for us and then this trouble.

we made the bartender put on jams for his performance

Libby’s exact quote to the bartender was “are you salty or just an asshole?” The bartender loved her and I think that’s why he kept the bar open for us. I had some delicious secret mezcal that made the night cap turn more into the drunk fest than I had not originally hoped for but it was all good. We all headed back to the 12th Street food carts (yes, return to the scene of the crime) and had pizza, this time eating the pizza and stumbling back to the house with Brian.

Sunday was a miracle when I woke up and didn't feel like death. We meandered through SE Portland with Vanessa and eventually hit up a chili pie cart for lunch. Okay - I'm saying it right here. eff the sno-cone. It's frito pie stand that I want to work on now.

It was a beautiful beautiful weekend with lovely friends.

Dear liver and bank account – I am so so sorry.
; )

and i'm sleeping through the night

2010-09-09T11:32:00.000-07:00

*photo of Southwestern desert by Michael P. Berman from the book Trinity

last night brian and i finished watching all the breaking bad that is available to watch. that show is incredible and every season ends with the most insane cliff hangers! i can't believe we have to wait until july 2011!

i'm so thirsty for more drug/crime/border drama so we walked to elliott bay bookstore, where i picked up a graphic novel called dreamland by charles bowden. he also wrote another drug war/mexican cartel book called murder city that just came out. i figured if i can get through this 1/2" thick graphic novel and still sleep then i continue on and buy the murder city book.

"Realizing that merely reporting the facts cannot capture the massive disintegration of society that is happening along the border, Charles Bowden and Alice Leora Briggs use nonfiction and sgraffito drawings to depict the surreality that is Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Starting from an incident in which a Mexican informant for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security murdered a man while U.S. agents listened in by cell phone--and did nothing to intervene--Bowden forcefully and poetically describes the breakdown of all order in Juarez as the power of the drug industry outstrips the power of the state. Alice Leora Briggs's drawings--reminiscent of Northern Renaissance engraving and profoundly disquieting--intensify the reality of this place where atrocities happen daily and no one, neither citizens nor governments, openly acknowledges them."

this is exactly what I was looking for. ever since I finished reading coyotes by ted conover i've been fascinated with the reality crime/immigration dramas that i grew up so close to.

take that.

2010-09-06T19:45:00.000-07:00

bring it on fall weather. i just made pho at home and thus have very little reason to get spit on with what you call rain for the next 6 months.

yummmm!

2010-09-01T16:04:00.001-07:00

holy crap! i am finally married and now i can enjoy life as it's meant to be!

i can't wait to accomplish some of the following this fall and winter:

KNIT!
sew (not streamers)
take lots of pictures
cozy up on some weekends and do nothing
school!!
read books that will make me laugh out loud
visit some dear friends in far places
knit!!
cook more from the last 3 bon appetit's that i have neglected

2010-08-23T10:19:00.001-07:00

5 days to go on the big wedding day. oh boy!

2010-08-15T21:27:00.000-07:00

its hot up in here. brian and i spent a pretty great day in AC. we had food at presse, then bowling and pool at the garage, and a really dumb movie at NWFF. oh well. its 930 now and we are just waiting for mad men to start. one more week of work and its game time wedding week!

2010-08-13T19:56:00.000-07:00

we are going to see what is left of the perseid meteor shower tonight. i love the night sky.

2010-08-10T16:38:00.001-07:00

Last night B and I had a date. We ate at the Via Trib in the new Crocodile and watched Inception at the Big Picture. It was awesome and such a nice way to spend a Monday night.

2010-08-02T16:02:00.000-07:00

OMG - a new target is opening in downtown seattle. i cant freakin' wait!!!!!!!!!!

what??

2010-07-13T17:15:00.000-07:00

this is amazing!

¡Viva México!

2010-06-17T13:54:00.001-07:00

FINAL - Mexico 2 France 0

2010-06-16T09:14:00.000-07:00

i swear the new york times is ALWAYS cramping my style. i mean, shit, i know shaved ice is not a revolutionary treat but dang now every joint in capitol hill is going to open a stand.

i am ready. after the wedding i will be so ready!

2010-06-08T23:30:00.000-07:00

so what class am i taking this month? well from january to march it was spanish and quilting then april was probably the month that i went to the gym 4 days a week every week at 630am oh and then in may it was yoga,and now in june oh yes...FLAMENCO. i have not done that yet!

so it is! on mondays its flamenco classes with charisse and rosalie!

this our teacher...she is super foxy!

here is a video of her dancing on the streets in sevilla. so cool!

our first class was rough. i surprisingly had shoes that work well for flamenco but damn its hard. clapping hands and stomping at different rhythms is tough work. however im so excited to be taking the class with the ladies.

see there are many ways for one to not spend time planning a wedding.
: )

2010-06-07T21:42:00.000-07:00

i'm going to austin this weekend. a last minute trip to see my cousin chris play baseball in the state tournament this weekend. i'm so proud of him.

Corpus Christi Caller Times, Caller.com - Printer-friendly story
Carroll sweeps into state tourney
Tigers rally to beat Churchill in Region IV-5A baseball title series

By Stuart Duncan

Originally published 08:14 a.m., June 5, 2010
Updated 11:56 p.m., June 5, 2010

ROBSTOWN — Carroll’s first regional championship victory in 17 years ended in walk-off fashion Saturday afternoon.

Josh Cruz’s RBI single with one out in the 10th inning gave the sixth-ranked Tigers a 4-3 Game 2 victory at Fairgrounds Field, allowing No. 6 Carroll to sweep this Region IV-5A final series against No. 10 San Antonio Churchill and punch its ticket for the Class 5A state baseball tournament. Carroll (35-7 overall) won the series opener, 1-0 Thursday.

The Tigers, who will make their first state tournament appearance since 1993, advance to Friday’s Class 5A state semifinals to play an opponent to be determined at either 3 p.m. or 6 p.m. in Round Rock.

“It’s huge for these guys,” said Tigers coach Lee Yeager, whose team rallied from a two-run, seventh-inning deficit to force extra innings. “Our goal from the beginning was to try to get there and we really felt like we had a chance. We’ve got an opportunity now and we’ve got to make the most of it.”

Cruz (who was 3 for 5 in the game) ripped the first pitch he saw from Chargers relief pitcher J.J. Delagarza in the 10th inning into left field to score Adam Hinojosa and start the celebration for the Tigers.

“We’re going to state,” Cruz said with a smile.

“Growing up as a kid, I always went to Round Rock to see my cousins play at state. To be a part of it is such an amazing experience.”

“It’s a great feeling,” said the senior Hinojosa, who earlier doubled and went to third on Trey Rodriguez’s groundout. “We’ve worked so hard this whole year and I can’t think of any team that deserves it more than this one.”

Chris Cano (3-1) pitched three scoreless innings of relief for Carroll to get the win. Cano yielded two hits, walked one and struck out three.

Cano pitched out of a two-on, two-out jam in the ninth inning by getting the final batter of that frame on a comebacker to the mound to strand both runners in scoring position.

Cano also changed this game with one swing of his bat in the seventh inning with San Antonio Churchill (32-11) needing just three outs to force a third and deciding game between the teams.

