Kickball!!!

I can't wait for Kickball to start again with our kick ass team and our tasty refreshments!

Sasquatch 2009

The 2009 Line up was announced today! Check it out at sasquatchmusicfestival.blogspot.com/2009 

Artist include: Jane's Addiction, NIN, Ben Harper, Erykah Badu, TV On the Radio, Silversup Pickups

Can't wait for Year 4. Here is a trip down memory lane...

Sasquatch 2006

Total in group:7

Number of Cars: 1

Most Exciting Moment: The hail

Artists: Ben Harper, The Flaming Lips, the Shins, Iron and Wine, Sufjan Stevens, Common Market, Beck, Death Cab, Matisyahu, The Decemberists, Nada Surf, Blue Scholars

Sasquatch 2007

Total in Group: 18

Number of Cars: 4

Most Exciting Moment: The wind

Artists: Bjork, Arcade Fire, Manu Chao, M.I.A., Citizen Cope, Beastie Boys (didn't see due to the wind), Michael Franti & Spearhead, Spoon, Ozomatli, Mirah, Smoosh, Common Market.

Sasquatch 2008

Total in Group: 10

Number of Cars: 2

Most Exciting Moment: Wine in a box

Artists:  R.E.M, The Cure, Modest Mouse, Flaming Lips, M.I.A. Death Cab, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Tegan and Sara, The Presidents of the United States of America

Love Day

I had the perfect Valentine's Day. We were all a little worried about filling a full day with love but found a great balance between friends and our special loved one discovering so many great new things. 

In the morning Peter and I completed our 5 mile run our our road to running a 1/2 marathon. Peter spent 5 minutes watching his beloved Oregon Ducks get killed by the Huskies before we met up with Jody and Anton to go on a wine tasting adventure in Woodinville. John and Emily soon joined us for our wine and chocolate pairing at Novelty Hill Winery. Spent some time hoping to score the bocce court but as the sun fell behind the trees opted to go to Chateau St. Michelle for another wine tasting. Discover this great decantur devise technically called the a Wine Aerator. Where you pour wine into the top and it sucks in air before the wine comes out the bottom automatically decanting the wine. We tried wine that was aerated versus not and the difference was crazy. The one at the Chateau was selling for $50 but I did find some online for $35. 

A lot of us were starving from not having lunch so we stopped by Red Hook for a drink and appetizer before heading to our dinners.  I tried their new light beer Slim Change that was just released this month. It is going to be the year-round light ale and is named for a daredevil kiteboarding trick. I was pretty tasty!

 

At last we headed to dinner at Andaluca in the Mayflower hotel on 4th and Olive.  Where we had a delicious set course. The ahi tuna was perfectly spiced and absolutely divine. The lobster risotto had more lobster meat than I could eat and we gladly took what we couldn't eat home for a midnight snack. The meal was finished with a fabulous chocolate mousse in the shape of a heart paired with a champagne toast. 

 

Confessions of a Shopaholic

What I learned in that Economics class that I didn't study for from the Chief Revenue Forecaster for the state of Washington Dr. Arun Raha, is that the only way to fix our economy is to spend more. With this in mind, I recommend everyone to get in the spending spirit by seeing Confessions of a Shopaholic. Not only is Borat's wife Miss Isla Fisher absolutely darling and has a fantastic dance scene, it is a great story of dreaming big and to never give up on doing what you love. 

Home Economics vs. Economic Homework

I spent last Thursday studying instructions on the cupcake box instead of studying the instructions on how to calculate the profit-maximizing output for a purely competitive firm. I just found much more utility in making pink sweet treats. But I may have gone a little overboard...

Nightly Ritual

Well it seems I turned 85 1/2 on Feb 2nd (actually my 25 1/2 birthday) for my boyfriend and I have started very geriatric nightly rituals. I write my blog and he completes the USA Today crossword puzzle. Of course he says this blog is just another one of my flights of fancies and won't last a week, but I shall prove him wrong.  

Bocce Ball at Golden Gardens

I spent the afternoon at Golden Gardens playing a few games of bocce ball. I of course, after a  valiant effort to come from behind was not able to even come close to catching Peter who won game 1 or John winner of game 2. Emily did a much better job of holding her own. 

Bocce is an Italian game traditionally played on an oyster shell court. Our game on sand was not confined to any boundaries and was encouraged by obstacles such as logs, holes, and even benches and fire pits. Many times the pallino (the white ball that is thrown at the start of the round that each player tries to come closest too) was out of sight.  Although I am a sore loser, it was a wonderful afternoon with friends. 

John and Emily

Fantastic Fabrics

So I have pretty much spent an entire day admiring other blogs and their inspirational design ideas. 

One website that struck my fancy was jcarolinecreative.com This website is your one stop shop for fantastic fabric, ribbon, scrap-booking material and craft supplies. All looks lovely but don't know what you could possibly make with it? Do not fret! The How To's tab has DIY step-by step-instructions on everything from upholsters chairs, storage baskets and a variety of bags to crash courses in binding and cording.

Time to dig out grandma's sewing machine and get creative with color!

Random Acts of Kindness

In a budgeting class study session last week I helped a fellow student with graphing her polynomial regression projection model. To my surprise, the next day I received a Starbucks gift-card as an expression of gratitude.  The ROI on lending a helping hand is enormous. In our present economic situation I challenge myself and others to unselfish random acts of kindness. You don't have to win the volunteer of the year award or end starvation. Just do that little extra something that might make a huge difference in another persons day. 

"To the world you may be just one person, but to one person you may be the world"  - Anonymous

Gabbing around Greenlake

A favorite Seattle pastime is meeting a friend at the Greenlake Starbucks, grabbing your beverage of choice (today an apple chai) and conducting a catching up chat around the lake. A sunny Saturday like today is full of great spectacles. Babies, puppies, street musicians, and girl running in flip flops all provide for 2.8 miles of great entertainment. I’m just glad bicyclist didn’t yell us at again. Seriously, who rides their bike around Greenlake? And, you don’t have to be so mean when we are accidentally in the wrong lane.

Philly's Flights of Fancy

The walls of my room in high school were canvassed with everything I loved. From friends to fashion I posted everything I fancied. Through the string of dorm rooms and apartments I have lived since, my collection of interests and inspirations was never reinvented. Now, 10 years later I hope this will serve the same purpose as the four walls of my teenage bedroom ~ my canvas to post my flights of fancy.