Greetings from Seattle! It has been quite a long day, but I wanted to post a quick update on our vacation while I wait for the Tylenol PM (known as "mother's little helper" -- even if I'm not a mother) to kick in, ensuring me a very good night's rest tonight! I don't know how often we'll have internet access on this trip, so I thought I had better take advantage of it while I can.
We left home at 3:30 a.m. today and have been up for 20 hours so far, with a long night's rest of four hours last night to keep us going. Needless to say, we've gone beyond tired into "punchy" and we're all being silly and goofy but have a tendency to fall asleep randomly mid-sentence. It's actually a lot of fun, and it's totally different to be really, really tired when you don't have to get up and go to work the next morning. All we have to do tomorrow is get on our tour bus at 9 a.m., ride to Vancouver, BC, and then get onto our Celebrity cruise ship. Should be easy, even if we're half-asleep.
To that end, we decided to see a bit of Seattle today instead of caving into our urge to take a five-hour nap this afternoon. We rented a car and then took Les's mom and his aunt and uncle downtown, stopping to get our National Parks Passports stamped at the Klondike Gold Rush site. The NP site was really well-done, but we didn't have too much time to spend there because Les couldn't find parking and was circling the block. The NP site is right near the Seahawks stadium and parking was $30 everywhere because there was a game that evening (love you, Matty!).
We then got a call from the other half of the family (we met up with three relatives who live locally) and we went up to the top of the Space Needle. The floor of the observation deck actually slopes downward toward the edge so that rainwater can drain off it easily, but it also gives you the impression that you're drawn uncontrollably towards the ledge of a very tall building. It's a bit unnerving, especially if you are afraid of heights. We had a very clear day (we saw four different mountain peaks on the plane ride in!) so we really got to see a lot of the city from the top of Space Needle.
For dinner, the party-of-13 family all went to Old Spaghetti Factory, where my parents treated us to dinner.
As Les's Aunt Dolores said, "We've had such an adventure today and we haven't even started cruising yet!"
It was a great day and we're looking forward to a good night's rest and a great day tomorrow.
p.s. It is SUNNY in Seattle -- how awesome is that? And the weather is about 75 degrees. We are in heaven!
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Saturday, August 18, 2007
What you really wear
I won't go into too much detail about this link because I'm referencing a blog post by someone I don't know that Les posted on his Facebook page, and I'm so far removed from this idea being in any way connected to me that I don't want to take any credit even finding it. All I did was think this blog post was great enough to post it here so that some of you could enjoy it.
Follow this link and you'll be connected to a blog called 43 folders. The post I've linked to is about determining what clothes in your closet you really do wear and what clothes you don't. It's aimed at simplifying your life and clearing out clutter. These are concepts I love, but don't necessarily practice, so I try to put myself in the way of exposure to these types of ideas as frequently as possible in the hope that they'll sink in and I'll start being more zen, less cluttered, and more practical.
Follow this link and you'll be connected to a blog called 43 folders. The post I've linked to is about determining what clothes in your closet you really do wear and what clothes you don't. It's aimed at simplifying your life and clearing out clutter. These are concepts I love, but don't necessarily practice, so I try to put myself in the way of exposure to these types of ideas as frequently as possible in the hope that they'll sink in and I'll start being more zen, less cluttered, and more practical.
Potato Peelers
Les and I have tried the tricky Japanese shirt-folding technique with quite a bit of success, so this easy potato-peeling technique from Japan seems appealing (get it? a-PEEL-ing!), too. I am not a big fan of peeling potatoes because I'm afraid of somehow nicking my potato-holding hand with the peeler (although this has never actually happened <--- irrational fear!). Also, it seems like I've never been in a situation that required fewer than 25 peeled potatoes, so its always a long and tedious process. The end reward of creamy, delicious mashed potatoes makes it worth while, of course, but what if there was a better way?
Unfortunately, I do not have any potatoes on-hand because they're just not a very summery food to me. I guess I'm just posting this with the hopes that someone out there will try it and tell me if it works. Any research assistants out there?
One of the commentors on the potato peeling page said that this Japanese process takes longer than peeling potatoes with a knife. He or she may be correct, but it seems so much more rewarding to see the skin come off in one swoosh. I mean, would you rather sit at a stop light if it meant that you could drive 5 miles without being in stop-and-go traffic, or would you rather just inch along for the 5 miles because it meant that you were constantly in motion? Wait! I may have come up with the universal question that defines our personalities and divides us up into two diverse groups! Potato-rific!
Unfortunately, I do not have any potatoes on-hand because they're just not a very summery food to me. I guess I'm just posting this with the hopes that someone out there will try it and tell me if it works. Any research assistants out there?
One of the commentors on the potato peeling page said that this Japanese process takes longer than peeling potatoes with a knife. He or she may be correct, but it seems so much more rewarding to see the skin come off in one swoosh. I mean, would you rather sit at a stop light if it meant that you could drive 5 miles without being in stop-and-go traffic, or would you rather just inch along for the 5 miles because it meant that you were constantly in motion? Wait! I may have come up with the universal question that defines our personalities and divides us up into two diverse groups! Potato-rific!