Cano’s single to left field scored Jason Franco (who singled and stole second base) to make it 3-2. The Chargers misplayed Cano’s hit and he came all the way around to score on the play — despite running past the third base coach, Yeager, who was trying to hold the runner at third — to tie the game at 3.

“I couldn’t stop, so I just kept going and went ahead and scored,” said Cano, who slid across the plate just ahead of the tag by Chargers catcher R.J. Recio.

“Chris had a head of steam and he ran right through (my stop sign) but the good thing is he didn’t stop,” Yeager said. “He kept going.”

Carroll starter Courtney Hawkins got a no-decision after pitching six strong innings. Hawkins allowed two runs, one earned run, on six hits, walked one, hit a batter and struck out seven.

Tigers reliever John Avila pitched one inning, yielded one unearned run and struck out one before giving way to Cano, who finished it off but not before the home plate umpire was replaced because of the heat to start the ninth inning.

“Now we’ve got to win state,” Cano said.

“We just have to keep playing like we have been and get a ring,” Hinojosa added.

GAME 2 OF SERIES

CARROLL 4, SAN ANTONIO CHURCHILL 3, (10)

SAC 000 001 200 0—3 8 1

Carroll 001 000 200 1—4 9 2

WP Chris Cano (3-1). LP Matt Fewell (3-1). 2B: Carroll: Mark Blackmar, Adam Hinojosa. SAC: Sean Syring. 3B: SAC: Eric Moritz. HIGHLIGHTS S.A. Churchill: Reed Kirksey, 9 IP, 7 H, 3 K’s; Matt Fewell 2-4, R; Norm Bodet 2-5, RBI. Carroll: Hawkins 6 IP, 6 H, 7 K’s and SB; Josh Cruz 3-5, RBI; Jason Franco 1-3, SB, R; Chris Cano 1-4, R, RBI; Trey Rodriguez 1-4, RBI; Oshea Dumes 1-4; Blackmar 1-4, 2B; Hinojosa 1-5, 2B, 2R;.

RECORDS Carroll, Overall, 35-7. San Antonio Churchill, Overall, 32-11.
Scripps Lighthouse

© 2010 Scripps Newspaper Group — Online

2010-06-02T23:17:00.001-07:00

these old movies remind me of being a kid and hanging out at my grandma ramirez's house. these two songs also happen to be my most favorite spanish songs ever.

happy weekend!

2010-06-02T22:19:00.000-07:00

i just got off the phone with my grandparent's and a storm was ripping through south texas. i miss those hot weather storms.

what i imagine the gulf looks like right about now

photo by stefan soderstrom

2010-06-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

my summer starts with a basket like this on my bike.

*dreaming

2010-05-17T19:05:00.000-07:00

heading to yoga soon. i am so tired! the last three weekends have been filled with fun times like taking the train to portland with charisse and visiting julia and vanessa. in portland we went to thrift shops, ate yummy food, and drank A LOT.

last weekend was more of all that and included a night out at linda's patio, more late night homemade nachos, black bottle with regina, and matt's punk rock show at the funhouse. the funhouse was great. the weather was fantastic and we were able to play basketball at the back patio.

i also FINALLY planted some veggies and flowers in my p-patch. marigolds, poppies, lettuce, spinach, and strawberries. soon there will be a tomato start that i need to transplant in a few weeks. oh fun.

this week is some of the last Lost episodes ever. *tear

and this weekend we are printing wedding invitations and mailing them out early next week. fun times, indeed.

2010-05-05T18:35:00.000-07:00

dinner tonight - pork tenderloin stir-fry w/ tangerines and chili sauce

i think that looks about right.

2010-05-03T21:46:00.000-07:00

i just got home from my first official yoga class at samadhi yoga studio. you know there is something to be said for that...taking a yoga class at a yoga studio. i feel like i can really work on my poses and stretch to the best of my ability and then get a talking to while i am in the pose "jessica, shoulders back." "jessica, walk your hands forward." etc. soon i will be a master or something to that liking...

2010-04-30T09:47:00.000-07:00

i made this pillowcase last night!

thanks vanessa for teaching me all i know about sewing and most importantly that ironing is key to being a responsible seamstress.

and thanks to stacey for teaching me how to use bias tape.

2010-04-28T08:47:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I'm going to a Kentucky derby party at a friend's house. Horse betting. Whiskey drinking. Look I even have my outfit. I can't wait.

2010-04-26T08:50:00.000-07:00

brian and i watched the mtv show "the hills" all weekend long. there was a marathon because the final season is premiering this week. we don't intend to watch it every tuesday when the final shows air but i'm tempted.

the scenery of Los Angeles has got me to making these specific goals -

a. buy these bad ass summer espradilles

b. own a car

c. move to LA

it would be awesome to make one of these "goals" happen this year and the rest in the next three. drama excluded. revelry included

2010-04-22T10:04:00.001-07:00

i wanted coffee this morning and the line at stumptown was so long. i swear you can easily wait half an hour in that joint just to come out with an 8oz soy latte. so instead i stopped in cafe presse. they have coffee to go and serve caffe vita (which is my favorite!).

at cafe presse i picked up this schedule for world cup soccer.

holy shit. that's right, i can't wait! Viva México y Alemania!

2010-04-14T22:27:00.000-07:00

i want to go to there.

the postcard inn - saint pete beach, florida

i am totally digging these really small boutique hotels. the vibe is so magical. they remind me of the time brian and i stayed at the hotel saint cecilia in austin. i felt like a rock star, if even for one night. ; )

2010-04-07T22:21:00.000-07:00

wine & cheese party started when i went to the local vine for drinks with a group of ladies for a friend's birthday. i had the best cheese plate EVER! i never thought i could love cheese so much. so maggie, lisa, michelle, dave, brian and i decided that every month we would try to recreate that same cheese plate with great wine. every couple chips in $15-20 and brings a bottle of wine and the hosting couple goes to town at DeLaurenti. the rest is history.

at least that was until Brian began so show an interest in wine. so for valentine's i signed us up for two classes at the local vine. the first class wine 101 and the second wine & cheese pairings. our instructor sarah munson is a beautiful and incredibly knowledgeable sommelier. after going to two classes in a row all we could think about was how we wanted her to teach us more!

here is what our saturday night "wine & cheese party" looked like - yeah, i know. we are not fucking around.

2010-04-06T19:05:00.000-07:00

check 'em out. not bad huh?

homemade cascarones

dyed

and the confetti i made to stuff inside the hollowed egg shells.

2010-04-02T13:45:00.000-07:00

Tonight, I am making cascarones for Easter Sunday. In Corpus Christi you can buy a couple of dozen for $5. Anytime I have told someone in the Northwest about the cascarones and it's tradition I get a blank stare then a "that's cool!". Every single one of my childhood Easter's are filled with the memories of the confetti eggs. When Brian and I were in Texas for Easter 4 years ago, Brian was so stoked/surprised about the cascarones.

I can't wait for Sunday!

history of cascarones - Many cultures have a tradition of colored eggs, especially around Easter. In Mexico it's common to see colored eggs thrown at fiestas during carnaval, just before lent. They're not hard boiled like the eggs in the US Easter egg tradition. Instead they're eggs that have been hollowed out and have a surprise filling - called cascarones. It's a tradition that's said to originate in Italy, when men would toss hollow eggs filled with perfume at women they were attracted to. In Mexico, you can still see this behavior among young men and women.

