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You know what I would love? Good places for going out to breakfast in NE Seattle! I don't go out for breakfast that often but it sure would be nice to have some solid places. Today we went to Hattie's and it was great, but it's over in Ballardia. I'd love to find something closer for when my folks or other out of town guests are here. Suggestions, LiveJournal friends?
I'm feeling all emo today about my pets. Yesterday, Sarah and Cari's sweet dog, Georgie, passed away. Georgie was a little mixed mutt like Charis, and they were around the same age. Before Charis got so overly aggro toward other dogs, she and Georgie even played together a little bit. That is, Dan tried to play ball with them, and Georgie went and rolled around in a rotten dead fish while Charis ignored her :) Georgie was kind of awesome because she was "co-owned" by friends who lived in different households, so she was comfortable with different people and well-mannered, except for her compulsion to roll around in stinky stuff.
Sooooo... my two remaining pets are kinda reaching that point too. Charis (age 12?) has gone mostly white, and we're noticing just recently that she's getting stiff and sore-looking, especially in the morning, kind of hobbling around. She can't play ball like she used to, and seems to be so tired all the time. Leolo (15) is becoming a little bag o' bones kitty, although he still wants to play with yarn and go outside. I think both are getting to the end of life, but not with any obvious illness, just... old age, I guess. I can't bear to think of losing them. When I do, like right now, I well up with tears. I wouldn't give up the joy and love I get from having pets but it's sure hard to go through the endings.
Sooooo... my two remaining pets are kinda reaching that point too. Charis (age 12?) has gone mostly white, and we're noticing just recently that she's getting stiff and sore-looking, especially in the morning, kind of hobbling around. She can't play ball like she used to, and seems to be so tired all the time. Leolo (15) is becoming a little bag o' bones kitty, although he still wants to play with yarn and go outside. I think both are getting to the end of life, but not with any obvious illness, just... old age, I guess. I can't bear to think of losing them. When I do, like right now, I well up with tears. I wouldn't give up the joy and love I get from having pets but it's sure hard to go through the endings.
Working it out
Mar. 9th, 2010 01:39 pmI decided that, while I enjoy the mental break of walking/running on a treadmill while watching tv shows on my iPhone, I don't think it's doing all that much for my body shape or posture. Weight lifting is really the way to go, I think. And I keep reading that free weights and using your own body weight resistance is better than the machines. So I worked up a plan for the week and went to the gym at lunch... damn if I can't find everything I need in any one room or space down there! The IMA has mats, all kinds of free weights and racks and bars and machines and stability balls located across 4 floors and a bunch of different rooms. It was kind of frustrating to be wandering all over the place looking for equipment. I'm thinking the top floor will be best for most things, but I'll probably have to carry a bunch of stuff up with me. Or change my plans. Curses!
Catching up on sleep
Nov. 11th, 2009 11:38 amLast night we headed out to the cabin. Before we left I was starting to kind of feel like crap, really cold and tired. I had taken out my contacts and was wearing glasses. It just made it so hard to get going! But we finally hit the road in the pouring rain. Almost immediately the tarp over the stuff in the back of the truck started flapping around so Dan pulled off to the side of the 45th/50th exit so we could strap it down better. So of course a big truck took the exit, sending a huge spray of water over us both! Dan's pants were drenched, and it hit me right in the face, in my eyes, soaking my glasses... ugh. It was kind of the last straw and I just started to cry. Luckily I'd brought a bunch of comedy albums for the road trip so was able to get out my funk.
So here I am. Fell asleep during "Dexter" and slept really well for probably 11 hour. Kinda makes up for the night before!
Posted via LiveJournal.app.
New old hair
Oct. 14th, 2009 11:45 amI dyed my hair black again Monday night. I'm happy (though I missed a couple of spots -- how is that possible with black dye AND the fact that I've been coloring my own hair since the '80s?). However, last night I straightened it to see what it would look like and it's remarkably like a wig I used to wear sometimes -- 18 years ago, in fact! I found this pic on my computer at work that I must have scanned in a long time ago and it was labeled "Halloween 1991." Ha!
As everyone in Washington & Oregon knows by now, it it damn hot here (for us). So Dan thought it would be a great idea to make Charis run through the sprinkler with him to cool off. Great idea, but then when we weren't looking I guess she thought it would be fun to roll around in a dirt pile too:
Poor dog had to have another hose-down before getting to come into the house again.
