Slug Nun Blue!

So I served a mission in Spain years ago.  When you spend all day, every day, walking the streets of Spain you find ways to entertain yourself.  Some missionaries would challenge each other to incorporate some random word in the next conversation they had with someone. (For example, let's say you're challenged to use the word "alligator."  The next person you talk to you need to find a way to make the word alligator fit into the conversation.  You can't just say:  Alligator!  You have to say something like, "I have a pet alligator at home.")

One thing that I did was play "Slug Nun." It's just like "Slug Bug" but instead of slugging your neighbor when you see a VW Bug (I don't think I saw a single VW Bug while in Spain) you slug your neighbor when you see a nun.  You also have to name the color of the nun.  In this case it would be 2 "Slug Nun Blue"s.  Also, this is the first time I've seen a nun since moving to Washington.  It was super cool.  Their habits were gorgeous.

Sowing the seeds...

 


Melissa sent me some seeds so I could grow my own butter lettuce.

 


Denise, at work, walked me through planting instructions.

 


And now...we wait.

Life, the Universe and Crisp Beef Burritos

 

The number Taco Time gave me.  What does it mean?

Theater

 

One of my favorite things to do in New York is see shows.

 

I saw Newsies with Evan Kasprzak and Alex Wong, two of my favorites from seasons five and four of So You Think You Can Dance, respectively.  I really liked the movie when it came out.  Honestly, there are few musicals I don't like - I have absolutely no issue with people breaking into song mid-conversation as that's what I almost always want to do anyway.   What you don't see in the above linked clip from the Broadway show is how much one of the actors spit when he spoke and sang.  It was a consistent spray.  I felt bad for the  other actors.  What you DO see in that clip is just how graceful Alex Wong is.  The other dancers are great, but Alex has such grace and stage presence...it was fantastic to see! (And yes, that IS Batman in the movie clip.)  

 

I also saw Harvey at Studio 54.  It was very good.  I was really surprised by it.  There are very few members of the cast.  There is no singing, no dancing.  Just some pretty darn good acting.

 

After the show I happened upon the stage door and snapped this photo for Kendra.  

 

One of my favorite things in the Theater District:  Shake Shack.  The Great White Way is still delicious.  The roasted peach shake reminded me of eating fresh peaches and cream in Grandma's kitchen in Fresno.  And, as luck would have it, I was there for the corn dogs!  They only serve them 3 days a year:  July 3 - 5th.  Oh was it good.  YUM!

Highline

 

Within days of my return from New York the last time I was there, I found out about the Highline.  

 

I was so sad that I hadn't known that it existed.  So visiting Highline was one of my top priorities for this trip.  

 

It is an abandoned above ground rail line that has been converted into a public park.  It is gorgeous and peaceful.  

 

 Covered with foliage and boasting great views of both the city and the Hudson River. 

 

There were a lot of people visiting the night I was there, but it didn't seem that way at all.

 

And just below the Highline is Chelsea Market.  Not at all like Pike Place Market.  Which is not a bad thing.

Fourth

 

Since I was going to be in NYC so close to the Fourth, I couldn't NOT stay.  

 

After much debate, I decided to view the fireworks from the flight deck of the USS Intrepid on the Hudson.  

 

The nation's largest fireworks display was set off from 4 barges on the Hudson River.

 

It was gorgeous!  And I wasn't stuck on a boat for 6 hours (a different option available) nor was I sitting in the hot, hot sun for 12 hours just to get a good spot. 

Hot Garbage!

 

Seriously, everywhere you went...Hot Garbage!

 

The Apple store on 5th Avenue is open 24/7.  It's underground and about 5 times the size of the store in Bellevue Square Mall.  If it had been an Android store, I might have been interested, but as the only Apple product I own is a 7 year old iPod, I was not even mildly interested.  I must have been the only one not interested, the store was hopping, even at 11 pm on a Sunday night.

 

CBS This Morning did a great piece on Matt.  And the interview wasn't half bad either.  It was fun to spend 30 minutes in a TV studio and see what happens.

 

We then went to Chelsea to take a peak at the stalkers outside Katie and Suri's new place, which, I realize, made us stalkers as well, but we were just so curious.  The whole scenario is so completely removed from our reality, I just wanted to see it for myself.

Rough Week

It's been a rough year at work.  This week has been especially difficult.   We'd been told a few months ago that there would be some restructuring at work.  And that restructuring was announced this week.  Everyone was all nerves and whispers at work.  I tried to keep my head down and my ears to myself but it was hard to avoid the anxiety that flowed through the office like a fog rolling through a scary movie set.  It was oppressive and overwhelming.  

