Seattle - Part IVb - (the much late finale)

Have been back from Seattle now for over 2 weeks and am just now relaying the last important parts. Sheesh.

As some of you readers now, I am a huge fan of Peets Coffee. (headquartered in Bay Area). Well, Seattle has a couple of stores and on my last 2 mornings in town, I went.

Sunday morning I took a taxi and was in heaven. I was so damn happy to be in Peets again!!

I got a small coffee and asked the barista to take a picture of me. She was startled. She had never been asked to take a picture of anyone in front of their store.

I love this picture. I am sooo happy. And it is sooo me: peets coffee in hand, race/running shirt, & a bandana.



I spent about 3 hours there, reading, on computer, and just sitting! Afterwards, went on a awesome 6 mile run with Lake Union in view and through the University of Washington's campus. Beautiful.

Monday morning i found the bus to take me there and stayed for another 1 1/2 hours. No where else I'd rather spend a free morning.

Overall: trip was relaxing and the breath of fresh air I badly needed. Great to get away and see some new sights and gain some perspective on many things. Seattle is an unspectacular city. No glitz or glamour. Nothing fancy. Which is exactly what drew me to it even more.

Cheers!

Seattle - Part IVa - finally some photos

(Since I do not have a digital camera, my photo postings are sporadic and rare, but here are a few from the trip!)





Beautiful Safeco Field



Me (with, YES, TRIN, my SF Giants CAP!!)

Seattle - Part III

Friday: Woke & had coffee in hotel cafe. Went for a short but challening 4 mile run. Ran from the hotel and up into an area called Capitol Hill. Lots of hills through there - along with neighborhoody shops, cafes, etc...Winded through parts of downtown and back to the hotel. Nothin’ to exciting, but at least i got to see another part of the city if i wanted to go back & explore more.

After lunch, i went shopping again and ended up purchasing some trail running ADIDAS shoes. I couln’t help it. 30% off. Hard to pass up. Also bought a new skirt for work. Who-Hoo!!

Fast forward to the evening: Rode the FREE bus to SAFECO Field, home of the Seattle Mariners. They were playing host to Detroit Tigers and i decided to check out the game and stadium. I was lucky to arrive in one piece considering the herky-jerky way our bus driver drove. He must have tapped the breaks a million times. i am NOT KIDDING. A couple of guys exited before me and said sarcastically, to the driver, “thanks, that was fun”. Yeah, thanks mr. bus driver for making us all jerk back and forth in our seats. If you had back or neck problems, that was not the bus ride for you.

Bought a cheapie tix and wandered around the stadium. beautiful! I watched about 5-6 innings of the game and returned to hotel. Kinda tough for me to get excited about the American League game when i have been a National League fan my entire life. Neverthess, it was cool to be out on a gorgeous evening and seeing a new ballpark. These stadiums i now have under my belt: AT&T Park, Oakland A’s Park (whatever that is called) Atlanta’s (old) Fulton County Stadium, Atlanta’s (new) Turner Field, Coors Field, Citizen’s Park and now Safeco Field.

SATURDAY: ran in a different direction out of hotel. Just over 5 miles that took me very close to famous SkyNeedle and into neighborhoods a neighborhood called Queen Anne. Some hills, but nothing too steep. Much less traffic than last 2 days. One the return route, I ran closer to the water and was happy to suck in some fresh air. How awesome it has been to run in 70 degrees weather, on my own time frame and not to beat the heat or after long days at work. I have felt happier and less stressed under these conditions. i think also just a good change of scenery for my routes has been motivating.
Afterwards, I headed over the Pikes Market in all its glory. If you want fowers, that is the place to go. Flowers in abundance there: lily’s, roses, and buckets & buckets of sunflowers. AHHH -- it was gorgeous. A sunny saturday, lots of people out milling around, shopping, eating etc... I stopped into a little cafe to grab a snack and sat and did some people watching. Shortly afterwards, I boarded the ferry traveling to Bainbridge Island. A thrill of a ride. I stood on the top deck and just soaked in the sights. The water, the islands off in the distance, Safeco Field, Qwest Field(home of Seattle Seahawks) and as the Seattle skyline as we moved further west. Bainbridge was definitiely a highlight. A quaint island with neat shops, restaurants, etc.. ate some incredible fish & chips at the Harbour Pub while drinking a Mac & Jack’s Serengheti Wheat Ale. AHH - delicious. Bought some books at an independent bookstore, which was a delight since i don’t think Atlanta has ANY! On my walk back to the Ferry, I caught a woman licking an Ice Cream and asked here where she got it. MORA’s was the place and my oh my! I had a scoop and 1/2. Full scoop was Mint with Shaved Chocolate and 1/2 scoop was Pistachio. I tell ya, that is some of the best Ice Cream i have ever had. I tried to savor it, but i slurped it down pretty fast. Ferry ride back was just as awesome as the ride over. Sometimes, you just gotta feel the wind on your face!!

