Cynthetic Obsessions

A toy to chase the beagle with?

2012-01-03T16:31:00.000-08:00

"Mornings are rough in ..."

2011-10-18T10:45:00.000-07:00

A coworker, J. Chambers, taunting us about his vacation in Hawaii.

Aeriums

2011-10-10T17:11:00.000-07:00

My friend Maya introduced me to terrarium building a couple of years ago. I wasn't really interested in doing it myself then. My husband has recently been interested in creating one of this own.

I have finally become interested not only in terrariums, but aeriums as well. Its tough to search on, but an aerium uses air plants.

You can find a four footed aerium here: http://shop.floragrubb.com/footed-aerium/#

Other shops have included the following

Too busy.

2011-10-08T20:51:00.000-07:00

I am way too busy. I am finishing up my women's league draw as I type. I am managing Seattle Granite Curling Club's Wednesday night league this year. It's been insane.

I took a Learn to Pebble class today to refresh my memory from last year, where I didn't use my newfound knowledge. A quick trip home to walk the dog, pick up the vacuum cleaner from the repair shop, and back to the club to help with an open house.

Tomorrow a curling conditioning class and prep for next weekend's Western Women's Competitive Curling Clinic. If there are people who are interested, there is still room. Oct 15-16, 2011!!

Bubble Tank by Psalt Designs

2011-10-08T20:48:00.001-07:00

I love this distorted fish aquarium. Not sure where and when you can buy them.

I found out about this from my RSS feed. http://www.juxtapoz.com/Current/the-distorted-aquarium-by-psalt-design

Holy Cow! 16 wineries between 10 am and 5 pm!!

2011-10-01T18:09:00.001-07:00

Uffda. Feeling it right now. Jer and I visited 16 wineries in in the Penticton region. One of the areas begins with an N, but I'm hungry, so all I can think of is Navratan Korma.

Jeremy is taking a snooze. I'm headed there soon after. Hopefully we will snag dinner and then a hockey game.

Penticton, BC

2011-10-01T07:42:00.000-07:00

Currently in Penticton, BC celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary.

Yes, I'm blogging. Trying to save my hubby from my morning stinky breath. Too lazy to brush my teeth.

We've lucked out, all sorts of fun stuff going on this weekend. Including the 31st Annual Okanagan Wine Festival!!

http://www.tourismpenticton.com/events/listing/okanagan-fall-wine-festival-2011-31st-annual-0

Polar bears, Penguins, and Melting ICe

2011-10-01T07:38:00.001-07:00

http://www.spoon-tamago.com/?s=melting+ice

Bethling left a comment on my last post. I found this one and thought of her.

Oooo. Curling shoes.

2011-09-22T09:39:00.000-07:00

My sister in law emailed me the other day, complaining about the lack of style in curling shoes. A recent search showed the same selection of shoes that have been offered for the last couple of years, and then these crazy Italian shoes offered by Asham.

http://www.hoglinecurling.com/products/shoes

You too, can be styling for $240.00

Too many appointments!!

2011-09-13T21:39:00.000-07:00

Today I met with Erik, a physical therapist at Copore Sano. I went in for a bike fitting, to ensure that I get the maximum energy out of my body when I bike, and to avoid injuring myself.

He put on my clips and cleats. He adjusted my seat height an additional 12 mm. He watched me pedal, and recommended that I keep my feet parallel to the ground. Without cleats, I've been pointing my toes towards the ground.

In two weeks, I will see him again, and he will be changing out my handlebars for shorter ones.

This evening I met with a sleep specialist. I have an appointment in a couple of weeks to determine if my snoring causes me to be sleepy, if I don't get enough sleep at night, or if I potentially have narcolepsy or one of the other crazy sleep issues.

Ouchee.

2011-09-08T08:19:00.001-07:00

Not broken, but sure feels like it this morning.

Wah.

Spectacular Bike Crash Today!!

2011-09-07T20:28:00.001-07:00

I didz it. Me, trying to bike to work. FAIL.

Bruised, bloody, but apparently not broken.

1+1 = ....dammit.

2011-08-20T23:27:00.001-07:00

Additionally, went to po-dunk Kent to visit my grandmother and my Aunt Amy.

Also washed a load of dishes, took out the recycling and trash a couple of times, harassed my beagle, and 2 loads of laundry.

In case all you think I did was drink today.

However, at 86 degrees F, it would have been a beautiful day to have remained comatose all day long.

Need to tweak my bike still. Better, but still tweaking out my knee and other quad muscles. Going to enter September kicking some serious ass. Be afraid bitches!

Under the influence.

2011-08-20T22:46:00.000-07:00

My hubby perfected the Sazerac tonight.

He tested Sazerac number 2 on me, before our steak dinner.

After the steak dinner, he tested out Speakeasy applications Manhatten on me, with the French cherries soaked in brandy that I got him on Amazon. Wayyyyyy too much vermouth. Feh.

I brought a nice fuzzy blanket to the deck so we could star gaze. And then, a pillow. When I got back with the pillow, I found him cocooned in the fuzzy brown blanket..... Hmmm.

He has the fuzzy blanket. I have Manhattan and beagle. Enjoying developer favorite electronica.....

Silly hubby. Trix are for wabbits...

Awesome house come and gone...

2011-08-09T17:32:00.000-07:00

Sadness. Missed out on a gorgeous house off the Burke Gilman trail.

You can see more about it for now at http://burkegilmanhome.com.

