Seattle Redux

This last weekend I went to Seattle to visit my good college friend that I haven't seen in over a year.  Wait, the fact that I've been out of college for over a year is making me feel old.  Anyways, on this visit my friend and I decided to find places in Seattle that we hadn't been to before.  This wasn't too hard for me.  When I was in college I rarely went out and explored new things without a lot of encouragement from someone.  If I could drag myself out of my apartment and go to the grocery store on the weekend I would give myself a pat on the back.

When I arrived in Seattle Friday we went to Red Robin, a restaurant that for some reason the both of us only visit when we hang out.  I indulged in an egg burger.  It had a fancy name, but I refer to all burgers with an egg on it as an egg burger.  Egg burgers are delicious.  Go find one and eat one.  Now.  Then, whenever you have a burger you will long for it to have egg on it and when you find a place that has an egg burger you will make a fool of yourself in your display of excitement.  Again, that may just be me.

Saturday we went to the Seattle Art Museum.  Lots of interesting art to see there.  We spent over an hour exploring the maze-like wonderment of the museum displays.  I enjoy most forms of art. That was until I saw two blocks of wood piled on each other that I assumed was part of construction, but, to my surprise, this was part of the art exhibit, taped off with a plaque and everything.  You can't tell me that's art.  There's a whole pile of logs in the garage, can I display that at an art museum?  I guess I'm not cultured enough to enjoy a couple of two-by-fours.

We then went to Pike Place Market.  I haven't been to Pike Place Market since I was a kid.  It was a lot bigger than I remember and a hell of a lot busier.  It was near closing time on a Saturday and trying to even look at any of the stands was impossible.  My main goal was to survive and keep the antisocial, introvert in me from completely losing it.  My friend seemed to be enjoying it however, and I had a crepe so it wasn't a complete loss.

Lens glare.

Sunday we decided to do a marathon of cool places.  We started with the Japanese Gardens.  Absolutely stunning.  Have a look.

I have 4 trillion other pictures if you're interested.

We then went to volunteer park and climbed a gorgeous old water tower.

Lens glare working its magic again.

There were around 170 steps up to the top.  I don't know about you, but when I go up or down long stretches of steps my eyes start to go all wonky on me and I try to skip steps and end up looking like a blundering idiot.  Thankfully there weren't a lot of people on the steps so not many people witnessed my embarrassment.   

We then went over to the Asian Art Museum, took a quick look around since we got in for free with our Seattle Art Museum passes.  Then we checked out a Dahlia garden and watched some LARPers having a beanbag battle of epic proportions.  We also saw some people dressed like fairies in another part of the park.  It felt like I was transported into some medieval fantasy world. 

We decided to see Gravity at the Pacific Science Center IMAX 3D before I had to catch a ferry home.  We checked in an hour before the movie, planning to go grab something to eat before the show, but the woman helping us said that we should stand in line instead, since it was sold out.  We grabbed popcorn and my friend went on a burger run so we could brave the hour wait in line.  It felt like there should have been a fun ride at the end of all that waiting.  At least Gravity was a great movie.  I even wrote a review on it, which you can find here.

Sorry for my long posts.  I enjoy rambling on it seems.  And I can never limit the number of pictures I put in the post.  I need you to see them all!

Gravity Review

No spoilers in this review beyond what can be seen in the trailers.

Whenever I turned on the TV in the last couple weeks, it seemed all I saw were trailers for the movie Gravity.  Honestly, I thought it looked a little boring.  When I went to visit my friend in Seattle, the commercials were everywhere again.  We went to Red Robin, a commercial played on a TV at the bar, and when trying to choose a movie we kept seeing it pop up.  We both weren't really interested in it.  Then I read a few reviews on it and saw the ratings and my friend and I decided that maybe we could see it.  How could a space movie warrant so much attention?  We wanted to see a movie in IMAX 3D but found Gravity was sold out so we preordered tickets for the following day. We waited in line for 45 minutes to get good seats for a sold out show.  We sat patiently, hoping that our faith in this movie and the time we had dedicated to see it would pay off.  It did.

Gravity follows Sandra Bullock's character, Dr. Ryan Stone, in real time throughout her harrowing ordeal following a space shuttle accident.  The entire 90 minute film is in space, often looking through Dr. Stone's eyes. It is unlike any film I have seen.  Alfonso Cuarón did a fantastic job of shaping a movie with an incredibly small cast into an enthralling experience.  George Clooney's character, Matt Kawalski, supplies a lot of heart and humor into the otherwise intense movie.

