Zucchini

So this morning I pulled one of two beets that grew from when I planted them in May (we have a whole crew of them now...I replanted). And i boiled it for about 90 seconds and then put the pot, water, and beet in the fridge. I am sure that is an actual cooking technique that has a name, but I feel like I might have made it up. Anyways, about 20 minutes later I sliced it up and it was the perfect amount of cookedness. I dipped it in bleu cheese dressing and it was damn tasty.

I talked to Papa on the phone today and we talked a lot about gardening. And I told him that our zucchini were enormous, and he warned me not to let them get too big because they get bitter. So I got nervous and harvested the biggest one. Turns out they haven't hit their threshold yet because it tastes amazing.

Two people (one from work, and the other Nolan) told me about people slicing zucchinis longways and scrapping them and stuffing it and cooking it open faced. So I did that. Portobella mushroom, zucchini guts, onion, garlic, spaghetti sauce, butter, oregano and parmesan. (I would nix the butter next time, and add bread crumbs and mozzarella). I baked it at 350 for about 35 minutes.

zummer

So, I made my first new friend in Seattle, one that I don't work with, that isn't through mutual friends, who doesn't want to date me. I am excited. He is a Trader Joe's customer, and we have always had a friendly customer service relationship, whatever. We were talking about not spending money and he asked if I wanted to play badminton in Ballard sometime. We also discovered that we live 2 blocks from each other (he is as 22nd and Union), and I was getting off work the time he came into the store. So we walked back to (by the way, his name is Lang) the house and he saw my garden and he has a garden too! So we were geeking out on growing food and it was a really nice time.

We exchanged numbers, he left, and later on that night we ended up making plans to play tennis the next day (this was Friday). So we played, and we were evenly matched and just, again, had a really nice time playing/talking.

When I got home I looked him up on facebook of course, because he has a really unique first and last name, I figured there could only be one. And there was! And facebook told me that we had two friends in common. What! How strange. I figured it was employees from Trader Joe's or something, but it wasn't. It was Amanda and Paul.

So, Amanda and Paul. They are a couple that live in Ballard, but they are from Michigan. I know them through my friend Emily. Emily is also from Michigan and is best friends with Amanda. I went to ASU with Emily and met her in my Trees and Shrubs of Arizona class senior year (a class of 11 people). And she is the only friend that I made in college that I still talk to/hang out with (she lives at the Grand Canyon now).

Lang became friends with Amanda and Paul through a mutual friend, and now dates Amanda's rommate.

THIS WORLD IS SO SMALL. I love when that happens. Anyways, new friends, love it.



Nolan and I went to Spokane with Katie yesterday and did a turn around trip. Ugh, it was so long. We left Seattle at 7 am and got back home at 2.30 am. About 9.5 - 10 hours spent driving. I am an incredibly nervous passenger. I wish I wasn't. I think its so stupid that I am but, I can't help it, you know I can't. On the way home....night driving on the I-90, which is so poorly lit I was freaking out. I drove for an hour and a half of it, and I was giving myself an anxiety attack.

The wedding was OK, the parts that I was exposed to were dramatic, but whatever. The best part was being with the Foster Family! I haven't seen them in over a year! They are leaving Tuesday morning/afternoon from Spokane (Rob did the wedding) to stay with us for 3 nights. My free time has mostly been spent preparing for this. Not in a bad or stressful way, I just love to host and want everyone to be comfortable.

I am exhausted.

Work sched:
M: 4p - 12
T: 7a - 3p
W: X
Th: X
F: 4p - 12
Sa: 4p - 12
Su: 4p - 12

I don't really remember my weekend shifts, but I think thats what it is.

Good night.

Ramblezzzz (sleeping ramblings)

Work schedule for this week:
M: X
T: 4 - 12
W: 1 - 9
Th: 1 - 9
F: 4 - 12
Sa: X
Su: 4 - 12

Saturday is the Regules (I am almost positive that is mispelled) wedding. Nolan and I are riding out with Katie to Liberty Lake, WA....wherever that is (apparently its about 4 hours away).

A boy from work that I am extremely fond of never hangs out outside of work. It is his birthday today and he kind of wound up psuedo not really inviting himself over for a low key BBQ (something that we do here every once in a while with people from work anyways), and I am obviously ecstatic about it. I made a cookie pizza this morning because we had almost all of the ingredients for it to be baked, and because I am a really good host. If I wasn't super budget girl right now, I'd totally do more....but since I am, it is cookie pizza and garden food. Excited.

There are so many things coming up in the next several weeks:
Saturday, July 25 Regules Wedding
Tuesday, July 28 - 31 Foster Family visit
Saturday, August 8 Adam (work friend) and Rachel get married
Sunday, August 9 Nolan, Katie (and probably not me) go to Portland to see Lee play
Tuesday, August 4 - 11 Allison and Lauren visit (Daniel's SC friends)
Sunday, August 16 - 19 Christophe visit

Christophe's birthday is the 16th. Nolan's birthday is the 18th. I feel like August thru October are consistently busy months for us. Strange. Maybe because it is, as Nolan puts it, birthday season.