Latest photos of Byron and Scout

2011-08-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

More Byron photos

2011-07-20T17:33:00.000-07:00

STP pick up and more bike riding

2011-07-15T08:21:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was a busy day for me. I woke up at 4 am so I could take Jeremy and Andrew to the Seattle to Portland drop off point at UW. I managed to get a small nap in afterwards.

From there, I took Byron to obedience class, where she learned how to 'Leave it.' I discovered by accident that the beagle fest was there, so I let her play with other beagles for an hour. We participated in a competition, she won "Best Trick". Basically in an area full of beagles howling, I got her to sit, lay down, and roll over 3 times in a row.

I dropped her off at daycare, ran home to wash dishes, finish laundry, and then head off to the Urban Craft Uprising to pick up my prize.

I then drove like mad to get to Vancouver, WA so I could have dinner with my aunt. I tried to stop off in Centralia to hang out with Jeremy and Andrew, but some bad timing (Jer was in the shower) and the reception was really bad got in the way.

Sunday they arrived around 2 pm. We hung out in the beer garden, stopped by the Pope House. I got a chance to do about 30 minutes worth of shopping in the Pearl district.

The rest of the week was filled with work. However, last night I went on my first Gasworks Thursday Night social ride. I did not get lost, end up being the last in the pack, nor did I get hit by a car.

The first incline up to 60th was the toughest for me. For the most part it was a good ride, and a good introduction to hills/inclines for me.

Winner winner chicken dinner.

2011-07-13T12:19:00.000-07:00

I won a really cool purse from crystalyn kae, courtesy of her donation to the Urban Craft Uprising this past weekend.

I love her purses. If you haven't had a chance to see it, check it out here.

http://www.crystalynkae.com/

Lunch Time Bike Ride

2011-06-23T12:58:00.000-07:00

Biked to Counterbalance Bicycles in the U-Village area. Picked up a U-Lock. Biked back to work. Turns out the U-lock is about an inch too short to use if I don't take off my tire. Gah.

I passed on lady on the way out. Got passed by several bicyclists all geared up. The weather was much warmer than I expected it to be, and I overdressed.

On the way back, a mouse/rat crossed my path and ran into his hole (tunnel) in the leaves. The construction guy asked me to do a wheelie, and I shook my head at him. I would probably kill myself trying to pop a wheelie. One lady passed me. I worked hard to catch up to her and she kept a pace that I liked until I got back to work.

Runkeeper says I biked 7.88 miles in 53 min 48 seconds. However, I forgot to pause it when I was in the bike shop, and that was close to 10 minutes....

Latest dog daycare photos

2011-06-20T18:41:00.000-07:00

Some more photos of Byron at doggie daycare

2011-06-09T18:32:00.000-07:00

Byron loves playing with a dog named Scout.

Fun Saturday.

2011-05-29T22:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Jeremy and I biked from Redhook to Marymoor Park and then back. It was my first 10+ mile bike ride. I then took Byron for a long walk and washed some laundry and tidied up two bathrooms - weekends can't be all fun and games, but they CAN be mostly fun.

In the evening we met Jeremy's cousin Jeff at Pike Place market to start a pub crawl. Well, Jeremy and I started the pub crawl and Jeff went to watch the Mariners beat the Yankees in 12 innings. Our friend Andrew joined us.

We hit the Alibi room, Cafe Zigzag, the Whiskey Bar.. We had a shitty experience at El Gaucho and Twist where we couldn't get any service. Twist was busy. El Gaucho had no excuse. They hardly had any patrons and two other tables walked out due to lack of service. We then stopped off at The List, Amber, and Black Bottle. Black Bottle and phenomenal food and service.

We finished the evening at Tini Biggs sans Jeremy and the arrival of Mac and Jeff.

Biking in the rain.

2011-05-25T22:40:00.000-07:00

I took my new bicycle for its first ride today.

I ate lunch, and hit the Burke Gilman trail. Unfortunately, I waited until it started to rain pretty heavy. But I wanted the bike ride, and refused to talk myself out of it. I biked to Husky Stadium and back - approximately 3.3 miles one way.

On the way back, I almost took out 3 pedestrians. Luckily I didn't hit the pedestrians, nor did I go sailing over my handle bars. It was a close call. The ground was wet and I am still getting used to the brakes.

Hopefully my legs will not be too sore tomorrow so I can go for another wet and chilly ride.

Just crazy.

2011-05-22T21:45:00.000-07:00

It's been a little busy lately.

Today is the first laid back day I have had in awhile. Laid back never truly feels laid back though.

I started my day by getting a load of laundry in the dryer and then walking my beagle girl, Byron, around the neighborhood. Afterwards, my hubby and I went to Red Mill for a tasty hamburger, and then drove by his new job to drop off a duffle bag of towels and clothes (he's been biking to work).

We stopped off at Bothell Bike & Ski and got me setup with my first bicycle since high school. Then, it was back home to 'relax'. I started another load of laundry, then headed out to the grocery store to get fixings for dinner. After my trip to the store, I spent some time weeding the tomato bed (it was a raised garden bed FULL of weeds when I started).

The hubby cooked dinner, and I took the puppers out for another walk.

After eating, I started dessert - tapioca from scratch, washed dishes, and downloaded "A Tiger in the Kitchen" By Cheryl Tan.

Relaxing or crazy? Make your own decision. :D

Images from Doggie Daycare

2011-03-23T11:49:00.000-07:00

Team Guzman wins the bronze medal!!