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Working Ahead
I would not consider myself a deliberate, plan-ahead type of person, but my job (admin assistant) requires that I work at least a few weeks into the future in my boss's calendar -- making appointments, rearranging meetings, and planning for travel. As a result, I often find myself unaware of what the actual date is, and sometimes even have a hard time keeping track of the current month. On very rare occasions, the year somehow escapes me, although those moments are usually in December or January -- the transitory months between years when everyone else is confused, too.
One such time-warp event occurred tonight, as I was brushing my teeth, and I honestly lost my head for about 10 intense minutes.
Here's the scenario: We are a few weeks away from a long vacation to Alaska, and because we will be crossing into Canada on our trip, we need to have current passports. As I was brushing my teeth (brush, brush, brush), this little Q&A was playing out in my mind:
Q: Hmmm. How long are passports actually valid?
A: I think they're valid for ten years, if I remember correctly.
Q: And how long ago did we actually get our passports?
A: Maybe a year or two after we got married. It's probably been about ten years now...
At this point, you must imagine a small choke, some spitting, a clatter of a toothbrush in the sink (unhygienic, I know, but emergencies are emergencies!), and a rush of bare feet on carpeted floors (in other words, insert no sound effects here). I dug out my passport from its secret hiding place (yeah, you wish you knew!) and stared at the date. My passport reads: Date of expiration 20 AUG / 08.
20 August! Why, that's (gasp, gasp, gasp) six days from now! Already I am calculating how long it might take to get a passport renewed. I'm instantly sitting at the computer, typing "renew US passport" into Google. I'm reading government web pages frantically, looking for timelines, expedition costs, and online applications. I'm planning my Wednesday: I'll go to our local passport office as soon as possible in the morning. Nothing else matters. Nothing else!
Then, slowly, I have the calming realization that "08" means next year. We are in fact living in what is popularly known as "07." The tingling sensation slowly drains from my arms. My eyes blink. I take a deep breath. Everything is going to be okay. Really.
Based on current passport issuance trends, I should actually be freaked out now if I am planning a trip out of the country any time after August 20 of next year, but for the moment I'm going to stay focused on this month and this trip and put off worrying about next year until a later date. Hopefully, I'll still be at least three months ahead of schedule anyway.
One such time-warp event occurred tonight, as I was brushing my teeth, and I honestly lost my head for about 10 intense minutes.
Here's the scenario: We are a few weeks away from a long vacation to Alaska, and because we will be crossing into Canada on our trip, we need to have current passports. As I was brushing my teeth (brush, brush, brush), this little Q&A was playing out in my mind:
Q: Hmmm. How long are passports actually valid?
A: I think they're valid for ten years, if I remember correctly.
Q: And how long ago did we actually get our passports?
A: Maybe a year or two after we got married. It's probably been about ten years now...
At this point, you must imagine a small choke, some spitting, a clatter of a toothbrush in the sink (unhygienic, I know, but emergencies are emergencies!), and a rush of bare feet on carpeted floors (in other words, insert no sound effects here). I dug out my passport from its secret hiding place (yeah, you wish you knew!) and stared at the date. My passport reads: Date of expiration 20 AUG / 08.
20 August! Why, that's (gasp, gasp, gasp) six days from now! Already I am calculating how long it might take to get a passport renewed. I'm instantly sitting at the computer, typing "renew US passport" into Google. I'm reading government web pages frantically, looking for timelines, expedition costs, and online applications. I'm planning my Wednesday: I'll go to our local passport office as soon as possible in the morning. Nothing else matters. Nothing else!
Then, slowly, I have the calming realization that "08" means next year. We are in fact living in what is popularly known as "07." The tingling sensation slowly drains from my arms. My eyes blink. I take a deep breath. Everything is going to be okay. Really.
Based on current passport issuance trends, I should actually be freaked out now if I am planning a trip out of the country any time after August 20 of next year, but for the moment I'm going to stay focused on this month and this trip and put off worrying about next year until a later date. Hopefully, I'll still be at least three months ahead of schedule anyway.
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Construction Complete!
I left on Friday and my world was construction-encrusted. When I returned home today, my world was nearly construction-free! It's a summer miracle!
It seems that most of the Briley Parkway/Elm Hill Pike construction is truly done, and the construction crews somehow managed to knock it out while I was away for the weekend. This created a "how long have I been gone?" sensation as I unexpectedly found myself driving on orange-barrel-free, newly paved roads on the way to my house this Sunday evening.
Although I barely remember what the roads were like before the days of construction, and although I never really hated all the construction messing up the traffic flow near my house, I do have to say that the current status is like driving through a paradise. It's so smooth, so roomy, so efficient. I am totally loving life now!
It seems that most of the Briley Parkway/Elm Hill Pike construction is truly done, and the construction crews somehow managed to knock it out while I was away for the weekend. This created a "how long have I been gone?" sensation as I unexpectedly found myself driving on orange-barrel-free, newly paved roads on the way to my house this Sunday evening.
Although I barely remember what the roads were like before the days of construction, and although I never really hated all the construction messing up the traffic flow near my house, I do have to say that the current status is like driving through a paradise. It's so smooth, so roomy, so efficient. I am totally loving life now!
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