the husband’s menu: tater tot casserole
my menu: lentils, couscous, pita crisps
the husband: What are you making? That smells so good? For you?
me: Lentils?
the husband: It smells like Macaroni Grill!
me: Oh, that’s the garlic. I bought real garlic for my lentils.
Hmm, one of these days, the husband may just eat a lentil!
My company recently moved to a new building. A bright, shiny new building. A bright, shiny new building, where energy consciousness is the name of the game.
The lights are triggered by motion, and if there is no motion, the lights turn themselves off. This is the case in my cube farm. This is the case in the kitchen. This is the case in the bathroom.
The bathroom has also been outfitted with florescent bulbs. But not just any florescent bulbs! They are the kind of bulbs that need a few minutes to warm up.
At home, in the middle of the night, I usually opt to use the bathroom with very dim lighting. No need for bright lights then! Not when I’m about to get right back into bed.
But at work? At work, I prefer my bathroom visits to include good lighting. I suppose, though, for the sake of the planet, I will have to get used to scary gas station bathroom lighting. Especially since I’m a lady in a dev shop. The ladies’ room lights spend a good portion of the day off. Ya know, saving the planet!
the husband: <gets bread from cupboard, places two slices of bread on a plate>
the husband: <gets mayo from fridge, spreads mayo on each slice>
the husband: <gets mustard from fridge, squirts a circle of mustard on each slice>
the husband: <gets american cheese from fridge, peels off a slice, places on one slice of bread>
the husband: <tries to get ham from fridge>
the husband: <distraught> I don’t… I don’t have anything to put on my sandwich!
me: <looks at nearly finished sandwich>
me: I could fry you an egg. Oh, I could if we HAD any eggs.
me: Well that’s really … that’s really sad.
me: Oh! There’s chicken nuggets! Or fish sticks! In the freezer. You could microwave some up real quick.
the husband: <rummages in freezer>
the husband: DINOSAUR CHICKEN NUGGETS!!!
And thus, disaster was averted, and dinner was not a sad affair. In fact, there may have been a song about a stegosaurus in there somewhere …
The husband thought he was going to be out for awhile last night, so I was left to my own devices for dinner. But then when he came home earlier than expected and hungry for a dinner of his own, I offered up my leftovers.
me: Do you want some ravioli? I had extra.
the husband: um, half a can of ravioli? That’s not very much.
me: <blink> <blink> No, it’s real ravioli. <Getts tupperware from fridge to illustrate point> See?
the husband: <eyes warily>
me: There’s no sauce on it, you can put sauce on it.
the husband: <eyes warily>
me: They just have a little olive oil to keep them from all sticking together.
the husband: hmm. <Gets bread from the cupboard> I think I’ll have a bologna sandwich.
I’ve always been wary of heels. There is the discomfort part. And then there is the wobbly-walking part. I manage to trip over my own feet when I’m walking in sensible flats; better for me to stay away from extravagant heelage.
The husband’s company party is coming up this weekend, and in an effort to not embarrass him again*, I thought it best to invest in some appropriately flashy shoes.
I sent the husband a link to JC Penney’s ‘evening’ shoes, and asked him to pick out the ones he liked. He was immediately drawn to a pair of 4″ heeled, 1″ platformed, super strappy, painful looking shoes. I then asked him for a backup option.
Much to my surprise, however, I found that when I tried them on at the store, I could really walk in them. Slow to regular speed, of course - there ain’t no obstacle-course running going on in these shoes.
It does take some, uh, serious finagling to get the shoes on. If there had been anybody watching me try them on at the store, I’m sure they would have suggested I try a larger size. But once they are on, they fit like a glove, and hence, no wobble. My normal instinct is to buy my shoes half a size (or more too big) for, you know, comfort, but that has generally backfired for me on my past heel purchases. Hence my tendency to stay away from them.
Now, these shoes are not comfortable by any stretch of the imagination. I don’t know if I’ll really be able to wear them all night at his party - I may be saved by the fact that a large portion of the time I will be sitting down. I did manage to wear them for about 30 minutes tonight, walking up and down two flights of stairs several times, without my feet complaining to me - but now that I have them off, my ankles are quite upset with me.
Better wear the ortholites tomorrow!
*I’ve never really embarrassed him. What he doesn’t realize is that nobody even notices what I wear to his work parties. I bet not a one of his coworkers (nor their wives) could tell him what I wore last year.
I took the husband to our local comic book store the other night, and I picked out a comic before he did.