Yesterday someone I work with brought me a grande ice water from Starbucks.  Out of the blue. Made my entire day.  Why?  Because Starbucks has FANTASTIC ice water.  And I LOVE water.  And because random acts of kindness are especially effective when your future seems uncertain.

My future isn't uncertain for the immediate future, but for several people, their future is.  I hope it isn't for very long.

And to drink...Peru!

 

You know when you get an idea and a craving?  

 

I had it in my head that Great Harvest's cinnamon chip bread would make incredible Fronch Toast.

 

It made o.k. French Toast.  But not at first.  It was better after it cooled down a bit and with the addition of powdered sugar and maple syrup.  If you like French toast, you should try it.  But you know what's better?  The caramelized French toast at Cafe Nola is oh so much better.  It may be time for a trip to Bainbridge soon, probably before tourist season starts up again.  

Also:  Gee, I'm real sorry your Mom blew up Ricky.

World Tour part 2

A few months ago I posted about one of my absolute favorite apps that shows me a different place somewhere in the world every hour.  Not only do I like the app because of all of the wonderful places I can go, but I also like that every time I see some of the pictures I think of people I care about and of memories.

This one is the Denver skyline.  And every time I see this I think of my BFF, Julia, who lives in Denver and what she and her little family might be doing at that moment.    

 

And this laundromat somewhere in Japan is empty more often than not...any time there is an actual person in the laundromat I get a little burst of joy that the laundromat is no longer empty and lonely.  And I text my friend Kellye, who also feels for this lonely laundromat as I do.

 

 

Positano and St. Peter's Square remind me of Steven and Karley and our trip to visit them.  About how much I loved seeing Steven speak Italian after just a few months there.  And how absolutely incredible the Vatican Museum was.  But also how I couldn't wait to get out of there because of all of the people.  There were SO many people that Hunter and I couldn't wait to get out of there and we were drained for the rest of the day.  And then there is the driving through the tiny roads on the way to Positano, stopping at the lemon stand, taking photos and eating pizza by the Mediterranean Sea.  

 

This nest makes me think of Kendra and how we both enjoyed checking the nest to see if the eggs had hatched.  And look...they have already this year.

 

And this is Times Square.  Debbie, Collin, Hunter and I stood outside the McDonald's and waived to Tyson and Kendra when we were there.  We also climbed those red stairs and counted how many large TV screens we could see.  I think it was over 17.  And just a few blocks over is the Shake Shack.  We enjoyed that place.  And I crave it fortnightly.  

When you're helping, you're happy

 

A few weeks ago I saw this flyer at church.  I took a picture of it and sent it to Erin and asked her if she wanted to go.  She did.  The day came and we went to get pedicures and some pizza before heading out to North Bend.  It's always a bit surprising to me to realize just how large my Stake is.  It extends from Mercer Island to North Bend (at least 25 miles).  It's a lot larger than my stakes in Boise and Utah but even more than the physical distance, the cultural difference just seems even larger.  It was like going from the city to the country.  Just a little disconcerting.  

 

Erin, not being Mormon, was not aware of Mormon Standard Time.  We arrived 15 minutes early.  We helped set up and then got assigned to be pill breakers.  Were you aware that by giving 1/2 a zinc pill to a child for 14 days gets rid of their diarrhea for a year three months?  There was someone at our table that told EVERYONE that stopped by about this amazing miracle.  Erin had to correct her about the length of time the zinc miracle effect has on diarrhea.  Both Erin and I paused our conversation each time the woman told the story, waiting to hear if she would get the time period right. 

 

We broke the pills in half and put 14 halves in these little bags that we had placed stickers on with dosage instructions.  We went through 6 - 8 bottles in the two hours we were there.  At 250 pills per bottle that's 3000 - 4000 pills and  214 - 285 dosage packs.  Which means some little kid is going to be diarrhea free for 53 years!  It was fun.  We chatted with the woman who is going to Kenya to distribute the health care packs to clinics in villages there with The Imani Project.  Soon the cultural hall was filled with people making dosage packs of ibuprofen, acetaminophen, band aids, chewable vitamins, etc.  