2010-03-28T11:46:00.001-07:00

last night i went to a bonfire for our friend, patrick. it was his birthday. the evening was really nice, its too bad i still smell like it. campfire smoke is like glitter - no matter how hard you try to keep it contained it just gets everywhere.

check out this rad cake his girlfriend made him.

that is what patrick looks like. i thought it was brilliant.

2010-03-19T13:40:00.000-07:00

my fuji instax has arrived!

seattle steam company

2010-03-17T22:25:00.000-07:00

brian and i have not quite decided on what to do for our honeymoon but we are about 75% going back to mexico city. if we do go we want to plan a 3-4 wk trip this time around december/january to kick back and enjoy the city.

mexico city

i found this website for condesahaus when looking for a place to sublet/rent. we would ideally stay at casa roma again but i don't know if the guys would have a room available for such a long period of time. staying in condesa would be a super plus since we know the neighborhood so well and all the transportation routes.

one neighborhood that we loved so much was coyoacan and san angel (very close to each other). coyoacan is really bohemian and feels more like a small village in a city. it has its own vibe that i could not get a enough of...lots of beautiful colors, small streets, cafes where you stand at the counters and sip espresso while enjoying a cigarette. the pace of life there never felt like 24+million people but none of mexico city felt that way anyway.

coyoacan

2010-03-17T09:59:00.000-07:00

spring nail color - jade!
i love how fresh it feels to have a true color other than red or nude-ish hues on my digits

the big day

2010-03-10T13:23:00.000-08:00

alright - i tried to not make this the wedding blog but i have so many ideas floating around that i can't help but share with you. i hope these posts don't drive you mad. i kind of figure that for the dear friends far away you might really enjoy these posts. so with that said. enjoy!

wedding decor -
i really love these sewn streamers i'm not quite sure how they will come into play without looking like "hey it's 5-year old devon's birthday" but i am picturing they will somehow be used as a focal point of our ceremony.

here is a sketch so that you get the idea

i also thought it could be the dance floor for when it's time to party.

also these felt pussy willow branches are my new favorite decorating option and if i use all the same colors used in the sewn streamers, i picture decorating the tables/perimeter of the room/outdoor area with these fun modern branches and simple candles.

2010-03-01T22:22:00.001-08:00

the crew testing/tasting tacos for the wedding caterer!

2010-03-01T14:24:00.000-08:00

Hello Monday! I had to cancel my year review today because I...well forgot. I forgot about alot of things this weekend and on purpose too. Brian and I headed out to the San Juan islands on Friday for a relaxing weekend. We rented a cozy cabin on the waterfront that had a hot tub and kayaks. Although we didn't do any kayaking because of the rough water we did watch plenty of Oscar nominated movies. Julie & Julia, the Hangover, and the Hurt Locker. I really hope Hurt Locker wins I thought that movie was really great.

When we got back home I checked out some Seattle news/food/art blogs to find out the "3 for $25" is coming back in April. This is a great chance to eat at all the high end restaurants for cheap. I made reservations at Pink Door, Anchovies & Olives (nominated for a James Beard award for "best new restaurant"), and Cucina Spinasse, all of which I have never dined at. Can you say gout?

2010-02-11T13:32:00.000-08:00

yo hecho una cobija. es muy suave.

bicicletas

2010-02-08T21:13:00.000-08:00

where has the year gone? okay, fine. so it's only february but i have been busy and i am so sorry for not posting anything new since the end of december 2009.

brian and i are taking a spanish class at casa latina on mondays. i have quilting class on tuesdays not to mention lost right after the class is over. thursday night is funny tv night, catching up on quilting and spanish homework and then it's friday! so when i mix in the gym 5 times a week and the occasional unplanned "thing to do" like oh maybe planning the wedding my time becomes very limited.

it's cool though, none of this will last that long. i just felt this was my only way to get out and do things during the dark booming winter months and now i have found myself with a little too much to do.

hopefully by spring i will have much to show for all of this.

year end music list

2009-12-30T20:20:00.000-08:00

click on a title to hear audio (sign up w/ lala, it's worth it)

VA - 5 years of hyperdub

animal collective - merriweather post pavilion

grizzly bear - veckatimest

dirty projectors - bitte orca

thee oh sees - help

atlas sound - logos

the beatles - revolver

the intelligence - fake surfers

yo la tengo - popular songs

real estate - s/t

vetiver - tight knit

the field - yesterday and today

deerhunter - rainwater cassette exchange EP

animal collective - fall be kind EP

BACK

2009-12-29T18:29:00.000-08:00

Hi. I am back from Mexico City. The pictures are being developed so stay tuned. Until then happy new year!

GONE

2009-12-15T07:00:00.000-08:00

i am in mexico city! leave me a message.

year in photos part 4

2009-12-15T06:44:00.000-08:00

fourth of july picnic - lake washington arboretum july 2009

fourth of july picnic, wiffle ball tourney - lake washington arboretum july 2009

dan and vanessa get married - portland oregon july 2009

first ever 17th avenue block party - seattle august 2009

roadtrippin'- eastern washington august 2009

mount rainier national park - washington state august 2009

my first p-patch grew some bad ass tomatos - 25th and spring st seattle august 2009

longest summer ever - boat ride lake washington september 2009

puyallup fair - puyallup washington october 2009

the ramirez family visits seattle - kerry park seattle washington october 2009

folklorico dancer - halloween party at rob's october 2009

thanksgiving dinner at salty's buffet - we <3 chocolate fountain november 2009

year in photos part 3

2009-12-05T19:38:00.000-08:00

kenobi - probably begging for food - march 2009

summer starts in the spring - april 2009

"tex" my new commuter bike - april 2009

molly moons in capitol hill, OMG - april 2009

chris and hillary get married - fort worden sp washington may 2009

new apartment, same building - my first craft room may 2009

washington's grand canyon - dry falls, washington june 2009

year in photos part 2

2009-12-03T15:06:00.000-08:00

knicks v blazers - rose garden, portland oregon february 2009

taught my girls how to knit - craft night february 2009

sxsw with friends - austin texas march 2009

brian and i get engaged - march 2009

kite flying with marisa - corpus christi, texas march 2009

marisa - corpus christi, texas march 2009

year in photos part 1

2009-12-02T10:47:00.001-08:00

at the office holiday party this year the principal's thought it would be a fine idea for each employee to contribute a photo of a personal happening that was particularly meaningful this past year. i thought it was a cheesy idea but scrolled through my flickr pictures anyways and woah. what a year. i can't believe how much has happened! thank god i take pictures to remember it all.

so from today to the december 30 (probably wont post much while in mexico) i will post a few of my favorite photos from this past year. think past to present. enjoy!

first sled ride - leavenworth washington january 2009

barack obama inauguration breakfast - january 2009

winter weekend - portland oregon february 2009

2009-11-24T12:34:00.000-08:00

the yarn is from spincycle yarns in bellingham. it cost a pretty penny but my new hat sure is nice.