2011-03-12T15:58:00.000-08:00

In a close game for 3rd and 4th place, Team Guzman leaps ahead by 3 points in the 9th end to win the bronze medal!!

Congratulations to the Washington State Men's team!!

Team Guzman wins their first game!

2011-03-07T08:39:00.000-08:00

El Guz wins their first game 13 - 4 after 9 ends.

2 games down, 7 to go.

Goooo Washington!

Team Guzman - Game on!

2011-03-07T07:06:00.000-08:00

In the middle of Game 2. Team Guzman is playing Mopac's (California) Justin McBride.

After 4 ends, Guzman is up 7-2.

On my way to work guys! Keep it up!

2011 Curling Club Nationals in Mankato, MN

2011-03-06T22:46:00.000-08:00

Rooting for my hubby at the 2011 Club Nationals in Mankato, Mn. Go Team Guzman! Team Guzman is comprised of:
Skip: Benj Guzman
3rd: Phillip Tilker
2nd: Daryl Pahl
Lead: Jeremy Dinsel
5th man: Paul Lyttle

The opening ceremonies were at 1 pm Central Time, and the first game was at 4 pm Central Time.

Looks like both the men's and women's teams had a rough start losing their first games.

Here are a couple of photos of the men, courtesy of Em Good and Jill Lamberts.

Walking during lunch break

2011-02-24T09:51:00.000-08:00

Byron hanging out in the car, waiting for her daily walk.

Walka walkas.

Yes - we still play together at daycare.

2011-01-26T18:01:00.000-08:00

Interestingly enough, with all the dogs around, Byron and Rufus occasionally hang out together. And we always thought that Byron was the instigator. Most of the time, but not always...

You might miss us, but we don't miss you.

2011-01-26T17:59:00.000-08:00

You always wonder if your dogs will miss you when you drop them off at daycare. I'm pretty sure they don't after seeing these photos.

State playdowns!

2011-01-19T21:11:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was the state playdowns for club nationals.

I stepped up and practiced my skipping abilities. My team lost all 3 games, but we gave M. Konno a run for her money in the last game. We were down by 6 in the 5th end, and scored 6. We then stole 1 in the 6th and the 7th ends. However, I made a rookie mistake and gave up 3 in the 8th to lose the game. Boo.

On the other hand, my hubby's team, Team Guzman rocked the house and won the state club playdowns. He is headed to Mankato in March for Club Nationals! Go Jer!!

Funny beagle poses

2011-01-09T15:47:00.000-08:00

Byron is actually snoozing

Byron attempting to get a food morsel that fell under the stove.

Destruction of dog toys!

2011-01-09T15:42:00.000-08:00

Busy weekend with a power cleaning day

2011-01-08T17:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was mostly fun.

Jer and I started by dropping the Byron off at daycare. We then headed to the Apple store in the University Village so I could replace my iPhone 4. The power button had gotten sticky and was hard to use.

We then headed to the curling club where I got in a couple of hours of practice with my team. I let Tilker coerce me into having a shot of SoCo near the end of practice. Beth, Em and I had a quick lunch and then headed up to the Seattle Premium Outlet mall to go shopping for our team shirts and jackets. We ended up finding jackets and shirts, but ended up not buying the jackets.

Em and I swung by my house to let Rufus get in a potty break and restore my iPhone. We got the Byron Bot from daycare and then headed to meet Jeremy at Delanceys (Noms) for dinner. Good food, good wine, and good company made for the end for an almost completely fun day.

The only thing that spoiled it was Rufus having an accident.

Today is a power cleaning day. I have already washed a load of dishes, a load of laundry, folded laundry, vacuumed the upstairs, dusted the master bedroom, and taken out the garbage.

To Do:
1. More laundry
2. More dusting
3. Clean up the bathrooms
4. Clean up the basement.
5. Sell my Millenium Falcon ornament at Fred Meyer at 12:30 pm
6. Buy groceries
7. Curl at 8 pm

Phew.

update :
Laundry - done
Star Wars ornament - sold
Doggy doo - Picked up and put in trash
Recycling - taken outside
Master bathroom - cleaned
Comcast bill - paid
Pulled briar out of the backyard for 30 min - done

so many things left and very little time. sigh. taking a 30 minute much needed nap!

Byron and Rufus at doggie daycare

2011-01-07T21:28:00.001-08:00

Recycled Cashmere Throw by Glam.Spoon

2011-01-02T21:48:00.001-08:00

http://glamspoon.typepad.com/glamspoon/2010/12/recycled-cashmere-throws.html

A couple more cute items

2010-12-31T18:24:00.000-08:00

Label of Hope

2010-12-31T18:13:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to clean out some of my crap before going to a New Year's Eve party. I skimmed through an old craft magazine and found a link to a vendor that I really like. More girlie than you think I would like.

Here's a few items I found on their Etsy site that I adore.

You can see more at http://labelofhope.com/

Rufus

2010-12-29T06:40:00.000-08:00

Lucky for Rufus that he is a super sweet and mellow beagle.

We almost didn't get him.

Here is the photo that was posted on Craigslist.

What the owner didn't say was "Not actual size." Beagle in person is much larger than in the photo. Um, 42 lbs

What Rufus actually looks like:

Size comparison to Byron, at 14.2 lbs.

Beagles!

2010-12-26T14:33:00.000-08:00

Upset and wide awake.