The husband was content to leave empty-handed, but when he saw me holding an issue of Spin Angels, he quickly ran and grabbed a few Batgirls he was eyeing but was too afraid to go to the checkout counter with. So I did his dirty work - who cares if a girl buys batgirl, right? - and we went home to read our comics.
Mine was better than his. Even he thinks so. 
I booked a red-eye out of Seattle for our trip home from Leavenworth, because I wasn’t sure when the rest of the family would be leaving - and also because it was really cheap. Turns out people don’t like to spend the night in a tiny airplane seat …
With the family departing early in the day, that meant the husband and I had a long time to spare before our 11 pm flight. So we spent the day in Seattle!
I know I’m from Washington state and all, but I’ve never really spent much time in Seattle. With this latest adventure, that brings me to 4 whole days in the city.
On our way to Seattle, we stopped at Jack in the Box for lunch. I miss that place. I don’t understand why there aren’t any in Virginia. :-( If one ever opens in the northern Virginia area, I think it’s safe to say that the husband and I will single-handedly keep it in business …
Once we reached the city, we parked by the waterfront, and made our way to the Aquarium. There were a lot of people out and about, and the aquarium was no exception. We did get to see the feeding of the sea otters and the seals (or sea lions? I always get them mixed up …), which is always fun.
After the aquarium, we wandered up to Pike’s place market. And I mean UP. Unfortunately, it was ridiculously crowded, so we didn’t stick around to do any shopping. We watched the fish guys holler at each other for awhile, but there wasn’t much throwing going on, so we left.
We stumbled across the BEST chocolate chip cookies ever. The signage was a little disturbing - it’s a cookie masquerading as a cow-pie in a field - but we took the plunge. And it was oh so yummy! And the best part is … they deliver! I haven’t ordered any yet - they are a tad expensive, especially when you add the shipping in - but I have a feeling I will some day.
Next up was the Ducks tour, but they were sold out. Never underestimate the draw of the amphibious vehicle tour …
So we ended up across the street at the Experience the Music Project/Sci-fi Museum. Everybody (b2, the husband’s work buddies) kept telling us to hit EMP, but it was actually the sci-fi part that got us in the door. They have a great exhibit of sci-fi goodies: comic books, star trek props, star wars props, a fan-made borg costume (looked better than a lot of the real stuff, IMO), and an animatronic teenage mutant ninja turtle!
After we were done with that, we hit the EMP. It was a lot of interactive stuff that we passed on, but I think if we had been in the mood, it would have been a lot of fun to lay down our own tracks and shoot a music video.
After that, we made our way to the airport, turned in the car, and tried to check in. Except we couldn’t because the ticket counter was closed. And the auto-checkin machines were turned off. We were, admittedly, a little early, but if we’d have known we’d be sitting in front of the ticket counter for an hour, we might have laid down some tracks. Or at least found one last Jack in the Box …
Once we checked in, we went through security. As is expected when you fly. It’s the place where you remove your jackets, belts and shoes. And remove your laptop from it’s case. And empty the change and keys from your pockets. And put your 3 oz bottles of liquids and gels in a 1-quart ziploc bag in a bin such that it is visible to the security folks.
I know the drill. The husband knows the drill. Everybody who flies out of Dulles knows the drill. And thus I am spoiled and shocked when I encounter people who do not know the drill.
We were behind one man who had to go through again because he didn’t empty his pockets. And he GRUMBLED as he put his handfuls of change in a bowl. Seriously? Dude, you are walking through a METAL detector. It detects METAL. Like that $4 in change you just put in the bowl. Metal detectors are not new at airports, they were there even before the 9/11 craziness started. It’s not like they suddenly changed the rules on him. If he’s flown at all in the last 20 years (that’s when my flying experience started, so I can’t vouch for before that), then he’s been through a metal detector. Where he’s had to empty his pockets.
We were behind another gentleman who had trouble with the ‘remove your belt’ thing. He removed his belt, but then proceeded to walk through the metal detector with it IN HIS HANDS. Um, sir - they asked you to remove it so you could put it in a bin and NOT set off the detector …
And, lastly, a young man who was insistent that if he removed his belt, his pants would fall off. Which was true, but the TSA gentleman had a suggestion for him: HOLD ON TO YOUR PANTS until you get your belt back on. Which he finally did.
Everything else was uneventful, thankfully, and we made it safely back home.