I experienced sadness, joy, awe, terror, stress, and even slight nausea.  A couple times I had to look down or close my eyes from motion sickness. This sounds negative, but to the contrary, these dizzying shots of space and Earth, as well as scenes in small confined spaces help the audience feel like they are actually with Dr Stone, in space, cheering her on through her journey.  

It is an emotional roller coaster.  When the credits rolled, the theater was stunned into silence.  It was an incredibly powerful movie and leaves you with a deep respect for those who venture into space and an appreciation to be securely planted on Earth.   It's box office shattering record is well deserved.  I would recommend it to anyone who wants to have a one of a kind movie going experience.  If you can, see it in IMAX 3D.  

9/10

Seattle I love you, but you're bringing me down.

pic credit: (tripadvisor.com, 12bosox, Nov 2006)

I'm trying out this "Schedule" thing to post while I'm out of town for the weekend. I will not fail with the Ultimate Blog Challenge!  I was mulling over what would be best to write an entry about and since I will be in Seattle when this posts (hopefully), then why not write about Seattle?

I've lived in the Pacific Northwest all my life, just a short trip from Seattle.  I'd been to Seattle many times, but it wasn't until I attended the University of Washington that I actually got a chance to live there for a couple years.  I developed a unique relationship with the city of Seattle during that time.  City life had its ups and downs.

The positives.  Everything was within walking or busing distance.  I didn't need to drive, and since I have a fear of driving, that works out nicely.  When I lived in the U district I had four Starbucks within a 5 minute walk from me, takeout restaurants all around, a nice shopping center next door and I could walk to the grocery store easily.  It was nice.  If I was going somewhere new, just check the bus schedule, it was usually pretty easy to get there. I also enjoyed the sounds of the city.  Going to sleep with the sounds of cars, other people and the hustle and bustle of the city might bother some, but it was comforting to me. As long as the drunk kids kept their yelling to a minimum.

On the flip side there were a few sounds that drove me nuts - one in particular.  Cars honking.  Everyone honks constantly in Seattle (and probably every big city).  Hey get out of my way! HONK! The light's been green for a second! HONK! How dare you use the crosswalk when you have a walk sign! HONK!  It started to drive me nuts.  When you're walking and honks are coming from everywhere you start to get a little tense. Are the honking at me?  Why are they honking?  Stop honking!

One plus, but mostly a negative, of living in Seattle is I developed the skill set of being a defensive walker. I nearly got hit by cars and bicyclists frequently.  By the time I got back to my apartment I'd be muttering curses under my breath. Bicyclists really started to bug me.  DISCLAIMER: Not all bicyclists, some are very nice, others are horrible and bring the whole group down. There were the mean bicyclists who didn't follow the rules of the road and would yell at you if you got in the way of their reckless bicycling. Then there are the multitasking bicyclists who are a little amusing as long as they're not nearly taking you out.  A few examples - talking on your phone, carrying your takeout, or sporting an umbrella while biking (if you can master this, I can see the usefulness).  My favorite bicyclist was a guy who had a bike that looked like a banana.  As he zipped past me on the Burke-Gilman Trail I was inspired to find what this strange bike was. I found it here. And for a little under $8,000 you can have a banana bike too!

But even with its ups and downs I find that after living away from the beautiful Emerald City, I miss her, even if Seattle has left me with a permanent case of Bitchy Resting Face. After a year apart - Seattle and I really needed a break - I'm heading back to Seattle to hang out with a good college friend of mine and I'm happy to see the city again.

What have been your experiences with city life?

Born and Raised a Gamer

The Club Nintendo stuff I've received for buying far too many Nintendo games.  That Mario figurine in the back is awesome.  I was going to call it cheaply made, but then while setting it up for the picture I accidentally tossed it across the room and it didn't break, so I take it back.

I like to play video games. I've played games for as long as I can remember. My parents and older sister would play Atari and the original Nintendo while I looked on.  I couldn't have been more than 6, but I always wanted to play, usually I was told I was too young, and they were right.  Whenever I would get a chance to play I would fail miserably and get frustrated because it looked fun when they played, but when I did, it was just a mess.  But with time I've mastered the fine art of gaming. I dare say I'm the best of the family now. Take that!