There was one interesting take away.  One of the ladies was talking to another woman, telling her that her 20 year old daughter is engaged to be married.  The other woman asked the first woman:  Do you like him?  The mom rattled off:  He's alright, he's done with school, he's got a job and he's never been to jail.  Erin took it as: My daughter got the last good man in the county.  And I took it as a Mother's reluctance to accept that her daughter was getting married so young.  I know I had some concern when the first two kids got married at 20-ish.  Being so close in age to my nephews and nieces, I would look at them and see all that they had yet to experience, that I had just experienced.  I knew how selfish I was in my early 20s and how much change I went through between 20 and 25.  I was very concerned for those two couples and the struggles I knew they were going to go through as they grew up together.  Loving them as I do, I wanted to protect them from that inevitable pain.  I'd always wanted to protect my sisters' kids from any and all pain.  Because pain hurts and I didn't want them to get hurt.  

What I've learned over the past few years is that I can't protect those I love from pain.  That there is going to be some kind of pain always.  All pain is inevitable.  And often times we learn best from the pain that we go through.  I've also learned to express myself better and to try to not give my opinion when my opinion truly doesn't matter.  Because though I want to protect the kids, I also want them to be happy.  And how can they be happy with an Aunt always telling them what to do?


Also:  14 year old-ish girl that was breaking zinc with us said that the people from the Capitol in the Hunger Games look as if anime and Sephora had a baby.  Brilliant!

More Food Truck Food

So my primary reason for visiting the whole Next Fifty thing at the Seattle Center was all of the food trucks.  There was a whole slew of them.  The previous trip to food trucks made me want to try even more of them.

This is the best burger I've had in quite a while.  And it's a peanut butter and jelly burger.  I know, sounds gross, huh?  It was divine.  The jelly is some kind of pepper jelly.  The bacon was crispy and the combo of the beefI really want to go visit Bistro Box again soon.  But the best thing from Bistro Box is their truffle fries.  I'm pretty sure truffle fries are to humans what catnip is to cats.  

We also got some sliced brisket and pulled pork from Big House BBQ.  The brisket was excellently smoked with just the right amount of crispy bits.  The pulled pork was tender and absolutely falling apart.  I had to eat it with a fork.  And it was great.  Turns out this truck spends a lot of time on the East side as well.  I'm going to have to find them again.  All of these delicious food trucks, I'm going to end up spending all of my travel money on food trucks. 

The good news is, I found a food truck food I didn't like.  The vanilla ice cream tasted like pipes and soap after about 6 bites.  Not a fan.  Rumor has it there's another food truck round up for Cinco de Mayo.  I may have to visit that one.

50 Years

 

It's the 50th Anniversary of the Seattle World's Fair.  

 

And Seattle is having a 6 month long celebration.

 

They've painted the top of the Space Needle the original Galaxy Gold (read: Orange) in honor of the Anniversary.  

 

We went the opening weekend and there was lots of hullabaloo.  These Asian girls were marching around in amazing costumes.  I have no idea why, they marched into a building that I did not go into.  But it was shiny to see their formation and the sun glint off of the sequins.  

 

And there is progress on the Chihuly garden thingy.  I think this will be a fantastic addition to Seattle Center.  

Salumi

I'd heard about this place a few years ago.  And what I'd heard about the most...

...was the line outside the little shop.  I'd heard that every day the line was out the door and around the block.  And with their funky hours I'd have to leave work before around 10:30 to get to Pioneer Square, find a parking spot and get in line.  I'd also heard there was very little seating, so I'd end up eating in my car - not looking forward to that.

But Kellye and I decided to brave the odds and give the deli a try.  And boy am I glad we did.  We arrived in Pioneer Square just before 11 and found a parking spot directly across the street.  At 10:55 am there was no one in line.  At 10:56 am there were 10 people in line.  We were 9 & 10.  

The women behind the counter were very helpful.  Kellye and I split our sandwiches.  I got the porchetta sandwich (above) and Kellye got a salami sandwich with fresh mozarella cheese.  (And I got some hot sopressata to go - it was like chorizo pamplona from Spain.  LOVED it.)  The porchetta half sandwich was so huge I couldn't eat more than just a bite of the salami sandwich.  It made a tasty dinner.  And the hot sopressata made a walk-down-memory-lane lunch for the next two days.  

The first picture is the line as we left.  If you go to Salumi Artisan Cured Meats, get there before 11 on a Wednesday or Thursday.  You won't have to wait in line for terribly long AND you'll get a seat at dinner table inside with all you can drink tasty water.  I can't vouch for the line during the summer high tourist season months, it may be long all 5 hours they are open.  And don't even try going on the weekend.  They are closed Saturday, Sunday and Monday.