2010-12-24T17:20:00.000-08:00

I can't sleep. well I might have, if I hadn't scared Byron. I think it's been quite awhile since I've been so upset.

Screaming and yelling never did my mother any good when she was upset. I guess I tend to take after my dad. Trying to tuck my anger away.

I would really love to break something right now. Throw some dishes on the floor. Punch a hole through the wall.

I am too stressed out about everything, and feel really fragile.

Is this the feeling of being middle aged? Being worried about relationships and career choices? Wondering who I am? what do I want jn the future? Do I get too obsessive?

What did I used to want in my future? Be married. To travel the world. Own a house.

What do I want now? To be in a happy relationship. Hang out and have a good time. Play with my puppy dogs. Go curling.

Curling became a big part of my life 3 years ago. It has filled a hole that I didn't realize I was missing when I was younger. In junior high, I participated in track. I ran hurdles and jumped the high jump. there were people to socialize with that you had a common denominator with.

With curling I have that and the bit of competitiveness that I missed. Has it completely taken over my life? In a good or bad way? How do I leave the good alone and fix the bad? or is it too late?

Sick Rufus

2010-12-22T07:20:00.000-08:00

Rufus was very sick Monday and Tuesday.

I ended up taking him to the vet for some anti-nausea medication and to be rehydrated.

He seems to be fine this morning though! No more shaking!

A couple of photos of Byron, Rufus, and Jeremy hanging out.

Sleeping puppies!

2010-12-20T17:01:00.001-08:00

Both the pups are sleeping right now. Hurrah.

However, one of them is doing his best to gas me out of my office.

Puppy farts. Ew.

Two dog family!

2010-12-19T09:33:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Jeremy and I adopted Rufus the beagle from Craigslist. His owner, Jim, is moving out of the country.

Rufus is a big boy, weighing in at 42.2 pounds. After picking him up and letting him get accustomed to his new surroundings, I took him to the vet to get him current on all of his shots and to get his nails trimmed.

So far, Rufus has been a pretty good dog. Byron and Rufus have been tearing up the town. Rufus will play with all the toys that Byron has ignored, and Byron will suddenly become interested in them again. They like to play chase in the backyard and wrestle in the house.

Byron is only 14.2 pounds, so I have to keep an eye on Rufus to make sure he doesn't squish her. His idea of being gentle is to sit on top of her.

I'm pretty sure Rufus misses Jim, but its tough for him to be sad because Byron is constantly harassing him. Keeping him on his toes.

At this moment, I'm glad we made the decision to go to two dogs. Byron is enjoying her new buddy, pestering him instead of being destructive. We just have to keep an eye on her until she gets a little bigger.

2010 Thanksgiving come and gone

2010-11-28T16:25:00.000-08:00

A quiet Thanksgiving weekend.

I have a new job as a software tester for a small virtual company that has been around for 7 years. However vacation, sick, and holidays are all rolled into one. Because I have to save my vacation for Mixed Doubles Nationals and Womens Nationals, there is currently no holiday time available.

I worked on Thursday. Jeremy worked on his iPad application. The beagle harrassed us both. Jeremy made a tagliatore sauce for dinner. Nom nom nom.

Friday Jeremy headed up to Langley for some curling. I dropped the beagle off for a half day of day care while I worked. I had some connectivity issues off and on, that were very frustrating. No true Black Friday shopping. However, I did order a down jacket from Eddie Bauer. Need to keep warm in Duluth, Minnesota and Grand Forks, North Dakota this winter.

Friday night after work, I headed to Bellingham to hang out with Jeremy's cousin and his wife. Byron got some beagle play time in. We only stayed until about noon on Saturday. I had to get home for the Chin/Go/Eng Thanksgiving dinner. Dinner was tame compared to normal. There was lots of food. I restrained myself to one plate and skipped the cheesecake my mother brought for dessert.

When I got home, Byron and I played for a bit and then I rented a silly chick flick and went to bed.

Today, there was more daycare for Byron. I cleaned the master bathroom, washed three loads of laundry, and cleaned dishes. I also spent some time in the yard hacking down some dead bush and briar branches that had encroached into our yard from the neighbors.

Now, to pick up the dog and go to Mixed Doubles curling!

Annoyed at doggie daycare

2010-11-17T17:01:00.001-08:00

Why post that you have hourly rates, but then when someone tries to schedule their dog for 2 hours in the evening say that you don't take them after 2 pm?

Stupid.

2010 PIC Photos

2010-11-10T14:03:00.000-08:00

I received my DVD last weekend of the photos from the 2010 PIC. I spared for them, as one of their teammates could not make it. Here are some of my favorites.

My funny little beagle girl

2010-11-07T20:11:00.000-08:00

A couple of Byron photos

2010-11-03T15:33:00.000-07:00

Photo used on Seattle Weekly blog!

2010-11-01T19:14:00.000-07:00

http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2010/10/jon_pontrello_got_lost_in_the.php

You can see the photo I took of Jon P, the street musician in Ballard with the article that comes along with it!

No new puppy...yet.

2010-10-29T13:56:00.000-07:00

No puppy yet. Looked at them. Went awwww. Jer had sappy "oooo puppy" eyes. If I had said, let's get this one, I'm not sure he would have said no.

However, the Mixed Doubles spiel is this weekend. Byron is now at weekend dog camp. Quick post before I try to finish cleaning, beagle puppy proofing the house, and getting everything ready for the new Monday work week.