Early this year, the dad and I plotted and schemed a vacation that would be a little more fun than just sitting around the hometown. The husband and I only visit my family once a year (if that), so I wanted it to be, well, fun and exciting! And the dad loves travel as much as I do, so he was easy to convince.
The dad suggested Leavenworth, a charming little Bavarian village 2 hours east of Seattle. It’s all decorated in ‘ye olde’ Germanic style (even the McDonalds!), and it exists strictly for the sake of tourism. Which means you should totally visit! They need your money …
He found a house to rent, just outside of town. With 4 bedrooms, a loft, and 3 bathrooms, it was perfect for our family-reunion needs. There was no cell phone service and no GPS lock at the house due to the towering mountains on either side, but the location could not have been more gorgeous. The lake and mountain view were amazing. Having been out of the Pacific Northwest for the last 10 years, I now have a better appreciation for its beauty.
We saw wildlife, kayakers, and gondola-surfers glide by on the lake every day. The department of fish and wildlife stopped by one morning with their scuba gear to check on things in the lake. I watched people scuba dive! In a frigid mountain lake!
And the weather! The weather was perfect. I was a little wary, as we went in August, and Seattle had quite the heat wave right before we headed out. But, once we arrived, the heat wave crashed and we had lovely 60-70 degree days.
Leavenworth is a ski village in the winter, but in the summer, they have a theater festival. The mom got us all tickets to the three plays they put on this summer, so every evening, we had a show to see.
The first night was Singin’ in the Rain. It was on a lovely outdoor stage - complete with rain effects (probably unneeded on many nights …) and a gently sloping hill for natural theater-seating for the audience. We parked at a fish hatchery and walked through the fish hatchery grounds to get to it - so I suppose those are some very entertained fish. Verdict: good play! Liked all the leads.
The next night was Pirates of Penzance. I was most excited about that play, because all I knew about it was the Ray Stevens’ song. Unfortunately, the husband and I had skipped our afternoon nap that day (which is vital if you live on the east coast and are visiting the west coast), so the old, british, comic opera was a little lost on us. The actors did their job, but watching a 130 year old commentary on 130 year old times meant, well, that we missed a lot. Verdict: meh, but mostly because I had no background on the play before going into it, and I was fighting sleep for the last 40 minutes.
The last night was their showcase play, Sound of Music. They do it every year in a wonderful hilltop theater - so the hills are literally alive with the sound of music. It’s quite a hike to get up to the amphitheater, but once you do, it’s well worth it. They had some set changes that seemed unnecessary (2 minutes to change the set for a 3 minute scene), and there was a snafu where a nazi flag was left up after a set change. Overall, though, it was their best play. Verdict: if you only see one, see this one! Oh, and be sure to bring a jacket. Once the sun goes down, it gets cooooold up on that mountain, even in August.
So that’s the night-time review …
During the day, we took it easy with eating, b3 baked all manner of yumminess, and playing card games. Oh, and the shopping in town! They have toy stores, a crazy hat store, candy shops, ice cream shops, more candy shops, gift shops, tourist-souvenir shops, and a nutcracker store. I bought a pound of fudge at the. best. fudge. place. EVER. I’m thinking of joining their fudge of the month club … The sister bought a caramel apple at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. We are sooooo related.
I tried really hard to buy something from the yarn store, but every time I went, they were closed! I tried first on Wednesday, which happens to be when they are normally closed. So I headed back on Friday, just to find a note taped on the door to let me know they decided to close for the day. After some pouting (on my part), the mom convinced me that the quilt store around the corner had a small yarn selection, so we headed that way. I picked out some lovely (but expensive!) lorna’s laces sock yarn, that the sister said looked like ‘Jayne’s hat colors’. And I’ve just finished her socks! The heels turned out a little tight (it’s the first time I’ve done that particular kind of heel), but maybe some blocking will help. I’ve never blocked socks before, so this could be an adventure …
I highly recommend a trip to Leavenworth for a laid-back touristy fun visit. It is obvious that everything is done for the sake of tourism, but that doesn’t make it less fun. The one downside is finding parking in town, but once you get parked, let the shopping begin! (mmmmmm, fudge ….)
My nearly illiterate brother (not really, I just call him that because he never reads my ever-so-enlightening blog) has noticed that my content has not changed in awhile - and so that means I really, really need to update!
So, here they come …
I’ll write up a proper review once I adjust back to this time zone, but for now, pics are up! I’ll also trim down the gallery a bit, for now I just removed the really blurry pics.
Hello! welcome to my blog.