Seattle Part II

After dropping my bags off in my room on the 42nd floor with a wonderful view of Puget Sound, I headed out the door for some grub. Luckily, the place the front desk recommended for my famished self was directly across the street. At the Icon Grill, i sucked down a delicious cup of yellow pepper soup and a caesar salad. Afterwards, i walked up the block and into the heart of downtown with a Starbucks on every corner. There were tons of people out, lots of energy and a band playing “i get by with a little help from my friends....” song. Festive indeed, especially with the sun shining upon us.
I walked into an ADIDAS store. Oh my!! I was gonna be in trouble! They were having a sale where almost every shoe was 30% off and I saw about 3 that i liked. yikes! I restrained myself & only bought a pair of sweatbands, while giving myself an opportunity to THINK about buying ANOTHER new pair of running shoes.
I felt my food was digested after a bit so I went back to hotel and put my running gear on. I was not gonna go far. I was exhausted from the week and the travel, but after not running for 4 days, I really ached to get my body moving and plus, I wanted to get up close and personal with the water!

One of the best thing about running is that you can use it to explore a new place and that is exactly what i intended to do. I asked the concierge about dinner options and she directed to me a place called Il Bistro which was located in Pikes Market...in the direction I was headed.
I hit the streets and headed west. Zigzagging through people and cars & up and down some small hills, I found Pikes Market, Il Bistro & lots of other things. I went down some steps, crossed the street and was running parallel to the water. How does one describe the smell? It’s so distinct. I could smell it before I could see it. AHHH > > > > the water. I could see clear across to whatever islands were out there... Bainbridge, Vashon.
I started smiling and took some deep breaths....so happy was i to be at the water again!
Fast forward to dinner time and i walked back to Il Bistro. A quaint and quiet little Italian spot. I was all ready to order some pasta when i heard about the special. It was too tempting to pass up:

Dinner > Grilled Halibut, Fennel Mashed Potatoes, Heirloom Tomatoes w/ Basil.

YUM, YUM, YUM. I don’t think I have ever tasted better Halibut.

I walked back to the hotel, read some of my book and crashed. A tired traveler....

Seattle - Part I

One of my goals this year (as indentified on right hand side of blog) was to vacation in Seattle. Well, I made it. Here is part I of my trip.

Like I'm sure many people experience, the days leading up to my "vacation" were extremely hectic, stressful and chaotic. It was so crazy that I did not even get a chance to run for 4 days and THAT IS SAYING SOMETHING!!

So, Thursday rolled around and I was soon on my plane headed west. I brought reading material. The Might Heart, and the current issue of Fortune Magazine. I had my iPod. I was all prepared to sit tight for about 5 hours in the air.

The plane was a big one. Not sure what the actual # of it was, but it was big; it was one of those planes with 2 seats on the left, 3 in middle, and 2 on right side. So, as I am about to get all settled in and read, sleep, etc...I hear the loud noises of 2 small children directly in front of me. Actually, it was a whole family split between the 3 middle seats and 2 left had side seats. The 2 kids were probably 5, 6 or so. Man, were they loud, busy, ancy, bratty, etc... I couldn't help but think of T2 and how she would have sooooo loved this situation. I wonder if she would have said something to the kids or to the parents. They were constantly eating and throwing their food and the isle became cluttered with their shit. Um, Hello.... This is not your house or your play pen. There was food, wrappers, pencils, toys in the isle. NICE!