Tried to set up the new HP printer and failed. Its on, but not recognizing the wireless or the USB cable. Poop.

Got an email from the street musician Jon P. My photo might make the Seattle Weekly. That would be rad.

Tonight, tonight...

2010-10-27T16:03:00.000-07:00

My life may get easier or crazier.

We go to check out more beagle puppies. Our little girl Byron is going to get a buddy to keep her busy while I work. Hopefully this means no more four hour trips to the dog park. Gah. More potty training. Byron isn't completely potty trained yet.

I have a boy's name in mind. Not sure what we'll end up using if she gets along better with a girl.

Lunch and the Ballard Market

2010-10-27T16:00:00.000-07:00

Had some tasty beef ravioli in a spicy tomato sauce last Sunday at this Italian restaurant in Ballard. Nom nom noms.

Afterwards, we walked through the Ballard Market. Unfortunately, they were busy closing up. I have this great shot of a street musician who was tipped with produce.

Window shopping.

This little bin made me think of my team mate's 'animal'.

Looking for a beagle or a beagle mix playmate.

2010-10-24T11:49:00.000-07:00

Jer and I have decided that we are going to get Byron a buddy. We would like to get a dog or puppy 2 years or younger. Someone that will get along well with her, likes to wrestle and play chase.

Spoiled beagle pup.

2010-10-23T16:15:00.000-07:00

More trips to the dog park. Byron the beagle girl vs Bella the labrador puppy.

Dog park photos from Oct 14th-15thish.

2010-10-21T08:16:00.000-07:00

Trip to the dog park.

2010-10-19T16:31:00.000-07:00

Everyone loves Byron. She is beagle puppy cute. Hard to get by without someone asking if they can pet her or pick her up. Children especially like to follow her around.

Here are some vicious beagle puppy shots.

Practice in Richmond!

2010-10-19T16:28:00.000-07:00

More curling practice in Richmond last Saturday. And wouldn't you know it? Em and I finally managed to score some Dim Sum after 3 prior visits, and the Chinese men's national team was practicing. Almost deja vu, but not quite.

Em and I saw the guys on the way in and said Hello. While we were practicing, Beth's partner Amber was watching in the warm room. An hour into it, the Chinese men's team grabbed seats at the same table and were watching. As Amber said, "I might not understand what language they were speaking, but I definitely understood what they were talking about." LOL.

Here's a photo of us with them last about the same time last year.

A photo of Em walking by the Chinese men's team. I'm still curious to know if they recognize us from last year, or if they were just checking us out.

A photo from after our lesson. Watching them practice while Em is shopping.

Cuteness overload!

2010-10-19T15:19:00.000-07:00

Beagle puppy photos of Byron!

Civic duty is done, jury duty completed!

2010-10-14T21:56:00.000-07:00

Jury duty completed early. Decision made in 1.5 hours on Wednesday.
Jury was in favor of the defendant 10-2.

More later.

Zzzzzz.

Breaking out of da joint!

2010-10-08T15:44:00.000-07:00

Byron is definitely a stubborn one. We thought our yard beagle proof. She pushed a gutter aside and proved differently. Our yard is now beagle proof again.

Dogs and their owners at the Lighthouse Coffee Shop

2010-10-07T18:11:00.000-07:00

Seattle Granite Curling Club's New Store

2010-10-07T18:09:00.000-07:00

Seattle is busy getting our new store ready for the season. Still quite a bit of work to be done, but it looks fantastic!

Jury Duty Eats: Week 2, Day 4

2010-10-07T17:42:00.000-07:00

Today I stopped off at Marcela's Creole Cookery for some Cajun food.

I had the sampler platter, and NO, I did not finish everything on my plate. I DID however forget my leftovers in the refrigerator. Boo.

The sampler platter consisted of shrimp gumbo, jambalaya, and crawfish pie. The best part was definitely the crawfish pie. Tastiness witha pie crust. The worst was the shrimp gumbo. Served lukewarm and overly salty. The jambalaya was just okay. Nothing to write home about.

Miscellaneous downtown Seattle photos while on jury duty.

2010-10-07T12:20:00.000-07:00

Jury Duty Eats : Week 2

2010-10-07T12:11:00.000-07:00

Posting before I head out for lunch.

Day 1 : Cafe Bengodi
Displays a picture of Luigi's on the outside. I had the gorgonzola pasta with garlic bread. Talked to a guy next to me who had the chicken tomato pesto flatbread with a salad. Both looked fantastic and mine was tasty.

Day 2 : Went back to Tat's for a roast beef dip due to lack of time.

Day 3: Cafe Zum Zum. Pakistani Indian food. I had heard about them from our friends Mark and Lisa. I had Lamb Spinach Curry which was okay. It was fairly greasy.

Week 1 Jury Duty Eats Continued..

2010-10-07T06:56:00.000-07:00

Day Two
I ate at a restaurant called Tats. Recommended by Neil E, a fellow curler. I had a Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich with hot peppers and mushrooms. It was pretty tasty, but definitely not the BEST I have ever had.

Day Three

Another one of Jeremy's recommendations, I ate at Pizza Pro. I really enjoyed it. They had a nice thin crispy crust. The mushroom pizza was especially noms.

Day Four

I ate at the Thai Taste on 2nd. I enjoyed my plate of noodles and veggies.

Jury Duty: Day 1, Week 1

2010-10-04T13:12:00.000-07:00

Just started my second week of jury duty.

