The Red Elvises

I didn't get a lot accomplished after I purchased my new iPhone. If last year's release was the bar to go by, this year's iPhone release rated a negative 10. What a miserable experience.

The biggest problem this year was they were forcing the activations in the store, instead of being able to buy the phone and activate it online at home. A 5 minute purchase therefore turned into a 20 minute plus ordeal. And that is if you already had an account.

The Bellevue Square Apple store made bad decisions. AT&T's system went down Friday night. They gave out 60 vouchers, unbeknownst to those of us who went to wait in line at 6 am. Jeremy and I had gotten there early and were in spots 9 and 10. Well, as the morning went on, we were told that the people who had received vouchers would get priority. The problem with this, is the voucher people were not given a set time to be at the Apple store. Jeremy and I made it to number two in line, and then 30 people with vouchers showed up at random times. We would think finally, all the voucher people were done. Next thing you know, three more people would show up.

Additionally, five hours after we showed up, we were told if you were on a corporate or business account, the Apple store would not be able to activate you, and that you had to go to the AT&T Wireless store. I went to look at the AT&T Wireless store - they only had a total of 60 16 gig iPhones. There were 62 people in front of me. I decided to call in to AT&T Wireless to have them remove my corporate fan. I've worked there before, years and years ago. I know its not a big deal to remove it. It became a big deal, and I finally had to have my friend Jason call in and walk them through it, as he had worked there more recently than I, and still knew how to walk them through.

I believe that because of that, our activations were able to go through. Yay.

Jeremy and I returned home. Synched up our phones to our computer. Played with them for a few minutes. Then we both passed out due to a lack of sleep. I took a nice 2 hour nap. I would have liked a longer nap, but I needed to get ready to see the Red Elvises at the Tractor Tavern in Ballard.

This is the 2nd time I have seen the Red Elvises. They are solid performers. I was entertained just as much as I had been the first time. They have an odd collection of followers. There were the alternatively dressed people. Skimpy clothes, lots and lots of tattoos, lots of piercings. There were the freakishly tall geeks (Those of you that are 6 ' 11 - sorry, you just don't get to stand in the front of the stage!). There were some crazy old people as well.

I went with Marisa, her cousin John, and my friend Maya. There were definitely some good times had last evening.

I need to get moving. Jeremy is biking to Ballard with a friend, and I am picking him up!

Tonight's scotch party was a success!

Today was an interesting day. The new iPhone launched. Jeremy did not manage to obtain one. He went to the AT&T store at Bellevue Square. The AT&T store ran out of the 16 gig model, and Jeremy chose not to go to the really long line at the Apple store.

Around 11:45 AM, during my lunch, I walked by to see how the line was. The line was still disgustingly long. I continued on my way and purchased 3 shirts at Nordstrom. After I tried them on at home, I have decided I like 2 of the 3 shirts. Jeremy does not like one of the shirts that I really like.

This evening we had our heavily anticipated Scotch party. Chris O, Mary Alice and Joe B, Dani and Bob T, and Darryl and his wife Lisa attended. Jeremy and I were able to taste a few scotches that we had not previously had before. Mary Alice and Joe very generously brought and left a bottle of Erde..(?)

Jeremy is currently sobering up. Tomorrow we will make a trip to the Apple store for new iPhones. We were also invited to go to the Tivoli celebration in Ballard. Jeremy will most likely go, but I will be at home. Tomorrow my friend Maya will be joining Marisa and I at the Tractor Tavern to see the Red Elvises!

Movies and Books

We haven't been out to the theater in ages. For the most part, there really hasn't been any movies out there that have struck my fancy.

In the last two months, these are the movies that I have seen on DVD (that I haven't seen previously): Jumper, Akeelah and the Bee, and Enchanted. Enchanted was as cute as you would have expected from Disney. Akeelah and the Bee was awesome. It made me want to dig out a dictionary and study words such as synecdoche. Jumper was disappointing after having seen the trailer. I gave up halfway through the movie. My husband enjoyed watching it. Hayden Christianson was a much better actor in this movie than in the Star Wars series.

I have a large amount of books hat I have checked out from the library. My favorite fiction book that I just finished was Eclipse, by Stephanie Meyer. It is a teenage fiction book, that is number three in the series. Breaking Dawn, the next book in the series is coming out in August. The movie Twilight, which is based on the first book is also coming out in August. I may drag myself out to the theater to see this movie.