Actually, it sounds much more irritating than it was. I think i was just so happy to get on the plane that i couldn't even allow myself to get caught up with those kids. The thing that i noticed was just how much work they were and how i could not handle having kids like such. All the dad did the entire 5 hour flight was try to get them to settle down, quiet down, pick up after them, etc...Man, i was tired just watching him.

Anyways, somehow I was able to tune them out enough to read and listen to some tunes and shut my eyes a bit. Soon enough, I was in a city I had never been in and I was excited. Other than the kid stuff, the travel was smoothe. I checked into my hotel, the Westin, and was soon off to see the city.

Doctor, Doctor, Can't You See I'm Burning, Burning..

ok. you wanted to know.

angelina. jolie.

man, she is HoT.

watched a movie with her in it - Taking Lives -
very mediocre, but whatever.

She is smokin!

brad pitt. why?

I remember being about 10 and running away. I ran all the way across the street and found a spot between 2 buildings. I kept looking across the street towards my house to see if she would come look for me.

I remember the four of us dressed in our Sunday best and walking to the 10:00am Sunday service at St. Leanders

I remember going to the drive-in to watch Star Wars. All of us packed into the chipped painted maroon VW squareback. Blankets, popcorn, candy, soda pop.

I remember writing her a "thank you for all you have done for me" note on lined dark yellow paper, putting it in the mailbox, and telling her she had mail. it was a Sunday.

I remember her buying the 45" of CHARIOTS OF FIRE and us listening to it before my first ever track meet. I ran the 100 yard dash and beat 2 close friends in the process.

I remember her pudgy fingers and cheeks

I remember her icy, cold looks

I remember her tears. rage.

I remember the smell of our car even though i cannot describe it

I remember "stealing" change from her coats & sweaters as they hung from the doorknob while she was sleeping

I remember packing the car full of stuff when we went to Lake Don Castro and Shawdow Cliff in Pleasanton for water slides.

I remember car camping for the one and only time at Lake Camanche and feeling so free.

I remember being outside late at night with her and us saying together;

"Star light, Star bright
First star I see tonite."

iPhone - Apple craze

I stepped out of my office and walked over to the mall just now. I am writing this post from the Apple Store in the mall. YES, there are MANY folks lined up (well, sitting on chairs and floor mostly) waiting for when the first purchase of the iphone can be made. Apple will close its stores at 3pm i believe and then re-open at 6pm for the big launch. A screen beside me says "374 minutes..."

Awesome. I hope sales go nuts. I hope people love the product.

Whatever you think about Apple as a company, you have to admit they have revolutioned our digital world. Hats off to them.

GO NUTS!!

odds n ends

This is a compilation of perhaps quirky or unusal things about me:

1) I look under hotel beds before going to sleep just to make sure no psycho-killer or dead body is underneath

2) I've never eaten a Big Mac, Whopper or Banana Split

3) I check my alarm about 7 times before going to sleep

4) I read books and listen the the braves baseball games at the same time

5) I've never seen "It's a Wonderful Life", "Miracle on 34th Street", or "Casablanca"

6) I hug myself

7) I think most women look better WITHOUT make-up of any kind

8) I didn't know what a papsmear was until age 21

9) I don't really enjoy zoos or aquariums

10) I don't like sushi or artichokes. (it seems most people like these)

Comics, Matches & "J"

A long weekend in Chicago seems long past just days after Trin (T2) and I boarded our Airtran flight back home to Atlanta.

Memories linger; getting text messages from Kelly about her horrible 3-4 time flight delay out of SFO, seeing the price of gasoline as we bumped along in our shuttle van, $3.79! Yikes!; feeling the giddiness of meeting blogging pals and the excitement of being back in a city I adore.
Trin & I had time to ourselves as we waited for R.D.’s arrival at ROCKIT Bar and Grill. This was the 1st place I was able to collect matches. Yep, I’m a match collector. 1 beer and 1 cosmo later, I returned from the bathroom to see R.D. in the flesh! There she was sitting with Trin at the elevated table by the window. Wow. In the person, a pal from blogger.com. Wow. All her posts and comments to my posts finally come to life. Wow. Yep, I saw wow a lot. I think I might have just stared at her for a second because I do that...i just look when I am a bit startled. I have this innocence and awe about me...so sometimes, I am just in awe of things and people and I just stare. I forget that it may be weird for the other person, but really...I am just trying to get a grip and yes, soak it all in. Soak the moment in.
Finally, we get word from Kelly of her long-awaited arrival. I met her across street and we put her bags in the room. We left and met the girls and 2 more cosmos later, we were all settled in and talking and sharing. It was so comfortable, as if we had known each other for quite some time. No awkwardness at all.

