Island getaway

We went to San Juan Island last weekend, and we had the best weather and the best time with some great friends. More pictures over at Flickr.

More funny ha-ha than funny odd

Last night, J.R. and I went to the Oddball Comedy and Curiosity Festival with some friends. I have to separate the evening (more like day-long saga) into two separate factions to do it justice, however. There was the actual festival itself (awesome and hilarious), and then there was getting to and from the festival (awful, horrible, no-good, truly terrible). Luckily, the comedians separated the getting to and getting from portions, which I think is mainly what kept all of us from becoming homicidal, though it was pretty touch-and-go there for awhile.

Getting to the venue -- the White River Amphitheatre -- was, as expected, a drawn-out affair. If you've ever been anywhere near Seattle, you know that traffic is one of the many things this area does well (wearing Gortex a lot and putting espresso stands on every corner are some of the others). Thus, we were well-prepared to sit in a lot of Friday afternoon traffic. And we did.

Then we bought overpriced food and drink (totally expected, although I was a surprised when they took the caps off our bottles of soda -- I know why they do this with beer, but does anyone know why they did it for the Coke?), and made our way to a patch of grassy knoll suitable for viewing several hours of hilarity. Whitney Cummings was very funny, although perhaps overly obsessed with weird sex acts; I'd never seen Chris Hardwick or Hannibal Buress before, and now I'd definitely like to see more; and Demetri Martin was hilarious as always. The big three for our show were: Sarah Silverman, Aziz Ansari, and Louis C.K. Sarah Silverman has always been rather hit-or-miss for me, and last night was no different. She said she was trying out new material, and it showed. Aziz fucking killed it. He made the whole night worth it, and then he was followed by Louis. It was awesome. What's interesting about a festival like this is how it showcases some truly different comedy styles -- I love Louis and Aziz pretty much every time I see them, but putting them back-to-back was a little weird. Aziz is very high energy and excited, and Louis is ... not. He still cracks me up, but it was an odd juxtaposition. On the whole, a really fantastic show; if it comes near you, go see it. Except if it is in a venue like this one.

This venue holds around 20,000 people. And it's in the middle of nowhere, so everyone drove a car to get there. And those people are all there at the same time. And they leave at the same time. All on the same road. Which is one lane in each direction. So, when you're leaving the venue after a great night of comedy and you go back to your car parked in a giant field with virtually no staff in sight, it gets a bit chaotic. But surely it won't take you more than an hour just to get out of the parking lot? Oh, wait, yes, it will. And once you get out of the parking lot, you sit for another hour on the one-lane road, just trying to get back to the highway (and it's not even really a highway, more like a normal fucking sized road). Bygones. I mean, who doesn't expect it to take 12 hours to go to a comedy festival and get back home? 

Geek girl's first con

Over the weekend, J.R. and I went to Emerald City Comic Con -- it was my first time at ECCC and my first con ever, really. (Unless you count work conferences that center on publishing, and since I did get to talk to the editor of Playboy, perhaps it should count? Bygones.) J.R. and the kids have been going the past few years, and I've been too busy with work to take off for a Friday through Sunday escapade to hang out with out other geeked-out fans. Until now!

I have to admit, it was pretty awesome, and not just because I got to see multiple panels on Supernatural, my current TV obsession of choice. (Okay, it was due in large part to all things Supernatural.) I got to see Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura to those who don't know) help a couple get engaged; I got to see many, many tricked out costumes (we can't figure out why Poison Ivy is such a popular costume, but our weekend tally was somewhere around 19 Ivys); and I got to see both Jim Beaver and Mark Sheppard (Bobby and Crowley!) twice (and Kevin Chan, aka Osric Chau, lined up for a question for Mark). In sum, it was fucking awesome. I highly recommend, and I hope I can go again next year.

More pictures here, but really, a phone camera can only do so much, people.

Just a little mini-break

We went to Portland for a long weekend, and you can't go to the Rose City without a trip to Powell's. And I can't go to Powell's without buying a metric ton of books to read. This should hold me over for a week or two.

We also hit the Oregon Zoo whilst we were there, and I shot roughly a bajillion photos with my new fancy camera because: a). I love taking pictures of adorable animals; and b). I haven't really had a chance to try out all the fancy features of my camera. True, I still don't know how to use many of the fancy features of said camera, but now I've got pictures of a polar bear to make up for it.

I've seen the mountaintop

For Labor Day, J.R. and I took a day trip up to Mount Rainier, which meant the opportunity for a shit ton of photos of the mountain, evergreen trees, and random patches of snow that were still fucking frozen in September. It was pretty much good times, even though I'm scared of heights and it turns out that eating dinner in a converted train car isn't the great idea you originally thought it was. Bygones. The point is this: After much clutching of the door handle whilst we wound our way up that big-ass mountain that is also a volcano (though I try not to think about that part), we made it to Paradise. And we hiked up to see some pretty falls. And we caught some reflections on the way back.