2009-11-22T13:50:00.000-08:00

many breakthroughs have been made on our mexico city trip. i finally finished david lida's book first stop in the new world, its about life in mexico city...the hidden gems, the gritty, etc. it was an eye opening read but now i feel more prepared for our trip. i also stumbled upon david lida's blog a few nights ago and it's addicting! every post has a picture with a short and sweet 6-10 sentence entry every few days. it's been fun to read and the man knows what he is talking about.

in an epsiode of no reservations w/ anthony bourdain. anthony joins david lida in mexico city for a trip to the taco stand. brian and i can't wait to make many memories like this

2009-11-20T10:31:00.000-08:00

alot has happened in the last month and i can't even begin to write about it all. so i wont. ; )
it's someone's birthday at work today. i love this hat!

2009-10-16T14:57:00.000-07:00

music weekend starts in t-5 hours. tonight we are catching grizzly bear at the moore theater. we bought our tickets what feels like months ago for what seemed like a lot of money. i know it will be money well spent. brian and i saw them once at sasquatch a few years ago however we were really messed up and i barely remember their show. tonight we will try to make up for that. although i didn't think yellow house was all that great of a record anyways and veckatimest is just so damn beautiful that this show will easily be memorable.

tomorrow morning we head off to portland with dave, michelle, lisa and maggie for a family vacation. we rsvp'd for a garage rock fest that is put on by Scion. yes, the car company. apparently they think will buy a car or think of their cars while we get our mind's blown by some serious garage bands old and new. garage has been my favorite style of music for a while now. it makes me think of blow-up by michelangelo antonioni. i know i have mentioed him here before but i just love the yardbirds scene towards the end of the movie and the crowd's cute, stoic, mod expressions.

at the garage fest i am looking forward to one band in particular, the intelligence. i saw them at SXSW this past year and although they are from seattle i have never seen them play here. damn! oh well, i will travel to see them if i can.

oh and on sunday night at SIFF cinema we are going to see a spanish film called Ramirez!

a movie about a serial killer that is looks modern and awesome. apparently the movie's budget was just about 50,000 euros but looks spectucular. i can't wait!

2009-10-14T14:26:00.000-07:00

rainy days are here again...isn't that a led zeppelin song?

oh well, i did enjoy the sunsets from my apartment though.

last night i volunteered at KUOW for the fall pledge drive. i answer phones and take the donations of the privileged pacific northwestern types. the people that volunteer at KUOW is a whole other story. one guy - a lanky, tall (like 6 foot plus tall) character had 4 plates of lasagna and salad and would not stop talking about how sarah vowell was reading at the University Bookstore "right down the block, she is so close!". he was bugging me out. a woman across from me would not stop talking about how she volunteers everywhere! "oh and one time when I volunteered at fare start" and "did you know you there is a waiting list to volunteer at". my mind drifts. i realize i am a volunteer too and in their eyes i could be the quiet girl in her 20's that is knitting like the world is going to end and wondering if she has friends.

2009-10-08T20:37:00.000-07:00

fake banana went through a minor blog color overhaul this evening. i have been so inspired by my friend, justine ashbee's drawings. from what i know, she uses colored paint pens for her hand drawn images. this drawing has been my favorite for a while now. the color scheme make me feel vibrant and light.

Oscillations by Justine Ashbee

2009-10-06T14:29:00.000-07:00

my family called over the weekend to tease me with more "we were thinking of coming out to visit" talk. i hate that phone call. it makes me sad and mad that they have not been out here to visit me in the 6 years i have lived in seattle.

i've always imagined their first trip to the pacific northwest or first trip out of texas for that matter. in the perfect trip i take them to discovery park on a cool fall afternoon, we canoe at the arboretum, stroll around the pike place market, eat oysters at a waterfront restaurant, watch the sunset at golden gardens or olympic sculpture park, take marisa to the school playground by my apartment, walk around the lovely neighborhood that i live in. we visit the top of queen anne hill for great views of the city, take a ferry ride through the puget sound, and share food and conversations with my dearest friends.

i'm happy to say i can finally share some of those good times with my family. they are coming up to seattle for my birthday weekend (10/23-26). it's a short stay but i will take what i can get.

blah blah blah!

2009-09-29T13:09:00.000-07:00

although i never say it out loud, i always say it in my head before i begin typing on this blog.

i've been reading a couple of new (to me) books. first stop in the new world by david lida and the alchemist by paulo coelho. first stop is about david lida's adventures in mexico city, it's mostly about the grit and grime that makes the city so unique. so far i am not so charmed by his book...i don't think i am supposed to be but it's good to get an ex-pat's view on what the mexican culture has to offer.

i've barely made a dent in the alchemist but i hope to this weekend so far its a tad slow and high school-feeling but i think that's the point, right? it was a recommendation by dave who gave it to everyone he knew for a while back in the day...i think its supposed to a be a little bit like oh the places you go by dr.seuss. coming of age, the world is your oyster, travel far and wide type of story.

i don't have much going on this week. a couple of craft projects for halloween. i'll post pictures another time. this year for my birthday i am throwing a halloween party with my friend rob at rob's house in madrona. i'm so psyched. a halloween dance party! i love those kind and haven't had a halloween party for my birthday since i was a kid. no bobbing apples though! my mom seriously made us do that!

2009-09-17T13:09:00.000-07:00

this is where Brian and I are travelling to in December.

10 days in the beautiful heart of Mexico, in one of the biggest cities in the world, and where the best mexican food I will probably ever eat in my life is made. this is Mexico City.

we are staying a beautiful, small guesthouse in the neighborhood of Condesa. it's been fun reading about D.F (D.F. is what people in Mexico City refer the city too kinda like calling New York City "NYC"). if you have been there or know a friend...please feel free suggest fun (safe) things to do. we cannot wait and you will probably read on this blog from now to when we leave in december about what we hope to do while in D.F.

2009-09-10T20:55:00.000-07:00

i've made dinner all week and brian has been eating the leftovers. i was inspired by the latest issue of bon appetit and it's "7 ways to be more italian in the kitchen" list. rule #4 - eat the leftovers. but i don't like leftovers so i cooked. that means something right? all week i made delicious italian meals all consisting of cannelini beans. a basic vegetable soup with pasta. a tomato stew with sweet italian sausages, tuna with olive oil and red onions. yum!

the weather is changing...although tomorrow's high is 83' you can still feel the difference in the breeze and the smell in the air. i'm a little nervous to see what will happen to my garden once the rainy season is upon us. i harvested tomatoes from the garden, check them out. they are firm, not too juicy, a tad sweet but really flavorful in a citrus kind of way.

tomatoes and basil from my p-patch

last weekend we were in portland for a visit with dan and vanessa. we had a really great time with those guys...really relaxing and fun. we watched a movie at the theater, went to a minor league baseball game, ate food out and at home, laughed and fell asleep around midnight each night. it was really wonderful. i have to make more trips like that to portland, too many the last few times have been filled with too much drinking and a hangover the next day or eating at delicious eateries around town (but that is really hard not to do).

no plans this weekend but i think it will be a productive one. brian made a list of things we should do it includes a picnic, friend's house party, picking blackberries, watch netflix movies, riding our bikes to ballard, etc.

