pirate_molly

Restaurants

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:51:39 GMT

I am ever in search of culinary adventures, particulary recently. Not including my time in London or Hawaii, I have eaten at a dozen new restaurants in the last couple of months. (By the way, "new" simply means new to me, though most of the places on my list only opened their doors within the last 1-6 months.) I haven't fallen in love with any of them, sadly, though there are a couple I'll go back to.

One of those restaurants will see me again next week, mainly because Griffin was put out that I went to Skillet without him. What can I say? I'd been waiting for months for these guys to open again and the extra two days may have killed me! I have never claimed that patience and managing anticipation are my forte.

Was it worth going on their first open day? Probably not. Including time spent standing in line, I waited an hour (in the oh-my-god-it's-cold) to get my burger. They weren't prepared for their "grand reopening" and were out of fries (and thus, poutine) by the time I got in line at 12:30. While I was waiting for my order to come out, they announced that they were out of food altogether and weren't taking any more orders.

Also? A Public Health Department guy showed up to scowl, scribble on his notepad, and make ominous threats about a $250 ticket if they mumble, mumble, something or other. But he didn't shut them down, so...

But what of the food? Well, I have to admit the burger was good: ground sirloin, bacon jam, arugula, bleu cheese. What is bacon jam, you ask? I have no idea, but it's not as unappealing as its name. It was downright tasty, in fact!

The long wait aside, I love the idea of a couple of guys selling tasty food out of an Airstream. Next time I'm getting there at 10:50 in an attempt to beat the lunch crowd.

Everyone needs a hobby

Wed, 06 Jun 2007 22:48:48 GMT

Wed, 30 May 2007 22:39:08 GMT

I haven't been utilizing my radio winnings super power because I've been too busy. Clearly it's a bit rusty 'cause I just won some things I don't really want:

2 Tickets to the O.A.R. concert (who?)
4 tickets to Woodland Park Zoo (um, whatever)
1 "Mastering the Grill: The Owner's Guide to Outdoor Cooking" book

The book may come in handy...now I just need a grill! And it's on the to-buy list, so maybe I'll learn a thing or two before I acquire a grill. I like to flatter myself that I already know a thing or two, having taken umpteen cooking classes and being an avid reader/eater/watcher of all things food. Still and all, I'm not opposed to having a new food preparation book floating around.

Why did I win these things if I didn't want them? Well, I answered the summons to call in and didn't know what I was getting. Accursed lack of impulse control!

Judging

Fri, 02 Feb 2007 22:36:41 GMT

I just applied to be a judge at the Student Biotech Expo in March. Specifically, I requested to judge the written entries--either creative writing or journalism. I hope they take me, because I'm already excited about the event!

Naked Man

Wed, 08 Nov 2006 17:15:17 GMT

Last night I was on 2nd & University just in time to see a tall, overweight, middle-aged man get out of a cab in the middle of the street and strip down. This was during rush hour so there was a rather large crowd watching bemusedly as the obviously disturbed naked man threw himself under the wheels of a car stopped at the light. He screamed and bucked on the ground for a few minutes, then bounced up, skipped down University, rolled over the hood of a parked car, and flopped on the ground for more rolling on the sidewalk. The last I saw of him he was skipping around the corner and heading south on 1st.

Yet another exciting commute home.

Ick

Mon, 30 Oct 2006 04:56:44 GMT

Last night, Griffin and I came home to find three slugs on the kitchen floor. What the hell? Who ever heard of a house having slugs?

25 for $25

Fri, 27 Oct 2006 18:30:36 GMT

It's almost Dine Around Seattle time! Don't know what that is? In a nutshell, twenty-five Seattle area restaurants will be offering 3-course meals for $25 during the month of November. It's a great way to get out and try new places without spending a ton of money.

I personally love this promotion. It provides a handy excuse to go out and eat. (Only $25? What a bargain!) Unfortunately, it's also a huge time waster for me. I'm having a hard time holding back from looking at each and every menu to see what they're offering.

The horror!

Thu, 26 Oct 2006 19:13:58 GMT

As some of you may already know, I have a radio contest ~~problem~~ hobby. I'm nerdily enthusiastic about this hobby and am feeling at a loss because I forgot to bring my little radio to work for the 2nd day in a row. How am I supposed to win tickets to Seattle Cooks if I can't hear the radio?? And who shall I drag with me when I go to Seattle Cooks? I'm buying tickets and checking it out even if I don't win, and Griffin isn't interested.

An even more frightening aspect to my day: I didn't bring a lunch with me (again!) and I'm too hungry to skip lunch. With no time to go downtown my only option is to purchase some dreadful food-like product from the company cafe.