And it only took me four years to get there.

It feels like home to me

Before I even got on the highway from picking up my rental car at the airport, I'd already given three people the finger, swore viciously, and changed lanes aggressively to get around the idiots who don't know where the fuck they're going. It feels so good to be driving in Massachusetts again, where people expect the finger and/or the horn at the slightest sign of poor driving. Whenever I let someone in on 128, I'd sigh and say, "Damn, I've been in Seattle too long."

Also, for some reason, driving fast to really loud music seems more appropriate here. Regardless of the fact that I'm driving some old-man Chevy HHR, I'm not afraid to blast the white-guy rap and pimp it up Route 3. Ah, it's good to be back.

A championship parade, 2 out of town guests, and one busy girl

Man, I'm spent. We went to the Storm championship parade, and it was fantastic. Sure, it was pouring rain and I was soaking wet before we even saw the first hints of the Storm players, but it was still worth it. Sure, this is also old, old news, but I know how you people care about my Storm life. And how much you love to look at my crappy photos taken in the rain.

After the parade on Friday night, we spent Saturday cleaning in preparation for my awesome friend Rachel's impending visit. She brought her sister, Sarah, with her for good measure, and it was a Wellesley mini-reunion in my living room! Also, good times. Unfortunately, I had to work all week, but we still got to hang out at night and do random touristy things on the weekend, including but not limited to: go to the top of the Space Needle (my first time!), and hike up to Rattlesnake Ledge, where there were no rattlesnakes but there were amazing views.

In sum: I'm tired. But happy.

On the road again

It feels like we just got back from Las Vegas (well, we kind of did), and yet I'm leaving again tonight. It's my annual sojourn back to the motherland. Home of sweet corn and 5-ways. Plus, a little stopover in Boston to see my peeps! Man, summer is going by so freaking fast. Where does the time go, people? Where?

Accomplished

The Las Vegas set is complete now. Go and chuckle at my crappy photo-taking abilities and my need to take pictures of signs. Go on. I dare you.

Cooling down

Cloudy and cool Seattle welcomed us back last night, and I have to say, it was delightful. On the way home, I played the Las Vegas mix, which currently only includes "Leaving Las Vegas" by Sheryl Crow and "Vegas Baby" by the Weepies. Clearly, I must add "Viva Las Vegas," but what else am I missing? This playlist is suffering mightily in comparison to my California mix. (Said mix is a magnum opus, people, and includes 23 songs, seven of which are titled, simply, "California.")

I'll be dammed

For some reason, I was determined to see the Hoover Dam before we left Las Vegas. It's been blisteringly hot all week, but since that didn't seem likely to change (and we leave tomorrow), we got up early this morning to hit the desert before shit got really hot. It was a short drive from Vegas out to the dam, and we drove across it (mostly so we could say we did, since it'll be closed to traffic once they finish the new bypass). I went to Arizona! I've never been before. It seemed pretty similar to Nevada, and we drove back across to park in the garage. I took a ton of photos, and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Except for all the sweating and the breathlessness from the heat. Aside from that, good times.

We came back to the hotel, and I pretty much passed out for an afternoon siesta. And then, J.R. took me to dinner at Craftsteak (due in part, at least, to his serious man-crush on Tom Colicchio). I've been to Craft in New York and it was fabulous, so I was prepared for a similar experience. And I was not let down. Shaved fennel salad, roasted chicken, potatoes au gratin, some kind of Brentwood corn dish that was so crazy good I wanted to cry. (Apparently, they can only get the corn two months out of the year. So far, the only reason I would come back to Vegas in July.) At one point, when I realized J.R. and I had been silent for quite some time (focused on our food), I said, "Don't distract me with your meaningless words." And then once I'd eaten until I was near death, I topped it all off with monkey bread with a brown sugar and banana ice cream. J.R. got the ice cream/sorbet sampler, and I tasted his maple bacon ice cream (it tasted like bacon) and the pineapple chili sorbet (had a little kick). Oh, man, it was all so good, I need bigger pants.

Show of shows

Today, we pretty much rocked Las Vegas. First, we saw the Mac King Comedy Magic Show, which I have to say, was pretty fucking fantastic. I'm not a huge fan of magic (though J.R. has a few tricks that I love), but this was the perfect blend of "how'd he do that?" with many laughs and a few surprises along the way. It didn't hurt that he picked J.R. to help him with a trick up on stage (which J.R. handled quite capably).

Then we hit the strip for a few kid-friendly stops, including but not limited to the lion exhibit at the MGM Grand, the giant M&M's World, and the Coke store (with a ride up the giant Coke bottle just for fun). Dinner, and then we were off to see Cirque du Soleil's O. Also really, really good. (Though in a completely different way than Mac King. Oddly enough.)