2009-09-04T08:56:00.000-07:00

i am tired! all week i've been fighting off a cold and today i am finally feeling better.

last night rosalie and i perused art walk. this was the first time i had been in months! the fall weather is feeling so cool and fresh. i love it. we went to all the galleries. punch, soil, the lofts, g. gibson, james harris, artxchange, platform and a few others...yeah we went to many! nothing extraordinary but i did really love these images at james harris

Highway 26, Washington, 2008 Archival Inkjet Print 18" x 24"

Emigrant Road, Oregon, 2009, Archival Inkjet Print, 24" x 30"

last weekend was a whirlwind with the finale of product runway, a sounders soccer match, and harvey danger's last show. i'm sure all of those activities are the reason why i was feeling low energy this past week.

however this weekend we are taking a quick jaunt to portland to visit dan and vanessa and check out portland beavers' baseball and that should be a lot of fun.

ah, i love fall!

2009-08-25T10:19:00.000-07:00

well, we are back from boston. the trip was smooth. the wedding beautiful. the only hiccup...humidity and mosquitoes! holy crap, mosquitoes. i bought an anti-itch lotion this morning because the itching pain is ridiculous! i wore shorts pretty much the entire weekend and that did not help the cause. oh well. we didn't get to do anything on my list of to-do for boston. we arrived early friday morning and couldn't deal with the humidity. we took a quick jaunt to the north end (italian neighborhood) and the city hall/downtown area then back in the rental car and drove to sturbridge, ma for the wedding weekend.

the wedding weekend was a great vacation, filled with brian's closest friends. it was nice to announce a date for our wedding and especially for brian to reconnect with some friends and invite them to the event for next year. every night we were drinking till 2am in our rented townhouse, then awake at 10am. so early i know but most of the town stopped serving breakfast at 1030am so we had to! otherwise it was burger king or mcdonalds for lunch so we tried to avoid that as much as possible.

i'm back at work today but it's cool. i arrived to a nicely wrapped package at my desk. the new mt eerie record, winds poem. a gorgeously packaged clear double vinyl. i can't wait to put this on tonight and continue knitting a hat i started on the airplane ride to boston.

2009-08-20T09:06:00.000-07:00

last night brian and i had date night at Havana for their summer outdoor movie series. we saw Warriors...the costumed gang movie from 1979. it was hilarious and awesome.

this is for sure the most legendary and fun clip from the entire film...well that and the gang called the furies that wear clown makeup with an entire baseball outfit complete with bats in hand.

2009-08-18T19:57:00.000-07:00

thursday night we leave for our trip to boston. although we bought tickets for this trip back in may i feel like it is finally being realized as i type. so in order to get the best of boston in one full day this is our plan.

we take the redeye from seattle to boston. arrive in boston friday morning. i've been trolling the message boards on chowhound for the best of this and that and this is what i found for our 8 hour jaunt in boston

breakfast - scups at the waterfront
lunch - neptune oysters (lobster roll and a glass of rose)
drinks - drink (if we have time)
walk around cambridge area (where the ivy league schools are)

damn! i kind of knew from the beginning that this trip was not a vacation but we were supposed to stay until at least saturday evening but we just couldnt find a decent hotel to stay at. oh well. next time, boston. next time.

2009-08-17T11:30:00.001-07:00

camping! brian and i finally made a trip out east (south east of mt rainier) to a campsite called cougar flat in the wenatchee-okanogan national forest. the campsite was small with only about 12 tent sites, vault toilets (hello portapotty!), and a water pump. we got to the site friday evening around 7pm. after driving through the beautiful golden rolling hills of eastern washington the green forest was a great, cool weathered welcome. the naches ranger district finally lifted the burn ban so we built a fire and made food. tortellini and tomato sauce!

the next morning we woke up to a yellow jacket outside our tent! ah! brian hates bees, spiders and just about anything like an insect. we brought out the food from the car and i started making breakfast then...bees everywhere! we tried to deal with it but we just couldnt. the bees were too much. it was 11am by now and we packed up and headed for "town". cliffdell, washington to be exact. where you pay $12 for a turkey club and fries! i guess you can charge that kind of money when you are out in the middle of nowhere.

we decided to drive towards water and wind...two factors we thought bees wouldnt like. we ended up at a recreational day use state park called wanapum on the columbia river. when the sun began to set we headed back to our campsite. the bees were gone by now so we made our campfire and dinner...chicken herb sausage wrapped with lavash bread. it was so good. i bought a couple of 22 oz bottles of elysian immortal ipa, we drank those and continued with modelo especials.

we fell asleep around midnight and woke up at 5am. i didnt sleep much and at around 6am, we packed up and left. we wanted to escape the morning bees and find some breakfast. after food we drove to mt rainier. the morning light was beautiful on the mountain sunday morning. clear and glowing! i love that mountain. we took a couple of short hikes and walked around paradise point for a bit. we saw many waterfalls and colorful wildflowers.

all in all the weekend was great. i love spending time with brian on roadtrips. i have a feeling when we get old we will have an RV and drive across the country. no bees allowed.

2009-08-11T15:43:00.001-07:00

i have some serious goodies growing in the garden. brian and i were at the p-patch for 6 hours on sunday afternoon. the p-patch organizers had a "master composter" (a term i'm sure only exists in seattle) from seattle tilth teach us about composting. since i was so late coming into the season, we headed to city people to purchase starters. we planted swiss chard, leeks, cippolini onions, romaine and red leaf lettuce, spinach, chives, rosemary, basil and mint! we also have growing tomatos, carrots, and peas. i can't wait to make quesadillas with all those tough greens and fresh cocktails with all those herbs. yum!

it's almost over

2009-08-08T21:35:00.001-07:00

summer that is...ive only been camping once!

but in the last two months i have:
- planned my company picnic
- hosted the first ever 17th avenue block party
- found a place for our fall 2010 wedding
- acquired a p-patch and taught myself gardening
- finished knitting this huge ass ball of yarn into a very long beautiful scarf for fall

lots of pictures have been uploaded to my flickr so head over there when you get a chance.

tonight we are heading out to sole repair for trust...a monthly dance party. it will be good to get out of the apartment and shake a leg or two.

2009-07-28T12:08:00.001-07:00

Work is nuts! They are shipping me off to the jobsite in West Seattle (3) days a week starting next week. I don’t know how I feel about it…so far spending my time in a job trailer and on-site does not sound very glamorous. ; )

Anyways, it’s hot out (in case you didn’t know)! Today’s high hovering somewhere around 90+ degrees. Brian and I found a great lunch spot at the Well Fargo steps where there are tables and chairs shaded by large trees. Love it. Last night we were at Dave and Michelle’s until midnight spraying ourselves with a garden hose set on the “mist” setting. The water felt amazing.

Tonight, a movie to escape the heat? I really want to see Up and that Johnny Depp movie.