So, what games do I play?  A large variety.  I've always been a fan of Zelda and Mario. Still debating whether I want to get the new Windwaker for Wii U.  Windwaker is my favorite Zelda game, but dishing out $50 for only revamped graphics is tough.  

I got into playing Grand Theft Auto a few months ago when I borrowed by dad's GTA IV and promptly became addicted.  I also had an old GTA game for the PS2 that I mostly liked to steal cars and then follow the rules of the road while I drove them around.  Yeah, that was what GTA was made for. I was eagerly awaiting GTA V, only to find out a few days before the release date that it was not yet releasing for PC.  My face was one of sad.  I'm still fuming over not being able to get my hands on it.  It looks amazing, but I'm trying to be patient.

I've been addicted to Skyrim for a while. Made the mistake of asking for it for my birthday while in college.
After the studying was done and I was avoiding sleep, Skyrim and Tropico 4 kept me up late being a badass, female Dovahkiin and building up my own personal paradise.

Skyrim being gorgeous!

I've also been known to play games like Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing.  Only Harvest Moon can make it interesting to run a farm in almost real time.

One of my long time favorites are the Nancy Drew games.  I received the first three PC games for Christmas one year when I was young, as a joint gift between my mom and grandma.  I have been addicted ever since. The 29th game in the series is coming out this month.  I've already pre-ordered it and am eagerly awaiting solving another mystery with Nancy.  I will play these games until they stop making them.

My Nancy Drew games!  Collecting and playing since 1991!

The Sims! How could I forget the Sims.  I got the original Sims game for my 11th birthday, and I've stuck with it through the years.  Now, with The Sims 3, I download masses of custom content so I can make pretty Sims and then after spending an hour putting a Sim together, found I've exhausted my want to play the sims and exit out.

Riding home from from your wedding, still in your dress, on an aquasled?  That's just the everyday life of being a Sim

I can't really be labeled as one type of gamer or another.  I play a variety of games, mostly for the PC or Nintendo consoles and like games where I have some sort of free will. I like sidequests.  Sometimes it's essential to take a break from the main game play and go on a side trek.  Oh, Skyrim's in the middle of a civil war, hold up, I need to go deliver a book to someone.  Ganondorf has kidnapped Zelda?  Let me go collect some bugs real quick. I was really proud of myself when I reached 100% on Assasin's Creed IV even though it involved crouching and staring at people on the homestead for extended periods of time "documenting" their everyday tasks. Why was that even part of the game? I don't know, but I needed that 100%!

So, do you play video games?  If so, which ones?  Do you share some of my favorite video games?  Tell me about it!

My Life as a Sample Hoarder

Who doesn't love free things? I've become a little obsessed with them.  A few months back I found a page on Facebook called Freefly's that links to different samples you can get online.  I thought it would be some kind of gimmick and you would have to buy something to get the sample, or it is only free if you sign up for e-mails.  Well, it turns out this stuff actually is free.  These companies want you to try their stuff and tell them how it is and share it with your friends.

The thing is, I have this weird habit now of getting whatever I can free, even if it doesn't apply to me.  Men's shampoo?  Yes, please.  Vitamins in all flavors? Definitely. It's always fun to get something in the mail that isn't junk mail, a bill, or a dental visit reminder.  Whenever I get a sample I get a little rush of excitement, even if it is toilet paper.  Yeah, seriously, look at the picture.  That is a box of toilet paper.

And what do I do with all these samples?  Well, it turns out I hoard them and stash them in that basket you see there.  Useful things like Excedrin, a razor, toothpaste, shampoo, random tests of perfume - all in the basket they go.  I guess I'm saving them for some special occasion.  What that occasion is, I don't know. Apocalypse? Maybe.  When I become poor and homeless? Perhaps. I can see that Excedrin being a real life saver when the zombies arrive. I've used a few things, tried a few of the perfumes, but for the most part I stash it in that little basket that is now overflowing onto the dresser around it - that same dresser that holds my giraffe collection and pirate ship from previous posts.  It's a busy little dresser.

Anyways, my advice is give free stuff a try.  It's free, why not?  Yeah you might have to sign up for e-mails, but just unsubscribe when you get your first e-mail.  But learn from me, use the stuff. Don't be a weird hoarder like me.  I'm probably getting put on the sample blacklist right now.  "She's not using the samples! No more for her!"