Last night we watched an incredibly depressing movie, American Me. Watch it, it is so good and based on a true story.

Mmmm I think that is all

Starbucks

Starbucks is seriously such a sad company to me. You can so obviously see it flailing to keep afloat. I think in AZ or living anywhere else but the Northwest it isn't as easy to see that. I was so embarassed to work there both in far SE Portland and especially in Seattle. I was so glad to be done with that compnay. I actually haven't stepped foot inside Starbucks since my last day there. The last store that I worked at, I hated more than any store I've worked at before. It was slow and they closed it a couple months after I left. Strangely one of the things they talked about was reopening in a smaller location on 15th (the strip where it is located), or closing it all together. When I was there, I was really pushing for a closing all together so I could get transferred somewhere else.

Well, they ended up closing with the intent to re-open it in the same location. Confusing, because rent at that location is extremely high, it is such a large space for how little of business it did. But that location is going to be turned into the first Starbucks coffee shop and bar. Sigh. That is all I can say. Apparently part of the re-opening means that they are taking their name off of everything. Which I think is hilarious.

Good luck to you Starbucks, or Not Starbucks....

Jansport Block Party

HA!

Tim's group totally won. They have an amazing idea for the block party (warning, language!).

That is their actual blog, Cap to the Hill (as in, Capitol Hill). The entry from today, July 16, is the one describing their idea.

I am really excited. They don't have a set date yet, but Tim said middle of August. Also, Christophe is going to be in town August 16 - 19. So I am hoping that this happens while he is in town. Its funny because last year Christophe was in Portland for his Birthday (Oh, his birthday is August 16) when we lived there. And it will be the same for this year too!


The saddest thing happened today. I pulled up a bunch of beautiful turnips. Not sad. However, upon closer examination while I was rinsing them, most of them had scars on them. It was not from splitting, which would have been OK.

They were embedded with maggots.

I was/am/will be mortified. I should have pulled them 2 - 3 weeks ago. The combination of heat and time allowed for this to happen. So depressing. Turns out letting them grow longer to yield a bigger crop was not a good thing. Sigh.

I am reading Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades by Steve Solomon. Its great because its written incredibly specific to our region. And I am learning so much. His book is really easy to read, he is a clever lad.

"Cos breaking up is hard to do..."

Sometimes I sing that song but I make it "cos waking up is hard to do". It makes for a less grumpy wake up.

This morning Nolan gently woke me up with the most delicious smelling cup of coffee on the window sill behind me. It was not hard to wake up to that this morning :)

Today is Wednesday. Nolan is getting his fingerprints done in Renton this morning (for work) and then he works 1 - 10. I was supposed to have today off, but my bud Tim and I switched so that today I work 3 - 11 and I will now have tomorrow off. He's entering some Jansport contest, and something about 10,000 dollars, throwing a block party, and video taping stuff before. I don't really know. But his group if a finalist so they are meeting with Jansport today and I am working.

I (and when I say I, I really mean I am getting an enormous amount of help from Josh and Nolan) am building a fixed gear bicycle. I am very excited.

2008

So when I had a car, I listened to the radio a lot. I still listen to the radio a lot. But the difference is that when I had a car I didn't live in Seattle. The means that I listened to a lot of really horrible music. Mainly, Top 40 music. I kind of put in in the category of the stuff you are confused about whether or not you are ok with letting your kids listen to. Not that its really bad, its just not good.

In Seattle, we have KEXP. This is hands down the best radio station I have come across.

But back to the bad radio stations. I actually like listening to that stuff. It gets old, really fast. But a lot of it has incredibly catchy music and lyrics that are....blah - whatever. But DJ Earworm did a mashup of the Top 25 hits according to Billboard. Always having that music going on (driving) you start to attach memories or people to those songs, without even realizing it. This results in me having a flood of emotions listening to it. Haha, I love it its so good, and it dorkily gives me the chills everytime.

Garden, Planning

So, I love gardening. Duh.

For those who don't know, I am obsessed with planning and scheduling. These traits have led me to entertain the idea of 1) Being and academic advisor 2) Becoming some sort of executive assistant (I don't really like the term assistant, it seems like it leads someone to think that there isn't a lot of work involved), 3) Being a financial planner/advisor, 4) The list goes on...

Basically I just get really obsessed with both of these things.

If someone knows of one, please please let me know...but I have not been able to find an organizer/planner for gardening. It completely baffles me. Things that I find relevant to garden planning are different swatches of flowers and shrubs that you can match to create something nice to look at. I have tried numerous searches online with different words, but I can't find anything. It frusterates me because I am almost positive that I read in a random garden blog about a garden planner that someone was obsessed with.