Next day we went to another place called, T’s bar and restaurant where I got more matches.

Next day we met up for a delicious brunch followed by a walk in the nieghborhood. A beautiful, sunny, Chicago day. I walked happily knowing I had already gotten my run in for the day. Walking back toward the car, we stopped and lingered at an open area just outside the brunch place. Lots of people out, enjoying the sun. There was an elevated cement area where myself, R.D. and Trin all sat, not talking. Both of them had some shades on and I just got full sun. Kelly was off in the shade with R.D.’s love, C. I looked over at them and they were in full discussion...chatting away as if they had known each other for like 1o years. So, there we were...full bellies and all...soaking up the sun and the light guitar sounds of a man in black that looked like a mix between Gene Wilder and Richard Simmons.

Last night together, we ventured out to a fru-fru place down the block from our hotel called Pop’s Champagne. I think we were all a bit intimidated by the menu, but luckily my pals trusted me to make a choice. I chose a place I know, but have never tasted. “J” is the name. Simple. Located on the outskirts of the Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma County, CA. A wonderful rose Champagne we had. Maybe the best I have ever had.

Somewhere between meeting up and leaving, R.D. made a comment about how weird it was to have us there...as if we were comic strip characters come to life. A pretty cool and accurate description of what it all felt like. It was a very special and fun weekend.

And if we are comic strip characters, I get to be Charlie Brown.

...Just Saying...

an old friend...

"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow."

-M A Radmacher

this and that

Not much posting lately as I have been seriously under the gun at work and such. Just wanted to note some things that will sound kinda random, but here they are:

Last Saturday, I went to a very small gathering(fundraiser) for Hillary Clinton. Very cool, indeed. To watch her, hear her speak, shake her hand and look into her eyes was very cool. Not sure who will get my vote, but she hasn't done much to sway me from her.

Also on Saturday, I went to the mall to buy some freaking clothes which I sorely need. And Monday morning, there I was at work, in a nice black skirt, blouse and blazer. I RARELY wear skirts, so i always seem to get a lot of compliments, which is nice. And, I will say, I do have nice legs!! :)

Sadly, the Warriors run is over. They were only able to eek out one win against the Utah Jazz. However, they brought an excitement and thrill to the playoffs that was so awesome and very needed in the NBA. Now, the same BORING teams are left. I could care less who wins. San Antonio? Gimme a break!! BORING.

And on a much more positive note, tomorrow, some of us will be gathering in CHICAGO! and hooting and hollering over memorial day weekend. YIPPEE. CHEERS!!

Making it better...

what a shitty week it was. stressed. exhausted. then, a great thing happened late friday night!











Man, I LOVE watching playoff sports. Watching the game last night was thrilling. Seeing all the fans in their yellow "WE BELIEVE" t-shirts. The place was nuts!!

What a high! There is no team in the NBA more exciting, hands down. Keep it going warriors! You got an old fan over here in the southeast rooting her crazy head off for you!!

Meet Me - Part II

To read PART I, see part I

The day after the fedex was mailed, of course, she had to actually call the hotel in Houston and make sure it arrived and that the concierge or whomever delivered it to E. She only had one day to make sure it had arrived. So.

Packaged received and delivered. Now, it was all up in the air. It was all very fun…not knowing. The knowing E. would have received the package by now, but the not knowing of her answer.

2 days later, Saturday arrived. She spent the day doing her usual things: going to the market, the post office, the cleaners and while she did, she noticed a mixture of excitement and anxiety. Anxiety? Nervousness? And then more excitement. She found herself at the counter of the bakery, not paying attention to her surroundings and just simply smiling at thought of the evening.

