Feel the riddim

The sky looks the same tonight as the night I saw Cool Runnings. Big white moon, small puffy dark clouds gliding over its surface, blue alternating with black. I thought the moon followed us through the empty, taciturn plains of east central Minnesota. I thought my dad was in on it. I cleaned the foggy windows with my sleeve. I didn't let it leave my sight.

Tonight I'm driving, and the moon doesn't care to follow me. Miles of buses line up, dark, lingering; anticipating the spill of football fans into the street. Anything but silent.

Just this tragic figure

Diamonds, roses,
I need Moses
to cross this sea of loneliness,
part this red river of pain.

My lungs hurt from singing along. The busiest day in a long time doesn't remove it and even the moonlight dancing on the Puget Sound can't take it away.

I don't necessarily buy
any key to the future
or happiness, but I
need a little place in the sun sometimes
or I think I will die.

I'm relinquishing the battle.

The best day of my life

I am lucky to have a beautiful, smart friend who is dating a talented guy who plays for a team that is doing well. That's about all I have to say. Grant is a pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays (used to play for the Twins and still has a house in MN) and Angie was his Ortho PA; we went to grad school together at rotated at Madigan, so Mariner's games are what we do! The Rays are playing the Mariners right now, so I got to spend the day with them. It was fun. I like Australians. And teams that are at the top of their division. And getting free stuff at the Phiten store, VIP tickets, a meal, etc. And, as if that wasn't enough, they bought me flowers!

I also got to meet and have dinner with Ryan Rowland-Smith of the M's. I had the unfortunate role of telling him how to drive around Seattle. If he would have listened to my directions, we would have been fine!

In any event, here are a few pics from the day.

I have GOT to go to bed.

Mad Men

So I happened across Mad Men tonight. I'd heard good things about it and heard it had several Emmy nominations. Funny thing, this guy I went to college with is in it. His name is Rich Sommer, he's brilliant; I loved his improv in the Concordia drama department, and I still love his acting. It took me a little while to figure out where I recognized him from in the Devil Wears Prada, and he's been in a couple of Verizon commercials. In any event, I'm happy to see he's made it, and on a very well-done show, nonetheless. 

A few of my favorite things, Seattle style

1. Molly Moon's Homemade Ice Cream, Wallingford. 

I LOVE this place. In fact, last night, after the sun set, I stood in line for half an hour along with couples, families, and dogs, the smell of fresh-baked waffle cones wafting into the street. What can I say... where else can a girl get Salted Caramel or Balsamic Strawberry ice cream? I mean really.

www.mollymoonicecream.com

2. Elliott Bay Book Company, Pioneer Square

Located in the historical district of Seattle, Elliot Bay books is a harbor in the tempest... or at least in the rain. The floors are nice and squeaky, just the way they should be, and you can get lost in dark nooks and crannies. 

www.elliotbaybook.com

3. The Baguette Box, Capitol Hill and Fremont

So apparently I like places with dogs on the sign. The first time I had their tofu baguette, I was in love. A soft baguette is stuffed with crispy, coconut-braised tofu, pickled daikon carrots, garlic aioli, cilantro, and avocado, all for $5. Yummo.

4. Ray's Boathouse, Ballard

The seafood is perhaps the best Seattle has to offer, but I take my guests here for one thing, and one thing only... the view. 

5. All of the Farmer's Markets, Capitol Hill, Queen Anne, University District, West Seattle, Ballard, Phinney Ridge...

6. Cafe Vivace, Capitol Hill 

Seattle has done it to me, like thousands of others... made us coffee drinkers. This place turns

coffee into art. Don't you want it? 

 

7. Velouria, Ballard

The cutest boutique in the city, Velouria boasts indie designers and artists who don't sell out

to mass production along the way. 

http://shopvelouria.tripod.com

8. Theo's Chocolates, Fremont

I went on a factory tour with my friend Elizabeth and a bunch of old ladies. It was wonderful. 

You don hairnets, tour the plant, sample along the way, and at the end, eat AS MUCH of their organic, fair trade chocolate as you want. Fig and fennel, bread and chocolate, hazelnut crunch, almond, vanilla, chai tea, or my favorite: curry. I felt like Augustus Gloop. I almost barfed. 

www.theochocolate.com

9. Easy Street Records, Queen Anne

I can't decide if I like them or Sonic Boom better, but all the great music in this place makes me *happy*. And I like their star logo. 

www.buymusichere.net/stores/easystreet

10. Cupcake Royale, West Seattle, Ballard, and Madrona

You know I had to wrap the list up with sweets! It's a simple concept: take two flavors of cake (chocolate and vanilla, well, and red velvet and carrot) and top the cupcakes with different flavors of buttercream. These cupcakes transcend all others. Serious.

www.cupcakeroyale.com

More to come...

Clear as a bell

My sister got married yesterday. In atypical Minnesota fashion, and much to Weather.com's chagrin, the weather agreed and was not, in fact, severe. It was the perfect day; Michelle was stunning, the setting (perched above Lake Superior) was serene, the reception was intimate. My sister seems to have found the "man for the job" as Ken says, they seem happy, and that's all you can ask for, right? 

I went alone, because that's how I roll.

As I got in the cab to leave, Some Day My Prince Will Come by Miles Davis played, tinny, through the speakers. So this begs the question - will he? Or, perhaps more importantly, do I want him to?

Nonetheless, it was good to be home. Sometimes I feel like Minnesota is made of gumdrops and lollipops, other times, it's painful to be there. That said, I'm still not sure what's meant for me. I saw some wonderful friends who I miss terribly and for whom I would move back in a second. 