2009-07-21T20:48:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I

- brought my bike with me on the train to Portland
- attended Dan and Vanessa's kick ass wedding reception
- rode the shit out of my bike across Portland

It was a fun weekend but I'm exhausted. We took the late train home and met a rad couple of ladies on the train that were contemplating a move to Seattle from Atlanta. It just so happened they took a trip to Anacortes for What the Heck fest. That piece of info led to many interesting and fun conversation. I hope they move out here. They deserve Seattle especially with the radness that radiated from them. One of the coolest facts we learned was that one of the ladies worked for Adult Swim and was flying to ComicCon in San Diego, she was there to represent Adult Swim but most importantly...meeting the dudes from Mighty Boosh! Awesome

2009-07-10T16:04:00.000-07:00

last night i made a kickass ceviche! i wish i had pics to prove but i was way to messed up to remember. i do remember the ceviche was limey.

yay! and the weekend is just around the corner...exactly one hour away.

this weekend i plan to
- learn more about gardening (ie visit the library, internet, people's minds)
- bike to ballard
- figure out podcasting

brian and i have tickets for tonight's opening screening of humpday. im pretty psyched about that. and the weather in seattle this weekend will be undoubtedly beautiful!

2009-07-09T11:35:00.001-07:00

last night we were walking back from dave and michelle’s with those dudes and Kenobi …then we were walking down my block and I had my bike so I was going to park it next to Brian’s in front of my building and his was gone! WTF? I'm still fuming about it. I mean it was a cheap ass bike but still I just feel mixed emotions about people in our neighborhood right now. lots of crazy stuff has been happening ( someone was mugged at 17th and Columbia at 6pm! and yesterday michelle saw a shady guy outside of her neighbors house then the alarm went off!).

I think after work today I'm going to sit on the stoop and drink a beer and just feel that feeling like I'm “representin” like “hi, I live in this building and I'm watching all you motherfuckers”

sorry for the crass language. anyways.

2009-07-08T12:55:00.000-07:00

1) while many many things have happened in the last couple of weeks, i wont get into details about how much fun summer has been. you can actually keep up with me on a more regular basis on my flickr...click on the link to the right of this webpage.

2) last night patrick and i posted "save the date" flyers for the 17th ave block party! ahh, it's real! and now we just have to get the neighborhood to bring the fun to the street. august 8th! i cant wait

3) i just received this email from the City of Seattle...
"You've been on the waitlist for a community garden plot at the Spring St. P-Patch. I am happy to say there is a spot available for you now. The garden is located at 25th Ave & E Spring Street"

i just got my p-patch plot!!! i've been on a waiting list for way over a year now! the grand opening for the garden is sometime in august. since i'm a new gardener i hope to not let them down!

2009-06-25T16:12:00.000-07:00

i'm not telling you anything new but michael jackson's unexpected death is one of the saddest stories of this century.

i will always be grateful to mj's music, it never failed to get a party started.

michael jackson - rock with you
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hK3Y1Ehv9c

michael jackson - don't stop 'til you get enough
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrPTDU40hO4

2009-06-15T19:33:00.000-07:00

siff movie #4 garbage dreams was so good. hopefully this movie gets wider distribution because i highly recommend you watch it.

thursday night craft night went to the columbia city art gallery to help artist/crafter, mandy greer crochet pieces of a blue stream that she will be putting together as a larger installation at camp long in west seattle called mater matrix mother. i can't wait to see the finished product. the coolest part about being involved in mandy's art installation is #1 she got the community involved by letting us contribute our smaller pieces to make the installation and #2 she taught us how to crochet and i must admit crocheting was so much easier than i thought.

julia and claudia learning to crochet with artist mandy greer

sooo easy! for someone that has been knitting for almost 2 years and finished a handful of projects, crocheting was frustratingly easy!

and so friday morning when brian and i hopped on a plane for the shortest trip ever to north carolina, i brought some yarn and a pattern. i wanted to prove to myself that knitting can be a weekend project and still be ultra rewarding. so one roundtrip flight to north carolina later and i made a pair of gloves. yes, the gloves may look familiar to you and that is because i have knitted them before. the first pair i lost two days after knitting them, this pair i plan to hold on to for a while longer.

knitted gloves, pattern from knitty

2009-06-10T14:51:00.000-07:00

tonight, siff movie #4. we are watching another documentary called garbage dreams. a movie about cairo's waste management system or lack thereof, relying on the city's slum residents to clean, in which an incredible 85% is recycled. is that a sentence? i don't know but i think this movie will be amazing!

on monday, julia and i tried (well 90% tried) to watch (500) days of summer with zooey deschanel. the line was long and sold out. the rush line was about 25 people deep and by the time we got there only a few were allowed in the theater. we were shut out. oh well...i'm banking on the movie coming out sometime in the fall. we left the egyptian almost more excited than when we arrived because now instead of spending $11 on a movie, we can get custard. the custard was good, different from molly moon's and certainly not comparable to any of their flavors. i will always be a patron of molly moon's but on the lazy days i may head for the custard house.

siff movie count: 3
art & copy - documentary
i'm gonna explode (mexico) - drama
all tomorrow's parties - documentary

2009-06-09T12:20:00.000-07:00

wow, what a weekend.

rachel adams graduates with her master in library science this week so we all had drinks last friday at linda's to celebrate.

saturday morning, we woke up early for camping with philip and maeve. we started out earlier in the week with a destination in mind (somewhere around the enchantments) but as the weekend got closer the weather seemed crappier. so we drove until the weather cleared...3 hours to a beautiful spot in a canyon called sun lakes state park. a 10 in maeve's pacific northwest camping book.

brian and i were in charge of alcohol. i made iced sweet tea/lemonade vodka drinks, bought some rose and rainier. everyone really like the tea drink. the extra vodka is an afterthought making this drink dangerously good. we spent most of our first day out in sun lakes, chatting and sitting in the sun. grilled some hot dogs and drank more. the next day we ventured out and found some pretty amazing, secluded lakes in between canyons. one lake called deep lake, a few kids were cliff diving from. awesome! watching that reminded me of my time at possum kingdom (west of dallas?) with an old roommates' family. i jumped off a 45+ ft cliff with a pool noodle! i wonder if i will ever do something like that again...

sunday ended with a slow drive back home, vanessa was in town and stayed with us a night. we had drinks at bimbo's and a night cap at cafe presse. a great end to the weekend.

2009-06-03T18:29:00.000-07:00

My "kleen kanteen" is awesome and not awesome. Brian and I are currently waiting in a rush ticket line for art & copy at pacific place. We showed up 15 after 5pm for a 715pm showing. We wasted some time at a questionable mall restaurant called Mexico. I ordered a magarita and Brian got a tecate. After I slurped the sweet lime mixture called a margarita, I then ordered a pint of tecate. Once a "rush" ticket line formed, I quickly poured the tecate in my empty kleen kanteen. I'm drinking it now and the"wide opening" made especially for ice cubes and easy sipping occasionally leaves my shirt wet with water. This time it's beer. Good god! The beer tastes good though.