It was a gorgeous day in town. The spring weather had brought beauty, freshness, and a slight afternoon breeze that carried on into early evening.

In her mind, she had to decide what to do if E. did not show. A no brainer, really. She would stay and have dinner anyway.

She made the short drive to the restaurant and the young valet chap opened her door, smiled, took her keys and parked the vehicle. She arrived a bit early to grab a cocktail at the bar. She sat in perfect view of the valet circle where she would see E. arrive, if indeed that turned out to be the case.

Sitting at the small, under populated bar area, she fiddled with her cocktail glass and phone. At this point, she felt confident E. would show. Just a gut feeling she had. She took a few more sips of her cocktail, the shaved ice cooling her warm throat.

Looking at her phone, the time was past the hour. It was fifteen minutes passed the hour. E. was notoriously late so she wasn’t sure how long she would actually wait. Fifteen more minutes, she thought. After that, I go to my table. Alone.

Twenty minutes after the hours passed and quickly she was determining that for whatever reason, E. would not show. She wasn’t angry.

This is how she set it up. No RSVP.

She asked the bartender woman for the check and just as she was about to pay, she took one last look outside. There, she saw her. She had showed. She saw E. coming out of her vehicle while handing keys to valet chap. Even from a distance, she saw she was moving fast, worried that she was so late, looked a bit frazzled.

E. entered the restaurant and saw her sitting at the bar. She gave her a wonderful, beautiful smile. They went on to have a fabulous meal at 213 Palm Drive

Ahhh, YES!!

Mickael Pietrus, DUNK!









Coach Don Nelson and Baron Davis










Exhuberant fans watching somewhere on TV!

The Little Team that Could

The past 2 weeks or so have been dayys of extreme excitement as my favorite basketball team, THE GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (from Oakland, CA) Warriors
Made their way into the NBA Playoffs for the first time in 13 years. As a bay area native and growing up in the town next to Oakland, I have followed and been a fan of the team since my youth.
Not only has this been their first post-season trip in 13 seasons, but they also had to win almost every single one of their last games. I believe they went 9-1 in their last 10 games and they just eeked in.
What was their gift? To face the best team in basketball, the number one seed in the WEST, the DALLAS MAVERICKS. Now, on the face of this matchup, anybody would think the warriors would be easily swept in the first round, leaving their many fans with only the brief joy of MERELY making the playoffs. BUT, if you were to look closer, you would have seen that the warriors has beaten DALLAS the last 5 times they had faced each other. They were the only team all season to have a winning record against the MAVS. To understand the gravity of this, maybe you have to understand some of the history of the Warriors. They have been awful the past 10 years, at least. AWFUL. They were even pretty disgraceful many years. The rebuilding just wasn't working. New coaches weren’t able to get anything going. The team suffered and sat at the bottom of their division year after year. It was 
hard to watch, to say the least.

Fast forward to this season:

As a person living in eastern time zone, it has been a challenge to
watch the games because they have almost all begiun at 9 or 10pm. I have
forced myself to stay up at least to watch the first half of the games.
EXCITING BASKETBALL, folks!! The team is made up of a bunch of guys who
are not all that well-know, i.e. No superstars. They are small and
agile and determined! They remind me of the days when it was TMC: Tim
Hardaway, Chris Mullin and Mitch Richmond. Those guys made every game, win
or lose, exciting. And they worked hard. They were not showboats, they
just played hard. I even think word had it that Chris Mullin was
probably the hardest working guy in the NBA. No one could match his work
ethic.
Ok, back to current Warriors: To make it even sweeter, this is the
first year back to golden state for coach Don (nellie) Nelson. He was their
coach long ago and a very well liked and respected coach. His last
coaching job: his foe, The Dallas Mavericks. Who do think knew their team
better than anyone else?

So, what happened?
Warriors stun all basketball watching folks and bookies and win game 1
in Dallas.

Game 2 goes to the Mavs

Game 3 -Warriors smash 'em in Oakland-teams first home playoff win in
like a billion years.

Game 4-Warriors win. Again

Game 5-Dallas wins at home in texas. Barely.