Poor dog had to have another hose-down before getting to come into the house again.
New pub in my 'hood
Apr. 17th, 2009 04:31 pmI hopped off the bus today at 15th & Lake City so I could check out the wine shop; looks like we have a new fancy pub in our neighborhood:
It looks upscale, like a good place to take a date or visiting parents. I get really excited when new restaurants and bars open in my neighborhood because it's kind of boring right now. It's too bad this place opened where Anita's Bistro (the only Indian place) closed. I want more cool stuff within walking distance, please!
The Washington Beer Blog wrote a post about it with some nice interior pictures:
http://washingtonbeerblog.com/2009/04/14/the-hudson-new-american-public-house-open-for-business/
It looks upscale, like a good place to take a date or visiting parents. I get really excited when new restaurants and bars open in my neighborhood because it's kind of boring right now. It's too bad this place opened where Anita's Bistro (the only Indian place) closed. I want more cool stuff within walking distance, please!
The Washington Beer Blog wrote a post about it with some nice interior pictures:
http://washingtonbeerblog.com/2009/04/14/the-hudson-new-american-public-house-open-for-business/
Kazuki's sweater
Dec. 13th, 2008 03:56 pmMy friend Charlie and his wife Tomoko had a baby earlier this year (end of February?) and I made him my very first baby knits -- a little cardigan and some matching booties. It looks like he's grown enough to wear them now, and Charlie sent me some pix. What a totally adorable kid! I can totally see both Mom & Dad in him.
The cutest shoes
Nov. 20th, 2008 10:40 pmWow, I just came across a site with the cutest baby shoes I've ever seen! I almost wish I had a toddler to buy these for (j/k, no kids for me :))
They're probably too expensive considering how fast kids grow but damn!
See Kai Run
They're probably too expensive considering how fast kids grow but damn!
See Kai Run
Garden stuff
May. 4th, 2008 05:33 pmWhat an awesome day! I planted artichoke, chard, carrots, peas, tomatoes, beans, corn, zucchini, winter squash, parsley, mint, and cilantro. Still need to add some cucumbers, spinach, maybe beets and some lettuce, and I supposed I could try broccoli though it never worked that well for me in the past.
Swiffer covers
Apr. 30th, 2008 07:43 pmI found a new easy knitting project that I can pick up any time I don't feel like working on one of my more complicated pieces, and it's so totally practical! Like many people I bought into the Swiffer deal, but have come to think it's pretty wasteful; not only do you have to keep buying new Swiffer cloths but they aren't really very environmentally friendly when you throw them away. I stopped buying the cloths and have wrapped old dish towels on the mop, with limited success. But here, I present knitted, reusable Swiffer covers! They're quick & easy to make, and can be made with super-cheap cotton yarn (I used up some leftover Lily Peaches 'n' Cream). The seed-stitch pad is cushy and can actually scrub the floor, and they're reversible. I started with a pattern I found on Ravelry that included "bobbles" to hold the things on but after the first two I figured that wasn't necessary so I streamlined things and found something that works great!
I need to write more & post photos from last weekend with my folks but America's Next Top Model is on in a few, so maybe later :) In the short term, here's a picture of my beautiful old dog, Charis, hanging out on the beach last Friday:
I need to write more & post photos from last weekend with my folks but America's Next Top Model is on in a few, so maybe later :) In the short term, here's a picture of my beautiful old dog, Charis, hanging out on the beach last Friday:
MP3 player recs
Mar. 26th, 2008 09:26 pmI have a cute little Sansa Sandisk MP3 player. In the past I wasn't all that attached to having portable music but now that I have this, a "napster to go" subscription, and a last.fm account I use it all the time, especially since it's so easy to plug into stereos and bring a whole bunch of music in a tiny little device. However, now that I'm so in love, 4g is not enough space. One band leads to another in this social networking world and I want to download more than can fit at any given time.
So I'd love to hear recommendations from friends if you have a fave player that's 8g or larger & not too expensive. I am seeking anything but ipod, due to the fact that I'm using Napster and would prefer not to be tethered to iTunes.