Egg-vertising

Mon, 17 Jul 2006 18:01:51 GMT

I am both amused and appalled by this: Check Inside Your Refrigerator

Sunset Supper at Pike Place Market

Thu, 29 Jun 2006 20:15:04 GMT

Has anyone ever gone to this? I'm toying with the idea of buying tickets, but I'd really like to know if it's worth the $85 admission. After all, that could buy a very tasty meal elsewhere.

Wed, 28 Jun 2006 08:34:25 GMT

A suspicious looking pest is flitting near my head as I type.

There seems to be an unreasonable number of moths this year. Every night when I'm at grimwish's, I kill 2-3 of the lil suckers. Resourceful and determined girl that I am, I usually smash them mid-flight between two pads of paper. But when a huge one successfully dive-bombed my head twice last night, I scurried from the office and wouldn't go back in until it was gone. Griffin had to come to the rescue because I was squeamish about the crunch.

This infestation of ugly moths is starting to get creepy.

Take Your Kids to Work Day

Fri, 23 Jun 2006 17:08:08 GMT

Instead of taking kids out of school for this event, my company schedules TYKTWD when all the kidlets are out for the summer. It's a good idea in theory, but it's very hard to get a 13-year-old excited about waking up at 7:30 AM when she's in lazy summer mode. Swab is looking very teenager-ish today. She's wearing a beanie hat, and is slumping around looking tired and bored.

I was going to wander about with Swab for the day, but after a half an hour, I was very politely invited to leave. I was a bit sad to be sent on my way, but hey--I've finally become embarrassing. This opens up a whole world of possibilities!

The ticket window is open

Mon, 19 Jun 2006 19:38:21 GMT

Does anyone want 2 tickets for the Olympic Music Festival on June 24? It takes place somewhere on the Peninsula. For more information, go here: http://www.olympicmusicfestival.org/index.php

I don't yet know if the tickets are barn or lawn tickets, as they're making their way to me via snail mail. Either way, they're FREE!

Program on the 24th:

Beethoven: Sonata in E minor for Piano, Op. 90
Brahms: Eight Pieces, Op. 76
Schumann: Davidsb?, Op. 6
Program performed by: Paul Hersh
Featured Wineries: Colvin Vineyards & Hoodsport Winery

Good food = Good weekend

Mon, 19 Jun 2006 18:50:33 GMT

Friday was a simply fabulous evening of excellent food, lovely company, and (way too much) wine at Epic. Even though I did not drink everything that was put in front of me, I was beyond tipsy by the time we left the restaurant. I think I was fairly well behaved, and I'm hoping that sophistimicated and dog_walker were not too appalled by my inability to hold my liquor.

Saturday should have been a non-stop working day, but we wanted to spend a bit of time with Swab before burying ourselves in the book. So we went to brunch at my favorite breakfast place: the Hi Spot Cafe in Madrona. I was there the Sunday before, but it's just so good!

Griffin and I have a couple of hours to ourselves tonight, so we're going to take a break and find something delicious to eat. Where, oh where should we go? I'm thinking either La Carta de Oaxaca or trying somewhere new.

I really am mostly about the food.

Snob

Thu, 15 Jun 2006 15:36:06 GMT

I do try to convince myself that I'm simply discriminating, but when I find myself unreasonably amused by an ad for a Winemaker's Dinner at the Outback Steakhouse, I have to admit that I'm a snob.

Tue, 23 May 2006 16:34:59 GMT

It turns out that NY state has passed a law allowing the Office of Temporary and Disability Services to garnish the wages of parents when their GROWN offspring (under the age of 21) receive services.

My 20-year-old cousin had a baby last year and is living with her unemployed 23-year-old boyfriend. They moved into low-income housing a few months ago and applied for food stamps. This resulted in my aunt getting a court-order to pay $474/month to the state of New York. This is a woman who makes somewhere in the neighborhood of $30k a year. I am flabbergasted that such a thing is legal! I understand that parents have to cover the costs of a minor child, but in what way is it ok to hold them responsible once those children are adults?!?

Free Tickets! Drag Cars and Beethoven

Mon, 22 May 2006 18:37:38 GMT

Anyone want 2 free (That's right, FREE!) tickets to the Northwest Nostalgia Drags show at Pacific Raceway in Kent? I just won them as part of a prize pack and I am soooo not interested in looking at cars. I would include all the pertinent details but I can't even work up the interest for that much, so check it out here: http://www.good-guys.com/events/event_detail.asp?eventID=NWND06

But that's not all! I have more free tickets to give away! Inexplicably, the car show tickets came with tickets for Beethoven's 7th Symphony at Benaroya Hall. The show takes place on Friday, June 2 at 7 PM. I don't yet know where the seats are, but I can pretty well guarantee they aren't great. But hey - they're free!

Let me know if you want one set or both.