And now the weekend's over, the adrenaline is waning, the comfort of home is behind me. I'm somewhere over the Rockies now, turning to Rosie Thomas for advice and, let me tell you, she's good. 

"When will love ever find me?

Who cares, anyway

'Cause when it's over

All that matters 

Is the love you gave away"

I guess with or without a prince/pseudoprince/amphibian, I'm blessed. Blessed with friends who I love and love me, a mom who turns the other cheek like the saint she is, a sister who can love someone more freely than I ever may, a brother who values me, and a home that may sooner than later satisfy my proverbial sweet tooth. 

I guess time will tell, clear as a bell. 

How How Why Why Why?

I originally chose to see this play because of the poster of a flying Dachshund, and it doesn't hurt that the tickets are $10 at the Seattle Repertory Theater. In any event, maybe it's because we hail from the same state, or his shrewd self-deprecation or acumen for storytelling, or because, by virtue of my new job, I get to take care of folks like him, but I really enjoyed "How How Why Why Why". Kevin Kling, a regular contributor to NPR who likens himself to the Hunchback of Notre Dame, was born with a left arm abnormality and, to add insult to injury (or vice versa, as it were) sustained a motorcycle accident in 2001, rendering his right side paralyzed. He tells the story of his rehabilitation, coinciding with our nation's recovery; illustrating his physical trials (including a funny story for the title of the play) and the pain he endured and joy he ultimately experienced, culminating in a week's preparation for a cocktail weenie and tears over the taste of an apple after a year of a TPN. He paints a picture of his childhood and my home; from the dry wit of the people to the farmland I may as well have grown up on, to that fateful intersection of Lake and Lyndale where his accident occurred. His anecdotes are spot-on, endearing, Prairie Home Companion-esque. Twangy-but-clear Simone Perrin, mostly on accordion, peppers the show with greats like Nina Simone's (Willie Nelson's, Rosie Thomas's) "Let it Be Me" and throughout the evening, the author looks over in admiration, closes his eyes, smiles, and nods his head in approval. "How How Why Why Why" is a story of hope, of recovery, of perspective, joy and regret; a reminder that we don't choose our fate, and, like a Dachshund, to have a "can do attitude" even if you're in a "can't do body". 

List

So while at a pre-Burlesque party tonight, I saw a to-do list on the hosts' refrigerator. I think that's a good idea. On my drive home from West Seattle, I decided that I need a list of things to accomplish this year (or within the next seven, let's be honest), and to keep me somewhat accountable, here it is, for all the internet to read.

1.   Play the guitar that's sitting in my room (I actually just did, it wasn't pretty)

2.   Live greener

3.   Learn to sail (Center for Wooden Boats, here I come)

4.   Read the Bible cover to cover

5.   Try to ski

6.   At least attempt to train for Alex's "Lowest Expectations" Triathlon in August

7.   See whales! Lots and lots of whales! (San Juans, May 9-11!)

8.   Read the classics sitting on my bookshelf

9.   Obtain real estate in Seattle

10. Take advantage of the tuition reimbursement my job gives me

I think that's good for now...

I'm back

Oh hi there.

It's been a long time. 

So, to catch up... I moved to Seattle last July. I live in a really beautiful house right next to Volunteer Park with two MDs (coincidence). I love it. Seattle is a dynamic place; it's majestially beautiful. On my walk to work in the morning, I hear a piano through stained glass windows under the canopy of sycamore trees. There's seriously a woman who walks down my street singing songs to her baby in French. And I *love* being able to pick sage from my garden in February. Right now I am knee-deep in lenten roses, hyacinths, daffodils, and muscari. The Scarlet Pimpernel tulips are next! 

Things have changed in my life. I drink coffee now. I ride the bus every day. I do yoga. I shop at farmer's markets all the time. I understand myself a little better. I am more forgiving of myself. I have a great group of friends (we're a bunch of transplants from California, Iowa, Idaho, Texas, and Virginia, mostly) and we have the best time exploring the city (mostly gustatorial!) and the greater Northwest in general. I don't know what I would do without them. There's so much to do here, and I love it. 

I changed jobs in January. It actually wasn't a choice of mine, and I face new, great challenges every day. I work with orthopaedic and plastic surgeons but practice really autonomously. I have to know a lot. It's hard. But it's great experience and I will benefit from it. The patients I see literally have had their lives come down around them, and it's gratifying to be an active part of their healing.

Lastly, my church is amazing. I go to Mars Hill, which just opened a campus downtown. My pastor, Mark, is a genius and challenges my faith and my capacity to grow and understand every week. I attend a community group in First Hill and have met and formed relationships with some really amazing, inspiring folks. Plus, we make really good tacos together. 

My sister is getting married in June in Minnesota so I'll be home then, which will be nice. 

So basically I'm livin' the good life in my favorite city. If I'm not studying at home, you might find me walking around Greenlake, or down at Alki Beach, or Pike's Place Market (or the University Farmer's Market), or eating pho at Than Brothers', or wine tasting at EVS every other Saturday, or checking out music at Sonic Boom or Easy Street Records, or seeing a show at the Moore! or at the Crumpet Shop, or down at Gasworks Park, or dreaming about sailing whilst staring at the Puget Sound, or revisiting my Norsk roots in Ballard, or on the ferry to Bainbridge Island, or up in the Skagit Valley or the San Juan Islands whalewatching or down on Mount Rainier or in Portland! Or looking for a cat at the Humane Society or trying to find a place to buy (eep!)!!!