I can't say anything about the case other than it is a civil trial. Because of this, I'll try and post photos from lunch or to and from jury duty.

Day 1 : Had lunch with my old sticker pen pal Lisa Hasegawa from junior high school. We had gyros at Zaina.

A quick stop for a photo before going back into the King County building.

A little window shopping.

Last few days with Byron

2010-09-22T14:19:00.000-07:00

We've had a visit from cousin Jessie, some snooze time, and some walka walkas.

New addition to our family.

2010-09-12T11:14:00.000-07:00

Meet our new little girl beagle, Byron.

Drawing Lab

2010-09-11T19:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday evening I took a drawling class by Carla Sonheim. It was a lot of fun, and I managed to relax and draw. Our first item was to draw our neighbor across from us with our non dominate hand. Isabel drew an incredible image of me. My drawing of her looked more like something from the tv show Caroline that starred Lea Thompson.

We did some blind contour drawing that I really enjoyed. We also used a little charcoal, which I didn't like so much. Carla brought this crazy statue that I really really enjoyed using for my inspiration.

There were a total of 7 students. Another one of the students was also named Cindy. She had on a really cool remade shirt she got at a boutique in Port Townsend.

All in all, it was a productive and fun night. Three hours went by way too quickly!

Am I a zombie?

2010-09-10T00:59:00.000-07:00

Nope. No rotting flesh. No desire to eat human brains.

Can't sleep. I've had problems sleeping all week long. Usually I have problems staying awake. Probably too much whirling around in my mind.

Bonus for not sleeping: I found a craigslist ad for a 10 week old beagle girl. I sent an email out, and am crossing fingers. Beagle puppies on craigslist go super fast. Whssst. Almost faster than a Randy Johnson fast ball crossing over the plate.

Crossing fingers. I can't get out to visit until Saturday.

As soon as I get off work tomorrow, I am headed to Seattle for Drawing Lab with Carla Sonheim.
Very fun, very exciting. Now I'll be thinking of this little girl.

Designs By Maya jewelry

2010-09-08T19:46:00.001-07:00

My friend Maya just launched her jewelry website here: Designs By Maya .

She's been working on her business plan for quite some time and I am very proud of her.

Please stop by and take a look.

You can find beautiful earrings, bracelets, and necklaces.

Nutrition Tips?

2010-09-07T12:08:00.000-07:00

I always take nutrition tips with a grain of salt. Some of them are indeed valid. Others are a little hinky, because studies show this 'could' benefit you. Here were a couple of interesting ones that yahoo took from a Men's Health magazine.

" Drink a second cup of coffee. It might lower your risk of adult-onset diabetes, according to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition."

"Keep serving dishes off the table. Researchers have found that when people are served individual plates, as opposed to empty plates with a platter of food in the middle of the table, they eat up to 35 percent less!"

"Eat protein at every meal. Dieters who eat the most protein tend to lose more weight while feeling less deprived than those who eat the least protein. It appears that protein is the best nutrient for jumpstarting your metabolism, squashing your appetite, and helping you eat less at subsequent meals."

Finally! Beth's surprise birthday party come and gone!

2010-09-05T22:27:00.000-07:00

I say finally! because the cat is now out of the bag! No more worrying about spoiling the surprise. Including Beth on the wrong email thread. Phew. So difficult for me.

The party was hosted at the winery The Convergence Zone in Woodinville. They had a white wine that I really enjoyed. The food that was served was from a little Indian restaurant called Mayuri in Bellevue. Noms.

Jen and Em made the desserts. Jen made a strawberry rhubarb pie. Em made a yellow cake with chocolate frosting and a 'crack' pie. The 'crack' pie was kind of like a butterscotch bar of sorts.

Yay! I got to debut the kitty cat apron I made for her as well. No more surprises. Surprises are hard on the gifter as well as the giftee. LOL.

Oooo. An etsy store called Bonspiel Creation.

2010-09-05T22:09:00.000-07:00

Not normally big on plugging stores, but a quick one here. How can a curler not like a crafty store with a name that is curling related?

http://www.bonspielcreation.com/apps/etsystore/

I'm more of a dog person, but the mean cat change purse is pretty cute.

Super mellow Labor Day weekend

2010-09-05T16:15:00.000-07:00

Wow. So far this has been a super mellow and relaxed weekend.

Yesterday I woke up and put on an aerobics dvd. Jer and I went out to get his passport photo taken and ate some Thai food at Pen Thai in Bothell.

After we got home, I worked on finishing a special project that I'll post and talk about later.

Today, I've been throwing out stuff, putting things on Craigslist and Ebay. Anyone interested in some Star Wars stuff?

Fun up and coming.

Brave Girls Club

2010-08-31T17:45:00.000-07:00

My friend Maya forwarded this to me. Normally, I'm not big into receiving daily fortune cookie type mailing, but this site has had some positive words that I really enjoyed. Including the following:

Dear Terrific Girl,

Sometimes you just have to jump...you just have to take that leap....JUMP....
even if you feel like you aren't ready.

We can make a million excuses for all of the reasons why we aren't ready...why
it isn't the right time yet, why we aren't up to the challenge, why we don't
have time or why we just don't have what it takes to EVER do it, but really....
all we need to do is take the first step, the first leap....and then keep going.
It won't be much different if we wait, it will still be the first scary step,
the first scary leap....but if we wait, we might never do it.