To top off the evening, we stepped outside into the balmy 100+ heat and watched the fountain show at the Bellagio. So cool. And not just because random winds would blow some mist my way every now and again. Also not because it was in Ocean's Eleven. (Okay, partly because it was in Ocean's Eleven.) It really was beautiful, and it made me giggle with childish wonder a few times. I'm just saying.

What happens in Vegas

Pretty much hits my Flickr stream within a day or two. (Photo set here.)

Tarzan couldn't take this kind of hot

So, J.R. and I packed up the kids this morning and headed off to Vegas, baby! Now, I knew it was going to be hot. You know, a nice dry 100 degrees or so. However, having never really been in a 100-degree desert before, I didn't understand what I was getting into. It was 104 degrees when we landed today (after, may I say, one of the longest, bumpiest landings ever). It is officially hot. Hot. My eyeballs are seared hot. I will, however, bravely forge on, and see whatever sites I can. We're hoping to catch a show, and eat some good food, and hang out with some good friends. The kids, as usual, are excited about the pool.

Some things just defy all logic

I can't believe I didn't blog the entire week I was in Boston. Perhaps that's because I was too busy enjoying the awesome, forgetting to take photos, and otherwise whirlwind-ing my way through New England. I'm exhausted, and I miss my Boston peeps already, but I have to admit, I am not sorry to leave the heat behind. My body has gotten way too accustomed to cloudy and cool to deal with sunny and hawt out of nowhere. Bygones. The point is this: My sister turned 40. My friends had adorable babies. And good times were enjoyed by all.

Now back to our regularly scheduled work and going to Storm games.

Crazy, crazy weekend

I worked, played, drank, and slept very little. It was pretty rocktacular, to be truthful. I took a few pictures, but mostly just had a great time helping J.R. and Gina pull off an awesome birthday surprise for Brenner. More details to follow.

Weekend getaway

We've jetted off for the weekend to Portland, primarily to go to Powell's, eat at Chili's, and just not be in Seattle. Tragically, the Chili's is closed. This is seriously fucking tragic, people, which means that I will have to go to Powell's every day that we're here to make up for it. I've already gone once, but I spent just under $20, which is unheard of, though if I average that for three days running, I'll just about spend my usual. To make up for the Chili's pain, I will eat at Sonic. And Voodoo Doughnuts.

I think I'll go to Boston

On the other hand, being unemployed does offer the benefit of not having to save up vacation time, thus allowing me to head home for Thanksgiving tonight. I'll be in town for 10 days or so (extra-long stay = get to use JetBlue miles!), so hopefully, I'll be able to catch up with friends as well as stuff my face with turkey in the company of my family. My main concern, however, is that I'm only bringing War and Peace with me to read. Now, I'm not worried that I'm going to finish it while I'm gone, but I am worried I'm going to be all, "Fuck, I don't want to read any more of this depressing Russian war shit," and then get bored. 'Cause, you know, I won't have my videogames at the ready.

Trip report

This cold is sucking all my energy, but I'm determined to post about our trip to Southern California before it's really, really old news. We packed a helluva lot of stuff into our week, due in part to my rabid love of guide books. (I had two for this trip, and both were invaluable -- I was able to give lots of fun facts, which the kids totally loved. Yeah. Their basic response: When are we going to Disney?)

We were also able to incorporate seeing old friends into the trip, which was awesome. I met J.R.'s friend, Aye Jaye, and we watched him in action at the Magic Castle on the fourth. We also took a hike with Tom and Polly, which gave me an appreciation for just how freaking hot it can be down there. My friend Michelle was moving to Houston shortly after we arrived, but we still squeezed in time for dinner and the most fabulous pie ever (I went with Lemon Lush, and I don't care what everyone else got). We also got to hang out with Kara and had dinner at the Crab Pot, where I discovered the joy of food being dumped on the table. Also, I ate fish. I'm so proud. Tragically, I was too full to partake of the strawberry-rhubarb cake, and I'm still a little sad about that. Actually, a lot sad, now that you mention it.

Otherwise, it went like this: Walk of Fame, Hollywood sign, beach, Disney, Disney, Disney, San Diego Zoo! Baby giraffes! Did I mention baby giraffes? Also, baby meerkats.

(If you want to look at a bunch of my boring vacation shots, they can all be found here.)

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

We're back from our whirlwind tour of Southern California, and it was awesome. Also, it was freaking sunny and clear the entire week. Seriously. Did not even see a cloud. I have never been so happy to see rainy Seattle in my life. Sure, the SPF 70 had me covered (and I reapplied vigorously), but still. I am not meant for that much sunshine, people. Oui, it was too beautiful for me. I had to leave.

Pictures, anecdotes, etc., to come.