2009-06-03T12:29:00.000-07:00

it's shit hot outside!i haven't done much at home other than sit outside on the front stoop and cool off with the neighbies and most of the past week has been spent on dave and michelle's porch.

i'm trying to finish curtains for philip and patrick's supervan but standing next to a hot iron and pressing curtains is not fun.

off to meet brian for lunch soon. i think we will dine inside today. after work we are checking out a SIFF movie, art & copy. and then just mayybe i can convince him to have a drink with me at sun liquor. yum!

camping this weekend with brian, maeve and philip. i'm bringing the holga too. i know it's supposed to cool off quite a bit but i think i'm not too bother by that notion

2009-05-31T11:02:00.000-07:00

hi again, blogging is fun when you have nothing else to do while volunteering.

last night's show at the paramount was amazing! the entire dialogue between anthony bourdain and mario batali was so entertaining and informative. brian and i love these two guys so anything they can say would make us love them even more.

the last half hour of the show was dedicated to Q&A from the audience. i was 7th in line...a blur when i got up to the microphone and introduced myself to the fellas. i gave TBTL a shout-out and told a paramount theater crowd that i am a TEN and recently engaged. people cheered and clapped. my question was something to the liking of what kind of food do you think we should have at our wedding, anything remarkable at your wedding or a chef freind's wedding...and i'm not talking crabcakes and tuna tartare. the audience loved the question and someone in the crowd shouted "open bar". mario and anthony's advice was to keep it simple, if the wedding rocks no one will remember the food. then mario went on to say that he had tacos at his wedding. that sealed the deal for brian and i. i added that we were thinking about taco truck, people clapped and cheered and anthony and mario said "there you go, you got it!" as i said thanks the boys onstage congratulated me and i walked back.

hahah! best night ever! brian and i celebrated at barrio afterwards with micheladas, sangria, and ceviche.

a terrible picture of the guys on stage but you get the idea. we were so close too! i have to start toting a different camera.

luke burbank, mario batali, anthony bourdain at the paramount theater 5/30/09

2009-05-30T11:01:00.000-07:00

today I am volunteering for SIFF and then in the night time...an evening with anthony bourdain and mario batali and luke burbank. oh shit!

oh shit is right.

last night's georgetown ride was hella fun. the bike ride was super easy! afterwards we rode back to downtown seattle towards the crocodile where we watched the maldives. the new crocodile is an interesting place...drawing random people from the street i heard a lot of "what band is playing tonight?" and was pretty sure people were there to drink and less about listening to music. oh well. it may never have the ambiance it once had before.

pictures from last night:

the maldives at the new crocodile

a welcoming a-frame sign outside smarty pants

brian and michelle

ps i love anthony bourdain!

2009-05-29T16:36:00.002-07:00

hello summer, the sunshine outside is ridiculously gorgeous! 70+ degree weather from here until...

brian and i both rode our bikes to work (last day of bike to work month) and at 5pm we are meeting dave and michelle on their bikes. we are all heading down to smarty pants in Georgetown for happy hour beers and the outdoor patio.

SIFF movie count: 2
i'm gonna explode (mexico)
all tomorrow's parties - documentary

2009-05-27T21:55:00.000-07:00

it's wednesday night.

i started a new knitting project. a scarf. can you believe that? tomorrow's high is in the mid 70s.

i actually had an anxiety dream about this yarn last night. i bought it with the intention that i would crochet a bulky cowl scarf similar to this one but i lost the only crochet hook i own! in my dream i found crochet hooks everywhere...under the carpet (i don't have carpet), in small nooks and crannies, places that crochet hooks would not fit in. so i got home, changed straight into pajamas and began knitting (yes, knitting) with this bulky yarn.

check it, using moss stitch pattern on #15 needles

moss stitch
1st row: K1, *P1, K1; repeat * to end
2nd row: P1, *K1, P1; repeat * to end
3rd row: repeat 2nd row
4th row: repeat 1st row
Repeat these 4 rows

to get perspective on how huge this ball of yarn is (that is an 18oz bottle)...

well at least the bulkiness means quick results.

while i am knitting, brian and i are also watching the who documentary, the kids are alright. i like this movie but i am not sure i am a fan. i do like their more "mod" style but the zeppelin type songs are just well, too zeppelin and almost on the brink of cheese.

SIFF movie count: 1
- All Tomorow's Parties (documentary)

2009-05-23T08:42:00.000-07:00

well, we moved.

we are in the same building but now we are in a northwest facing apartment that has an extra room and 3 more closets than our old place. i do miss the old apartment. our view of one of the most amazing streets in seattle was one of the best.

our new view however is something else too. mountains, city lights, water, and the space needle. it's a little more "we live in the city" feeling but i'm getting use to it.

here are some pics. i hope you will visit us soon and help make the apartment feel cozy again!

kitchen

bedroom

living room

craft room

craft room - sewing machine

craft room - knitting chair, fresh air, plant

2009-05-20T10:27:00.000-07:00

new bar! large patio...opening in capitol hill. say what?

it's called captain black's and its slated to open june 1st. the name is so south padre island spring break 1998 but whatevs. i am so down.

2009-05-13T15:27:00.000-07:00

SIFF is upon us and great movies are waiting to be seen. i hope to catch a handful of movies with the 4 volunteer shifts i scheduled for the festival. first up is a documentary about all tomorrow's parties showing at the Egyptian on May 26th. others include the shorts night (not sure on which one) and a couple of German, Turkish drama type movies and the cutesy movie with Zoey Daschanel, 500 nights of summer of something like that.

brian and i finally watched our netflix movies. man on wire and rebel without a cause. man on wire was excellent! full of tense moments...i can't believe phillipe would lie down on his walking wires hundreds of feet above the streets. it was inspiring that so much footage was videotaped too, i want a video camera now!. rebel without a cause was really weird. it was the first time either of us had ever seen it. the kid without parents was creeeepy! oh and of course james dean and natalie wood were fine to look at too. i read on wiki that james dean was gay...i didn’t know that but that little juicy tidbit makes we want to read a biography on him.

2009-04-30T13:05:00.000-07:00

This is picture from my ride to Golden Gardens on Thursday evening. It was a beautiful night.

2009-04-29T14:33:00.001-07:00

oh my god, jimmy john’s sandwiches are so good! i just had one for lunch and damn. yum!

tonight i am riding my bike to golden gardens for chris pierson's bachelor fun times. we are grillin' and having a bonfire. yay. i will report back with pictures tomorrow.

oh and yesterday i took my first ride home on 1st ave to pike st up to capitol hill. for those not in seattle this is a very difficult situation because it's basically the heart of downtown seattle. i could hear the busses roaring behind me, thus lead me to having a mini-panic attack on 1st ave in front of the fancy dog store. could there be a worse place to have a panic attack? on the street, at 505pm, in front of the fancy dog shop....what recession!?! anyways, i recovered and continued on without a hitch and lots of encouragement from a workmate who was riding with me. much appreciated for sure.

this weekend, all my friends are heading out to the olympic peninsula for said bachelor's wedding. i can't wait. one i have never been to the peninsula and two chris and hillary are finally getting married. hooray for them.