YOU KNOW it's time. You know where you want to be, and even where you are meant
to be....but YOU are the only one holding you back from taking the first step
towards that place. Don't hold yourself back anymore.....take the leap....if
you don't like it...you don't have to keep going....but chances are, you will
wonder why you waited so long.

Bliss will fill you up and you will feel so on track!

DO IT, BRAVE GIRL!!!!

xoxo

To read more, check out the following link: http://www.bravegirlsclub.com/

Yay for a mellow weekend.

2010-08-30T21:17:00.000-07:00

Or was it?

Saturday after Jeremy left for a bike ride, I headed out to the Bothell Bike and Ski shop to test two more bicycles. A Scott road bike and a Felt road bike. The Felt road bike was nice, but I felt super wobbly on it. I was on a XS Scott, because the frame was longer. I liked the bike, but did not like the two gears on the left hand (where the Felt had three).

Afterwards, I went home and took a mile long walk while the laundry ran. When I got home, I started pruning blackberry bushes that had grown into our backyard. I did not get all of them.

I met Jeremy in the U Village area, where we picked up a couple of filets from Bill the Butcher (in the Sandpoint area). We later turned those into Pepper Encrusted Filet Mignon with a blue cheese-chive (I screwed up and bought green onions, whoops) butter with Green Beans Amandine on the side. Noms.

Sunday we spent some more time in the back yard. Jeremy got attacked by yellow jackets under the big tree in the right corner. He got bit on his arm and under his knee. They blew up, but no allergic reactions that required a trip to the ER.

We had invited the Thibodeauxes over for dinner. I baked a Shepherd's Pie and a Pear Custard for dinner and Jeremy made Broccoli with Mustard-Red Pepper Vinaigrette. We had a nice, relaxing evening hanging out. Bob was on autopilot and on his way out, grabbed a grocery bag full of items I was going to donate to Goodwill or some other thrift organization. It was pretty amusing.

Gah. Stalled out.

2010-08-24T21:52:00.000-07:00

Stalled out on my sewing projects with my backstitch button broken on my Pfaff. Crappy week for sewing. Two of my lesson canceled. With a third one probably to be called off as well due to a lack of a machine.

Tonight I was supposed to go to NW Bernina, but apparently they overbooked themselves. Sad that I was the one that they canceled on, but I guess I wasn't generating very much money. They were the ones that offered it on their website. How to use your older Bernina. I guess I'll just have to wing it.

My private Friday lesson was canceled due to a schedule conflict. Her work schedule was 11 - 7 pm, and I'm not willing to have a lesson after 7 pm on a Friday in Bellevue. Once I leave, I'm not going back.

Saturday's lesson is at Quality Sewing & Vacuum. I'll have to postpone it myself because of my Pfaff. Since that is the one that I bought from them a few years ago, that is the only one I can get a lesson on. Boo.

Including a photo of all the apples that I picked up off the ground tonight to throw in the yardwaste bin before I mowed the back yard.

I should go to sleep now. I need to finish throwing away some junk mail, and then I can snoozarooni.

Rocked another evening.

2010-08-24T09:07:00.000-07:00

Got home and didn't take that nap I wanted to. Sigh. My own fault.

Instead, I put the dishes from the dishwasher away, started a load of laundry, put some cookies to bake in the oven, and went out in the backyard to clean up some yard waste before trash day.

I ended up completing three loads of laundry, 5 trays of chocolate chip cookies, and 2 bags of yard waste before I had to leave for dinner at my friend Maya's.

I feel exhausted just reading my blog entry. Heh.

Ready to pass out.

2010-08-22T20:06:00.000-07:00

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz. No nap today. Been up since 1:40 am.

Here are the napkins I made against the apron that I finished last night.

I am very pleased at how both of them came out. The apron ties are a little shorter than I expected. Did the photocopy enlargening process fail somehow? Or is it just me. Probably just me.

I met with my teammates Em and Elle today for coffee briefly. Just touching base on the upcoming season. Our newest member is currently on vacation in Montana.

Em and I are sometimes confused for each other at our local curling club, due to a lack of Asians in the sport as well as plain old inattentiveness. It is a running joke that we are 'twins'. We have a few interests and items that we share in common, such as a best friend named Maya. Different best friends, same name.

Today was amusing because we both baked and brought chocolate chip cookies sprinkled with salt to share with the team. We both brought out ziploc baggies with the goodies in them.

Afterwards, I headed to Renton to hang out with my mother. We made a quick trip to the International District in Seattle to pick up what translates loosely into "Chinese tamales." If I were to spell the chinese word in English, the closest I can get is probably "jeung" or "joong". There is tonal inflection that is involved that doesn't capture in text.

I hung out with my mother and sister for a couple of hours and now am back home ready to pass out. Lots of things to do, but too dang tired to do any of it.

Aargh. No sleep for me.

2010-08-22T02:50:00.000-07:00

I could not sleep at all last night. I can't understand why. I was and still am exhausted.

Yesterday we picked Ali up from the airport and the headed to Paseo for lunch. we then stopped by bothell bike and ski shop for jer to exchange a jersey.

We then stopped by home for a bit. Ali helped me pick towel colors for the bathroom. There was also some attempt at Yoga from
a DVD that Ali brought with her.

After Jer and Ali left for Bellingham, I stopped off in bothell for gas, returned some library books, and the test drove two different bicycles. I tested a hybrid and a basic road bike. I had planned to test a Felt bike today, but it is raining.