Other books from the library include : How to Play a Bridge Hand, Curling for Dummies (there are some great exercises for getting into shape), Journal Revolution, Sweater Surgery, Last-Minute Fabric Gifts, and Sewing Packs, Pouches, Seats & Sacks. Who knew that the library would get them to me so fast?! I've really enjoyed the Journal Revolution book so far.

I just checked out fellow artfester Kim's blog, and see that Kim, Ellen, and Lani are starting a round robin journal. I've had various journal ideas rolling around in my head for the last couple of weeks. Hopefully this twinge of jealousy will get me off my butt, and to finally start working on it!

It feels like a Sunday.

It is 4:38 pm on Sunday afternoon.

This morning I went with the hubby to a woodcrafting store in the Georgetown area. Afterwards, we went to get coffee at the Queen Anne Cafe Ladro, where we saw Elizabeth. Elizabeth worked at Cafe Ladro before I had met Jeremy. She is now a teacher of K - 3 on the Eastside.

After coffee, we went to the Barking Dog for lunch. While we waited for the restaurant to open, we walked around the neighborhood, scoping out houses. Finished with dinner, we drove back roads to Edmonds, and bought some cheese from the Cheesemonger.

I have since gone to the grocery store to get food for dinner, started a load of laundry, washed dishes, mowed the lawn, and weeded for an hour or so. Lots more time left in my Sunday.

Still exhausted

I haven't done much since we ate dinner tonight. Jeremy grilled some bratwurst, and I steamed some broccoli.

Zzzzz. No idea why I am so exhausted.

Due to a lack of anything interesting , here are a couple of entertaining photos that I took with my iPhone. I took these when I went to get some more dog food for Gravity last week.

Quiet fourth of July.

I had a quiet fourth of July this year. My friend Jason came over and we watched a little television. My husband went to his relatives, played some softball, drank some beer, and camped overnight.

I need to go to the gym and walk Gravity, but I just don't feel motivated to do anything. I had 7 hours of sleep last night, snuck in a 15 minute nap, and I still feel wiped out.

I've been weeding through my collection of magazines, so I can sell some of them on Ebay or Craigslist. Anything else will go to Half Price books. I've got some Somerset Studio magazines and a few Art & Life/The Studio magazines that I'm willing to part with. I did check Ebay earlier. It does not seem like people are bidding on them like they have in the past. *sigh*

Cleaning out the craft (crap) room is always a daunting task. One bookshelf is clean. Only the rest of the room to go.

O, Canada!

The hubby and I celebrated Canada Day at a fellow curlers barbecue last Sunday. There were burgers, hotdogs, and freezies to eat.

There was also badminton, croquet, and bocce ball to play. I enjoyed playing a few sets of badminton and then walking through the sprinkler to cool off.

A scorcher!

Its been a very hot day in the Seattle area. From super cold weather through the middle of June to 87+ degrees today. Phew!

A mellow day. I went to the gym and had orientation. So now I know how to use some of the equipment that previously looked 'scary'. We bought some Riedel glasses to drink scotch with, and then went to the FootZone, so I could buy shoes with better arch support when I jog.

Dinner was next door at the neighbors. The temperature has finally cooled off to something bearable.

Exercise and Mai Tais.

Nothing like ruining a good workout with an ice cold, tasty Mai Tai. To be fair, it is 75+ degrees outside, and I'm only drinking half a Mai tai.

Fun with Photobooth!

Rawr!

A few more fun vacation photos.

Since the next vacation won't be until the end of August (eee! curling camp!), here are a few more of my photos from this past 4 day weekend.

Sometimes, I just hate people.

Really. This morning when I was at work, I went to the restroom. While I was washing my hands, the woman standing next to me made the comment "You look comfortable."

I look down at what I'm wearing. I have on a black t-shirt and a pair of denim capri. Excuse me?!

"You look really comfortable."

Translation : Do they really let you wear things like that to work?

Catty real estate person. I should have just said, "I'm sorry, I don't understand English" and stalked off.

Back from Newport, Oregon.

We are back from our roadtrip to Newport, Oregon.

We left last Wednesday evening. Jeremy and I drove to Edmonds, where we then took the ferry over to Kingston. We pulled into Westport around 11 pm. In the morning, we walked out to the beach for a brief amount of time. It was a short trip to the beach, because it was fairly cold and wet.