So I'd love to hear recommendations from friends if you have a fave player that's 8g or larger & not too expensive. I am seeking anything but ipod, due to the fact that I'm using Napster and would prefer not to be tethered to iTunes.
Pretty yarn
Mar. 2nd, 2008 08:41 pmI'm knitting a cabbie/newsboy hat using the gorgeous Manos Del Uruguay yarn that Dan bought me for Christmas. The colors are decidedly fall -- rust, orange, brown -- but I'm going to keep working on it and see what I get. I'm modifying a pattern that was meant for a kid or small adult, and I have a big noggin so we'll see what happens.
Well, that was nice! I dragged my old bike out of the garage and brought it to work today. It really is probably in good shape, not having been ridden much, but the tires were flat and some stuff had fallen on it in the garage sometime over the past 6 or 7 years, so I wanted to get a tuneup and make sure everything was running well and safe to ride (no cracked rubber parts or dried out brakes). I took it to the Student bike shop on my lunch break and they said it would be $50 for a full tune, which I wanted. I just picked it up and they only charged my $18, less than the price of the "Quick Tune," even! I noticed on the receipt that the guy had scratched out "Full Tune" and wrote, "Just do the whole thing." Nice kids! Now it's all shiny and clean, too :)
Some knitting
Dec. 5th, 2007 05:25 pmI'm just not good at being a knitting blogger. There are a ton of inspiring and creative knitters out there who keep the bloglines interesting. Me, I get my pleasure out of the knitting, and then the wearing (or gifting) of my creation. I'm pretty psyched to realize that I now have an overflowing bin full of pretty sweaters and skirts that were hand-knit by me that I love to wear. And wearing them is the only way I get to show them off because I don't take enough photos of them.
Well, as it turns out, I take horrid self-portraits, which is part of the holdup. I like some of my hand-held, self-absorbed, look-at-me MySpace-esque self-portraits because I can usually get a flattering angle. However, they don't show off the knitwear very well. When I set the camera on a tripod, I end up with unflattering, cranky-looking shots that make me feel ugly. So I will just use my darling dressmaker dummy as a model from now on, because it works for me.
My most recent finished object, finished last week. This is the "Back to School U-Neck Vest" from one of my favorite designers/books, Stefanie Japel's "Fitted Knits." I've knit 4 of the patterns from this book so far, and 5 from Stefanie. Malabrigo worsted in Velvet Grapes.
Two-Tone Shrug, also from "Fitted Knits," in Cascade 220 Moss-green and a heather for the contrast.
Indigo Ripples skirt by Kat Coyle - Rowan Denim in Nashville. I love this skirt so much and have worn it probably 8 times already. It's a denim skirt but with some lacy/ruffle-y stuff that makes me feel pretty when I wear it.
Buster baby cardigan from a Rowan book, using some KnitPicks wool (combo of superwash & regular wool). This is for Charlie & Tomoko's baby-to-be, Charles Stellmon VI :) It was fun to knit and I am going to make some simple booties in the same colors to match.
Well, as it turns out, I take horrid self-portraits, which is part of the holdup. I like some of my hand-held, self-absorbed, look-at-me MySpace-esque self-portraits because I can usually get a flattering angle. However, they don't show off the knitwear very well. When I set the camera on a tripod, I end up with unflattering, cranky-looking shots that make me feel ugly. So I will just use my darling dressmaker dummy as a model from now on, because it works for me.
My most recent finished object, finished last week. This is the "Back to School U-Neck Vest" from one of my favorite designers/books, Stefanie Japel's "Fitted Knits." I've knit 4 of the patterns from this book so far, and 5 from Stefanie. Malabrigo worsted in Velvet Grapes.
Two-Tone Shrug, also from "Fitted Knits," in Cascade 220 Moss-green and a heather for the contrast.
Indigo Ripples skirt by Kat Coyle - Rowan Denim in Nashville. I love this skirt so much and have worn it probably 8 times already. It's a denim skirt but with some lacy/ruffle-y stuff that makes me feel pretty when I wear it.
Buster baby cardigan from a Rowan book, using some KnitPicks wool (combo of superwash & regular wool). This is for Charlie & Tomoko's baby-to-be, Charles Stellmon VI :) It was fun to knit and I am going to make some simple booties in the same colors to match.