I drove to north bend to the gap outlet and picked up a pair of jeans they are no longer carrying at the regular store. the I went back to Bellevue to return all the bath towels from the day before and to buy the ones that we decided on.

finally, I stopped by joann's for a little fabric for my next project. I headed home just before 9 pm. I finished my apron and got some fabric cut for my napkin project.

Disappointed in Speck iPhone 4 case

2010-08-17T16:43:00.000-07:00

I highly recommend avoiding the Speck iPhone 4 case. I have the green striped version. I should say HAD. I haven't even had the stupid thing for 30 days and it has broken already. It is NOT from dropping my iPhone. It broke in the right corner, where you press the power button to turn your phone on and off. It cracked in that area, and now the front of the case will not stay on. Terrible. $30 not including tax for a piece of plastic that doesn't event last a month? Bah.

A little disc golf anyone?

2010-08-17T11:52:00.000-07:00

On a day that broke heat records in the Seattle area, I joined my husband and a couple of his coworkers after work for a little disc golf.

Note to self : Always carry a pair of real shoes in the trunk when wearing flip flops or dress shoes.

We miss you.

2010-08-12T13:50:00.001-07:00

Gravity - We miss you.

Fun with Photoshop Mobile

2010-08-12T13:48:00.000-07:00

Another type of tote bag.

2010-08-07T15:34:00.000-07:00

Project 4

I found this project really time consuming and frustrating. Is it because I'm new, or is it just really frustrating. Jeremy made fun of it because it is so tiny.

Projects 2 and 3

2010-08-07T15:32:00.000-07:00

Out of the Sew What? Sew Bags book, I created projects 2 and 3.

Project 2

A dog drawstring bag. The book calls it a ditty bag. Right now it is sans drawstring.

Project 3

Tissue holder! I made one for myself, for Jeremy, and for Maya.

Finished the Simple Tote sewing project!

2010-08-02T12:06:00.000-07:00

First sewing project has been completed out of Lotta Jansdotter's book. Time to start celebrating. For those that are interested , I've included a link to Amazon below.

Sis-in-law visit!

2010-08-02T12:03:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law Ali is in town for a visit! She flew in from Houston yesterday.

From the airport, we took a leisurely drive on 99 into Ballard.

We had some fun walking through the Sunday Ballard market. We looked at various booths and listened to the musicians.

After making it up one side of the street, we stopped by Harry's Hamburgers for some tasty nom noms.

We headed back down the other side of the street towards the car. I bought some olive bread by The Tall Grass Bakery and a BPA cup at the Monster store.

Craft room is now a guest room!

2010-08-02T09:27:00.000-07:00

On Friday after after getting approval from Jeremy, all my cluttered items from my craft room exploded into the living room.

24 hours later, it all went back into the craft room. Less 2 bags of books to go to Half Price books, a few bags of recycling and other garbage.

Set up the old futon frame, and voila! A guest room!

Trip to Mt. Rainier

2010-07-27T06:52:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, Jeremy, Joel and I headed to Mt. Rainier to visit our friend Scott. Scott is working as a ranger for the summer.

After he showed us the cabin that he was sharing with his sister, he took us to a point nearby where we could get a really nice photo of Mt. Rainier. We forgot our camera, but I have included a photo of the spot taken with my iPhone 4. Joel, who has a digital SLR went to get a photo and managed to fall and hurt himself.

We took a shuttle to the Nisqually Falls trail and hiked down it. We then took the shuttle up to Paradise, but it was super crowded. We got off the shuttle, hung out for less than 30 minutes, and then headed back down.

After a bottle of Joel's homemade brew, we headed to the Copper Creek Inn for dinner and a slice of fresh blackberry pie.

Stalled out on projects

2010-07-23T07:58:00.001-07:00

I stalled out on my tote bag. Issues with the zigzag stitch and tension issues. I went to Quality Vacuum and Sewing last night, and I think I figured out the problem. Now to learn to sew close to the edge to protect the fabric from fraying!

I have a few more items in the queue. I've been washing fabric, and trying to cut things out, to get everything ready to make while Jer is out camping with his cousin Jeff.

Drawing Lab : Lab 2

2010-07-21T09:20:00.000-07:00

This is from my second drawing lab, where you draw an animal figure from an image. The drawing instrument never leaves the page, and you never look at what you are drawing. I started off with a giraffe, then an elephant, and finally an image of Gravity.

I doctored the photo of the elephant with eyes and some trunk wrinkles when I was done, I was so pleased with how it looked.

Drawing Lab : Lab 1

2010-07-21T09:18:00.001-07:00

I am currently going through a new book that I bought at the Sunday Fremont Market. The book is Drawing Lab for Mixed Media Artists : 52 Creative Exercises to Make Drawing Fun! by Carla Sonheim. You can purchase the book from Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Lab-Mixed-Media-Artists-Exercises/dp/1592536131/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1279729095&sr=8-1-spell

Here are some drawings of cats from Lab 1

Cool classes to take in Seattle area

2010-07-20T18:56:00.000-07:00

A book making class from the SCBA.
http://www.seattlebookarts.org/classes-and-events/scba

How to make a tote bag.
http://www.stitchesseattle.com/pages/events.html

A drawing class from Carla Sonheim
http://carlasonheim.wordpress.com/2010/07/12/teaching-update/

Art retreat/classes from Teesha and Tracy Moore
http://teeshaslandofodd.com/1/workshops/workshops.html