Thursday, we stopped at the Astoria Brewing Co for lunch. The beer was tasty and the food ok. Jeremy's burger was much better than my grilled fish, which was dry and tough. We walked around Astoria afterwards, picked up a new pair of shoes for Jer. Drove up to the column, to find it was closed for renovations. :P

Our next stop was in Pacific City, to visit the Pelican Brew Pub. The food that I had was better than in Astoria. The beach was sunny, the pub was hopping. We watched some unsuccessful surfers for a time. We were hoping to stay at the hotel across from the pub, but no such luck. It was completely booked up.

Because the inn across from the Pelican was booked, we drove down to a bed and breakfast in Lincoln City. We quickly settled in, and then drove to the McMenamins. As it so happened, it was Thirsty Thursday, where the brewer was there handing out samples of his fine beer. He had a CenteniAle - his 100th batch of beer that he had brewed there. My favorite of the night, ended up being their seasonal.

The next morning, we had a very yummy, but fattening breakfast. Shirley cooked up croissants with canadian bacon, sliced boiled egg, an herb sauce, and some cheddar cheese. There was also a delicious blackberry juice that they order from Schwann's. While we ate, there was an ornery seagull cawing outside for us to hurry up so he could have the scraps.

Moving on, we stopped off at the Tillamook Cheese factory. It was a very disappointing tour. Too crowded to really enjoy the visit.

We quickly left to reach our final destination in Newport, where I was able to visit with my friend Carey Jo. After getting a chance to see her humble abode and visit with her cat Gypsy, we went to the Rogue pub for lunch. We ate pulled pork sandwiches and drank lots of beer. Afterwards, we took a walk around the bay area...before heading back to the pub for more beer.

Carey Jo had to work that evening at the Aquarium. The Girl Scouts were having a sleepover in the aquarium. While she was at work, we headed to the Rogue Brewery and...drank some more beer. Jeremy and I went for a walk by the bridge after the consumption of beer and dinner. However, after the walk, Jeremy was again, lured by the siren call of Rogue beer, and back into the brewery we went.

Beer and exercise.

I've been going to the gym the last few weeks. I've gone from extremely out of shape, to mostly out of shape. I started off walking for 5 minutes, jogging for 1 minute at the 4.1 speed. Last Thursday, I was up to 2 minutes, at 4.1. Today, I was feeling like stepping out of my comfort zone. I jogged for 4 minutes at 4.4, with 4 to 5 minutes of walking. My last jog was only for 2 minutes, but it was at 4.7. The treadmill read my heart rate as over 180. My goal is to be able to job a 10 minute mile without stopping or walking.

On Sunday, Jeremy and I went to the beer festival at St. Edward's Park. It ended up being a really nice day (as crazy cold our month of June has been so far). My favorite beer this year was the Raschbier from Baron.

June also seems to be the month of seeing people from my past. I bumped into my 1st boyfriend and his parents. Bob introduced me to the woman he was with, and I put my foot in my mouth. I said," It's nice to see you again. I haven't seen you since you two got married." Unfortunately for me, it wasn't her. Oh well. Hopefully I won't bump into him again until my faux pas has been forgotten.

Busy day full of birthday parties.

Today was filled with birthday parties.

This morning I went to help my Aunt Mayme with Austin's birthday party. Austin is turning 9 in a couple of days. They party was held at a roller skating business (akin to the Skate King that I grew up with).

When we arrived there, it was fairly empty. Austin's party had 10 kids that turned out. It was fairly easy to manage compared to the previous year. I ended up putting a pair of roller skates on, and it was almost as easy as getting back on a bicycle. It was even easier after I put on the right size of roller skates (duh, roller skates are unisex. pick a size smaller). I was able to move forward fairly fast, and still have the ability to turn around and skate backwards. Pretty fancy.

After I got home, I got ready to go to Mary M's 50th birthday party. Mary M being an acquaintance of ours that we met through curling. A large amount of people that attended were curlers. It was fun to hang around, have a few beers (or rather, watch others have a few beers) and talk.

We have finished our evening with some pizza from Pagliacci's are are getting ready for a snoozefest.

Still no art, but phew! a stinky beagle fart.

Cough. Cough. As I sit here typing, Gravity is laying down next to me. Passing gas. Cough.

As for there being no art, I mean, very little art has been done. I played around with dyed paper towels a la Traci Bautista style on Monday evening.

Since then, its been work, going to the gym, dinner, walking the dog, and playing Mobwars on Facebook.

I am going to spend some time with my hubby and the beagle.

Good night.

A wet June.