By the Seaside: Day 2

Seaside Trip continued...

Second day in Seaside we visited Camp 18, an old logging camp turned Restaurant.  They have cinnamon rolls the size of your head and pancakes, which they have named "Flat Cars", that are even bigger.

My breakfast of "flat cars", eggs, bacon, sausage and clogged arteries.

Next we went to the Tillamook Cheese Factory, where workers make cheese while you stare at them from a platform behind glass like they're animals in a zoo. Then you visit the gift shop and buy a ridiculous amount of cheese and other cheese related souvenirs.

Cheeeeeeese!

I ended the day by visiting the Aquarium with my dad where we fed fish parts to adorable seals. There was one baby named Pinni that was too adorable; I tried to get a picture of her, but they were splashing too much and I was afraid my camera would fall victim to the seal waves.

At the Aquarium there was also a fish that had traveled for two years inside a Japanese fishing boat, eating off of the marine life that accumulated in the boat, after the 2011 tsunami.  I found it fascinating.  There is a little bit about it at the Seaside Aquarium site here if you're interested.  

They also had a whale skeleton.   I've always had a fascination/fear of whales.  (Used to think they were hiding in the deep end of swimming pools).

I also bought a souvenir pirate ship because why the hell not?

Here's the ship pillaging and plundering Dresser Giraffe Land.  Run giraffes, run!

We finished the day at the beach as the sun set.  I always aim to dip my toes into the ocean but usually end up submerged up to my rearend, thoroughly soaking my jeans.  I can't resist that freezing cold ocean water. 

Beautiful ocean, I wish I could live closer to you.

The next day as we headed out of rainy Seaside we got a flat tire so we visited a wonderful little shop called Les Schwab, where we ate popcorn for breakfast and watched a history channel show on how truly creepy Benjamin Franklin was, while our tire was fixed. Then followed up by a 4 hour drive home. Perfect end to a vacation.

By the Seaside: Day 1

October 1st, here we go.

I'm doing the Ultimate Blog Challenge, where you post each day in October and share with your fellow bloggers taking part in the challenge.  I was excited when I first heard about it.  I figured it would be a great way to get myself writing more and maybe attract a few more people to my blog.  So, if you stop by because of the Challenge: Hi! Good luck!

I recently went to Seaside, Oregon for a couple days.  I've been going there every summer since I can remember.  There are home videos of me at Seaside in a high chair.  It's always relaxing and a great break from the everyday, even if your everyday isn't all that thrilling like mine.

I went with my parents.  Yes, 24 and still going on vacations with my parents.  It's not that bad actually.

As we entered into Oregon from Washington across the bridge we saw a cruise ship docked.

Not to deter anyone that has been dying to go on an Astoria cruise, but we couldn't figure out what there really was to do in Astoria that warranted a cruise stop, but it seems they stop there frequently so they must have some fun excursions.  

After driving the four hours and finally arriving in Seaside, we settled in at our usual hotel The Tides and took in the beautiful ocean view, before going out to eat at Norma's.  It's a wonderful seafood restaurant in the main town of Seaside and no trip would be complete without a visit or two there.  Then we stopped and grabbed a large bag of saltwater taffy from the Candy Man store that boasts 170 flavors.  Most of them are delicious, there are a few iffy ones, like Butter and Black Licorice.  Usually the store is blasting The Candy Man song day in and day out until you hear it in your sleep, but they were playing circus music this time.  I felt disappointed and yet a little relieved.

This is what is left, but a few days ago when we purchased it, it was MUCH bigger.

Nothing like watching a beautiful sunset over the ocean.

Sorry it's through a window.

But after the sun sets, it's time for a couple fierce rounds of Hello Kitty Yahtzee.  Instead of numbers you have little cute Hello Kitty characters that go by names like Mimmy and Jodie, so you find yourself yelling "Come on Mimmy, I need a Yahtzee!" and when you don't get who you want you start to secretly resent that character.  "Shame on you Jodie for not playing nice!"

For some reason I cannot fathom, my dad refused to play Hello Kitty Yahtzee, but he liked to call it Catzee.

Turns out I got a little crazy with the pictures, so I'm splitting this up into two posts. Part 2 is tomorrow.  I know you are dying to read it... /sarcasm.