Fri, 12 May 2006 17:33:07 GMT

For reasons which I shall not go into, my back muscles are yelling at me. It's so bad, I felt compelled to take drastic measures: I just reluctantly made an appointment for an 8 AM massage on Sunday. That's right, I have to check in at 7:45 in the MORNING on a SUNDAY. I know it's nuts. I know I'll be surly from the moment the alarm goes off until the moment I'm lying on the table. Still and all, the thought of a massage is too enticing to pass on it over an early morning start.

Sometimes I envy those Morning People. It might be nice to be able to wake up early and feel perfectly fine about it. It's a fleeting envy. Mostly I fantasize about a world in which I could meander into work at 11 AM.

Tue, 09 May 2006 18:14:42 GMT

It's an evening for yet another jr. high band concert. This one is a stealth concert and I was unaware it would be taking place until just a few weeks ago. Imagine my dismay when I discovered the performance coincides with our plans to see Varekai! Fortunately, I did some fast talking and got Swab's ensemble placed at the beginning of the evening. This means Griffin and I will only need to be at the concert for 15 minutes! Then we're stealing Swab away and making a run for Redmond to watch Cirque du Soleil.

Tonight will be Swab's first experience with Cirque du Soleil. I can't wait to take her!

Grrr

Mon, 08 May 2006 02:25:51 GMT

Swab spent the weekend with her dad. She was so morose about having to attend church (who can blame her?) that I agreed to pick her up yesterday morning. I informed her dad that I would be there between 10:30-11:00 and he raised no objection. Therefore, when the miscreant called at 10:15 to tell me he would be dropping Swab off at a Denny's to wait for me, I was both annoyed and appalled. I suggested he leave her at home to wait for me and was told the door can only be locked from the outside. I suggested he wait for me, as I would be there in 25 minutes, but he didn't want to be late to church.

I arrived at Denny's 20 minutes later to find my 13-year-old daughter crying at a booth, feeling abandoned and scared. Swab and I do not frequent Denny's Restaurants, so this was an alien atmosphere in a city she doesn't know very well.

I called Griffin before I arrived and indulged myself in calling the loser dad many horrible names, and thus almost managed to stick to my policy of not bad-mouthing the other parent in front of Swab. I couldn't help but agree with her that he was a jerk for leaving her there. Aside from that, I am congratulating myself on my self-control. In a weaker moment, I might have hunted him down and flattened him.

City of Seattle

Fri, 14 Apr 2006 20:49:26 GMT

I just got a call to interview for a job I applied for during the period when I sent my résumé to damn near every employer in King County. The City of Seattle woman sounded both shocked and disappointed that I'm no longer available for a job that I applied for FIVE MONTHS AGO. I was cheerfully unapologetic.

Fri, 14 Apr 2006 18:26:42 GMT

A friend from school invited Swab to spend spring break in Tucson, giving me several kid-free evenings this week. As usual, I booked myself with activities and dates to the point of exhaustion. It's clear that I'm too old to stay up late every night and then get up early for work. I've consumed more caffeine this week than I did the month previous.

Quite aside from missing my girl, I'm relieved she's coming home so I can get some sleep! I'll be missing a party on Saturday, but I'm anticipating laying low at home and relaxing all weekend. It sounds perfect.

Wed, 15 Mar 2006 19:58:28 GMT

Do I have any friends who eat at McDonald's? I have in my possession a card good for a FREE Extra Value Breakfast Meal. Yes, that's right: FREE. Unsurprisingly, a local radio station mailed it to me. What is an Extra Value Meal? I don't know! How much will it save you? I don't know that, either! But hey - if anyone out there wants it, you're welcome to it.

And on the topic of radio station prizes I'll never, ever use, does anyone want a brand-spanking new copy of PlanPlus for Outlook? http://www.franklincovey.com/planplus/outlook/

It's all about the food

Wed, 08 Mar 2006 21:05:16 GMT

I feel deep affection for an unknown girl named Chrissy. She put delicious homemade cupcakes in the break room and has become my new favorite person on the 4th floor.

Stay tuned! Tomorrow I will thrill you all with a declaration of love or loathing for the stranger instigating Thursday breakfast at the Alexis Hotel.

Wed, 08 Mar 2006 17:39:22 GMT

We have a gym at work that I love to use. It's relatively large with rooms for classes, magazines to read while cycling/treading/stepping, a great view of Elliott Bay, a sauna in the locker room, and plenty of fresh fruit and water. To top it all off, it's free. I do so love fringe benefits!

The only problem? I've discovered I'm shy about changing in the locker room. There's something very strange about getting naked in front of people I will potentially be sitting next to in a meeting some day.

I hope I get over this affliction as time passes. I don't need any new excuses to avoid working out!