Then I thought that maybe it was Steve Solomon's Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades book that I read it in. Nope.

I have only checked one bookstore. But I feel like if it were in a bookstore, it would be easy to find online.

Anyways, I think that such a thing HAS to exist. I need to own it. And if I can't own it, I need to make one. There is just far far far too much that goes into gardening to just keep it in your head and know what to do on what day. Maybe not if you do not have a job (my dream - to be a stay at home gardener). However, working 40 hours and trying to balance that with growing a very basic and amateur vegetable garden is so hard. It drives me crazy. There is so much I want to do.

Anyhow, maybe thats my calling, eh?

Boring

This morning Nolan and I went running all over downtown to get him his WA license. We officially are both Washington residents.

It is crazy to think that we have lived in the Northwest for a year now. In the words of Tony Toni Tone, "It feels good". I really feel at home here, and can't imagine myself living anywhere else (I know, I know, I say that now....)

I don't really have anything insightful to post about. Or any interesting updates. I am just posting to let everyone know I am alive I guess. :)

Fourth of Juuuuuuuuuuly

So this past week has been busy. Nolan went to the Medford area (Southern Oregon) to see a Wilco show with Katie Costello, and they stayed two nights in Portland before. And then Katie, Nolan, Aaron Winder and Rick Delucco all went down there. They had a blast.



Rick rode back up with Katie and Nolan on Wednesday. On Thursday, Mikey Griffith decided last minute to drive up from Portland and stay two nights. Mikey and Rick left this morning. Yesterday I played tour guide (which I actually love doing because I love showing off the city that I live in). We went to Gas Works Park (PS that link is to a wikipedia article and they have an amazing picture on there). There were so many boats out on Lake Union. It was incredible. Unfortunately, during this touristy day I had no camera on me.



It gets better...



We went to the market, and the boys were mesmerized by the fish market. And then sat out on the grass on the North side for a bit.

I met a boy in Tempe, AZ that I worked at Starbucks with - Randy. He is going to ASU (and graduates this December). But he goes to school for Tourism and Recreation, and he is from Seattle! So he spends all of winter and summer breaks here. He also has one of the most amazing hook ups: he works at the space needle. That being said, he has offered many times to take me and guests up there for free. He is so knowledgeable about the city, has been on two travel shows (as the elevator host on the needle) and I have never met anyone who is always excited to talk about Seattle. Always. Anyways, he is perfect for the job.

I texted him last minute and asked him if he was working and he called me and arranged a meeting point on his lunch to take me (and 4 others) to the top. It is normally 16 dollars each to go up. What a guy. We had a great time up there, it was July 3 so it was SUPER busy.

Needless to say we had a great time while Ricky and Mikey were in town.

4th of July Nolan worked his 14 hour shift (as he does every Saturday). Daniel and some work friends and I BBQ hopped for a bit. I wound up at Ally's apartment rooftop. Ally is the best friend of my work buddy Tim. I have hung out with her a few times, and I know that she has A LOT of friends. Every week or two (since summer has started) I (and anyone else in this city whose number she has) will get a text saying there is a BBQ on her rooftop, and to bring food and beer. I have never attended one of these until Saturday, mostly because she has an amazing view for fireworks. Well it turns out that everyone was thinking the same thing. There were hundereds of people swarming on the roof. And two DJs (that nobody had hired?) that just showed up. One of them was Tiger Beat, someone I hvae never heard of but everyone was freaking out that he was there. We didn't stay for long because that place was literally insane. Kind of anxiety inducing.

Anyhow, I have been meaning to post this for a while!

My schedule this week is:
M x
T x
W 4 - 12
Th 3 - 11
F 4 - 12
Sa 4 - 12
Su 4 - 12

Next week is:
M 4 - 12
T 4 - 12
W X
Th 4 - 12
F 4 - 12
Sa 4 - 12
Su X

Yesterday I met up with Nolan and our friend Brandon at Pho Than Brothers to get the best Pho in Seattle. They are a chain here, and randomly the one that I always go to (on Broadway) is the main picture on the website. It was at Nolan's suggestion that we go there (which he never suggests - its always me!) so I was excited to go. Unfortunately, he wated to go there because he is not feeling well :( poor little guy.

Afterwards we walked around town. We went to the library, and then downtown to Elliott Bay Books and it was our first visit there. It is amazing! It definitely is not nearly as large as Powell's, but it is big and my new favorite bookstore. So rustic and charming. We got a copy of Lonely Planet's Vietnam. Yes, that is our next destination. The saving 20 percent from each paycheck that we are doing is so we can go on the trip. We are also going to go to Thailand, which I am personally ecstatic about.

However, this is the first trip that we have had to pay rent while we are gone (the past two trips we have been in between moves - kind of stressful now that I think about it). So we have to save a while so we can pay rent. It is amazing though how fast you can save so much money when you aren't being careless about it. I love it.

I think thats all for now! <3