Its rainy outside. They are reporting snow in the mountains at high elevations. The weather man said that el nina has not left our area yet. Sounds like we will be having a cool summer.

I have not been very productive with my arts and crafts. The last thing I completed was my grunge charms for a charmster swap. I keep thinking about making something, but I just haven't gotten there yet.

Not a whole lot of excitement at the moment. I received my LCA+ in the mail the other day. I traded 3 old LCAs, that had various issues, and got credit for them. Hence my new LCA+... yay! That's pretty much all the excitement.

I joined the gym around the corner. I've been better about taking my beagle for walks. I started playing Mobwars on Facebook. I've been reading books on curling.

I hope to make a monster stuffed animal before a friend's party tonight. Will update if I manage to get it done or worked on.

A weekend of beagles and Mai Tais.

Jeremy and I went to Bellingham to visit his cousins this weekend.

We started off by picking up Jeff at his house. I was taken on the grand tour. Gravity raced ahead of me, sniffing every corner.

We then went to Brian and Heather's to see if they wanted to have lunch. The original plan was to have potato burritos for lunch, but there was the big Ski to Sea race Memorial Day Weekend. Instead, we had philly steak subs at Davinci's.

After lunch, Jeremy helped Brian put up the fencing in their front yard, so their beagle Jessie would have a larger area to play in. Heather and I went shopping for Mai Tai supplies, dinner, and one other item for the fencing. We also made a side trip to the dog store and came away with dog treats and toys for 'the girls'.

Before dinner, Heather and I took our beagles for a nice long walk. The weather was just gorgeous.

Jeremy and Brian finished putting up the picket fence just after 8 pm. We had a late dinner of New York Steaks.

Sunday, the boys finished attempting to beagle proof the fence. Jessie and Gravity were let loose! Jessie found a hole and managed to slip into the neighbors yard. A temporary fix was inserted, and that ended the escape route.

It was also the day of the nail massacre. Brian clipped both Gravity and Jessie's nails. Poor Jessie. Brian clipped too far on 3 of her nails. Not sure how she'll react next time he tries to clip her nails.

We came home last night after a dinner of bratwurst and sauerkraut. Gravity was so exhausted, she slept all the way home.

Today was a day of housework and art. I woke up and completed 2 loads of laundry, got the grocery shopping for dinner completed, and the garbage taken out. I them went to my friend Maya's to work on my charms for an upcoming grunge charm swap. I came home, started another load of laundry, mowed the lawn, pulled some weeds for an hour.

Yay, for being industrious!

Projects - April Spiel 2008

Here are projects that I put together for Jeremy's April Spiel 2008 team.

Jeremy saved his winnings, so they were put into the memento. I surprised him with it before my Cyndy de Mayo party.

I've already handed one out, just two more to give out. I will probably see the rest of his team members at the banquet on May 17th.

Cyndy de Mayo

Its the big 35 for me today. Its sunny, bright, and about 63 degrees outside.

I'm suffering from a small headache leftover from my Cyndy de Mayo party last night. Not sure why, as I only drank a pint of beer.

Cyndy de Mayo was a huge success. My neighbors Tom, Doug, and Dani and their children all dropped by. My best guy friend Jason and my friend Rajesh, both used to work with me at AT&T came to drink and eat. It was great to see Rajesh, as I haven't seen him in two years. Jeremy's cousin Jeff drove down from Bellingham, Mark and Lisa who supplied the beer. A whole roomful of curlers came to celebrate including: Melissa, Joe R, Joe B and Mary Alice, Chris O, Bob T, Sara S and hubby, Lisa M and her son Derek. Mark and Lisa.

Presents were not required, but were happily accepted. The mini keg of Georgetown porter which was incredibly tasty, 4 bottles of wine, a 6 pack of beer, tequila and margarita mixer, a dozen pink roses, a hand knit brown scarf, and a movie.

A grand time was had by all. It was sad to see everybody go, and I hope to see them all again soon.

It's nice to be missed....

An Ode to Cyndy popped up in my instant messenger today. It was from one of my buddies that I contracted with at a previous job. Sounds like she might be frustrated with another contractor. However, it was a bit of silliness and fun that brightened up my day.

"cyndy angel...
Oh how I truly miss my
cyndy angel...
and her keen eye for the details,
cyndy angel...
she always got things right, my
cyndy angel...
even when she got things wrong,
cyndy angel...
oh how I truly miss my cyndy aaaaaaaaangellllll..."

by an anonymous buddy of mine