Game 6- back to Oakland. Warriors win convincingly!!!

They are a team with a bunch of guys not making nearly what shaq or
kobe make. They are guys who just want, want, want. And they are a team
with a hellavua coach. They are a team, representing Oakland and the
entire Bay Area and its fans who are utterly starved for what they have
provided.
To me, this is one of the most exciting and precious times in sports.
It is fun and inspiring. Win or lose from here, they have shown what
true Warriors are!

pleasure

Tonight, I am having dessert.

A big, chewy, chocolate chunk pecan cookie. with milk.

I’m not sure it gets any better than this.

meet me

just when she wasn’t looking, she found a card. the perfect card. she wasn’t sure when she would send it, but she knew who is was for. “better buy it now”, she thought, and “worry about sending it later.”


later that evening, she was thinking of the one who gets her all stirred up. they hadn’t seen each other in a while and it was bothering her. She remembered that E. was away at a conference and she wouldn’t be back in town until later in the week. Suddenly, she thought what to do with the card. She would fedex it to her with a note.

First, she had to do some detective work and find out where in the hell she was staying in Houston. After some clever maneuvering, she found out it was the Westin Hotel.

Now all she needed to do was prepare the package. She wanted it to be something different; something unexpected and alluring. She took out the card from her bag and opened it. She read the words on last time before sealing it and sending it off to another state. The caption on the card read:

“We do not remember days. We remember moments.”

Beneath it were her own words to E.

“Care to share another one?

Meet me at 213 Palm Dr, this Saturday at 7 p.m.

Don’t RSVP. I know you will be able to come if I see you there...”

She smiled rereading what she had wrote and got a tingling in her stomach. In all honesty, she was tickled by herself and her own cleverness and spontaneity. She smiled at the thought of E. receiving a fedex at a hotel while out of town.

Her pulse quickened at the thought of whether E. would show or not. It was definitely exciting, the NOT KNOWING. And she truly hoped she did not get a RSVP. She didn’t want to know. She just wanted her to show or not show. Period.

She put the card in the fedex it, sealed it and attached a label. Fairly soon, the fedex guy or gal would be there soon for the late morning pickup.

had to blog about this...

it happened last weekend. i woke up saturday morning, in the little cabin rental, with a huge sold sore on my bottom lip. i have only gotten this maybe 2 times before, but never so bad or painful as this time.

so. before heading out for my trail run, i stopped into the Food Lion and bought a powerbar and looked for some ointment to put on this thing! i’m not too savvy with medicinal products, but i remember someone saying something about Neosporin.
So, i bought the neosporin. Nevertheless, it didn’t seem to work and so i just dealt with it. i guess you just have to wait these things out, i thought. the thing was pretty damn ugly for 48 hours, but by the time i got to work on monday, it didn’t look so bad. However, i just KNEW that some people would make comments about it, or just look at me funny.

So, of course, I walk in and talk to my buddy, AJ, and she says, “hey..Oh, YOU GOT A FEVER BLISTER”. As if i didn’t know. I don’t mind AJ saying anything cause she is my pal and even told me what medicine i SHOULD have bought.

As the day progressed, a few people i came into contact with simply said, “wow..what happened to your lip?” If i were quicker on my feet, i would have been able to say that i got into a fight or was kissing someone for too long or something really clever. BUT, I AM NOT QUICK ON MY FEET.

It just really cracks me up that people even ask the question: “wow, what happened to your lip?” I mean, they have no qualms about it. I would never ask someone that question. maybe a close friend, but not a co-worker.

Then, yesterday, i went across the street to the grocery store. Being that i go there about 4 times a week, i and the cashiers are familiar with each other. We don’t carry on conversations or anything, but we smile at each other and say hello. we know we recognize each other. When i went in at lunchtime yesterday, the cashier greeted me and then saw my cold sore and said, “oh, you have a cold sore” in her soft, somewhere accented voice. Her nametag reads FATITMA. She was sweet about it, like she was caring. However, this completely made me crack up laughing as I left the store. A virtual stranger making a comment about my damn cold sore. Up until then, I had no thought of blogging about it, but after Fatitma comment, i just had to.

People never seem to amaze!! What a hoot!!!