2009-04-24T13:43:00.001-07:00

it's official!
i'm registered for bike to work month this may. yippee! i'm only contributing 5 miles a day but hey that's something right?

no plans for the weekend. lots of ideas floating around but nothing too concrete. i look forward to watching the rockets v blazers game this afternoon. i'm really rooting for portland to take it. cross your fingers!

rancho bravo

2009-04-22T21:51:00.000-07:00

alright. i gave rancho bravo three tries. it's no good. tough asada, tasteless pollo, and the salsa. wow. what are they thinking? it's like dyed glue! i would have to say the best thing they have going for this place is the mole burrito. it's good but not amazing. i am just not impressed. everyone in seattle likes to flip their shit about new anything! and there is always a handful that have the highest opinions about these places.

i am one of them.

i am here to say it and i will say it again tacos el asadero on rainier ave s is by far the best.

a commentor on the stranger's blog, the slog, said it best

love it! and i can say something because i am mexican so i know better.

the ride home

2009-04-22T21:07:00.000-07:00

okay, so i am now on day 3 of riding my bike to work. i know what you are thinking...i have had my bike for a full 5 working days. well you can call me a fair weather rider. no fenders on the bike yet so i am riding on the nice days.

thursday - first day 15 minutes to work and 37 minutes to get home. riding 2.5 miles

i rode up s. jackson since the hill is pretty gradual. i am basically riding from the waterfront so 1st ave and need to get all the way up to 17th ave. riding on s. jackson from 1st ave to 14th ave is the biggest deal. i am riding on this street for at least 10 minutes and the hill is gradual but once you get to 17th its pretty much straight up. i walked my bike up the last 3 hills home. i know many of you know this hill i am talking about.

when i got home brian was waiting outside on the stoop with a beer in hand. he was so happy that i made it safely. when he asked how my bike ride was all i could do was sigh and catch my breath. as i was getting off my bike my shoes caught and i fell back on the grass with my bike. so now i have two big bruises on my leg. ouch!

this is my ride home.

friday - it rained.

sat / sun - rode it all weekend around the hill nothing too crazy but it feels great to get from point a and b without worrying about hills

monday and tuesday - awesome rides home. i managed to shave off 7 minutes from my commute home by not stopping on s. jackson st to catch my breath i just kept going. tuesday i actually rode my bike up one of the three big hills!

wednesday - rained.

you austin folk would be proud!

new wheels

2009-04-16T13:26:00.000-07:00

right on! i picked up my new bike from recycled cycles last night. i love it! it's a raleigh detour 4.5. comes with 21 more gears than my other bicycle and not to mention kick ass pedals, brakes, and a basket.

i rode it to work this morning for the first time and it took me approximately 15 minutes to get downtown. i caught quite a few red lights so hopefully that would shave off a couple of minutes. i'm really happy with my new wheels but still can't decide what i should do with my 3-speed. i love that bicycle. it has so much charm.

cross your fingers for my ride home...that will be fun and funny.

rumor has it

2009-04-14T13:44:00.001-07:00

sonic youth at the 2009 capitol hill block party.

damn, i know i swore off future block parties after 2008's raucous event.

in the famous words of liz lemon "i want to go to there."

sonic youth live at the pitchfork music festival 2007

what i learned at sxsw - last day

2009-04-13T14:03:00.000-07:00

Saturday was by far the most productive. well as productive as one could get on the fourth day in a row of being outside under the texas sun. we met katie at the rachel ray party but alas for the second year in a row, the party was a bust. the line was just too long for us to get in.

no worries though. there's tons of other stuff going on, right? we head to the convention center for a slightly underwhelming flatstock poster event. a lot of the same wonderful artists i love were there but just not very much that i thought was new...maybe i'm going to less shows too and therefore might be recognizing less. oh well. there was definitely less "plain" art but its cool.

after flatstock we headed to 7th and lavaca for our last delicious kebab at the kebab truck that is parked in the pay lot. this kebab truck saved us on many hot afternoons when we drank too many free lone stars and needed something filling but not heavy or greasy.

we said goodbye to downtown and headed just north of the university to a great little (mostly) outdoor cafe called spider house. i think it's safe to call this place an institution for many college students. i know it was a place that i could find solace, what i thought back then was a good cup of coffee and a cigarette. spider house has expanded quite a bit and now hosts sxsw day shows not too mention that they now have their greasy little fingers on a liquor license so a full bar is now available.

at spider house, we sat outside and saw homosexuals, crystal stilts, and a seattle band called the intelligence. although i didn’t know much about homosexuals (i do know they are somewhat legendary) i really loved the intelligence. i would describe it as a bit like surf-esque tunes...not the cheese beach boys versions of surf rock but really cool and a tad post punk. the crystal stilts were super awesome too and were really 60's in a reverby sort of velvet underground way. good thing i never wrote music reviews. only news...i like facts.

the intelligence - seattle, wa

crystal stilts - brooklyn, ny

i can't wait for next year's festival. thanks to brett & vera and katie & derrick for letting us crash at their homes. oh and of course to my awesome buddies for always showing us a good time.

what i learned at sxsw - day 3

2009-03-31T10:27:00.000-07:00

okay, I promise to finish the rest of the sxsw vacation

friday – we spent most of the day with dan and vanessa. brian and I headed out to the fader fort party to pick-up wristbands. we walked across the train tracks to a rad bookstore called, domy books. behind the bookstore was a large tent setup for music, here we saw mirah and another nw(?) band called weird weeds. brian really dug weird weeds…something like sonic youth I feel is what he said. there was a cute little diy setup with free beer and vegan whatever food. you know…

brian and I headed back to fader fort party for women and the pains of being pure at heart. this party was by far the best thing we hit up other than free bloody marys at little radio day party. free beer, liquor, water, and sunscreen. awesome! the days before seeing pains kept coming out to being a bust because the band kept rescheduling or canceling shows. I think brian said they had something like 12 sets to play during the 4 day period. that’s pretty intense. seeing both bands was worth the wait. pains of being pure at heart was ultimately the best set I saw at sxsw. the summer weather reminded me of driving around corpus christi in my car with the windows rolled down…I could blast this music on any warm day. it felt young and fresh.

the pains of being pure at heart & women

after that we headed to french ligation for the garden party. there wasn’t a band we wanted to check out in particular so we just followed libby and derrick over there and took small naps in the grass for relaxation.

what i learned at sxsw - day 2

2009-03-20T09:36:00.000-07:00

1. little radio bloody mary party is real -
we arrived before the doors even opened. a line quickly formed outside so dan, vanessa, brian and i hopped in. we were served two drinks at a time. amazing for something that is free. the weather has been beautiful the last couple of days. not too hot and barely working a sweat.

2. daniel johnston at paste magazine party -
this dude is crazy. we all saw the devil and daniel johnston. he was running late for his set because he was playing a show for kexp(?). either way it was great. although i don't know his music well i enjoyed the goofy singer songwriter lyrics. apparently he has a backing band now and the consensus is that they are a bit unnecessary. too strong and drown him out.

3. dont order the "family meal" at the salt lick -
it's too much food! we were so happy to take dan and vanessa on their first salt lick meal. food coma set in instantly. but damn its good.

4. east austin is very similiar to the shadiest parts of the central district -
so sketch. we really wanted to check out the crystal stilts and vivian girls at a night show but when we all drove down to the eastside after 11pm we wondered what the hell we were doing, what all the people on the corner were doing, and if they were out to have a "honest, goodtime". we voted and the answer was get the h out of there. so we did and got beers at a bar on south congress instead.

good day all in all and we had way more energy than the day before. here's to friday!