Come On! Update

When: Friday and Saturday, November 10 - 11, 2007

Where: Seattle (Capitol Hill, Westlake, and Queen Anne)

Who: Ace, his cousin, Anthony, his sister, and moi

What: Come On and the 4th Meal

If you remember, I updated you earlier on the day's events for Saturday, November 10. This is the day we saved our calories and snarfed on the southern goodness of Southern Kitchen.

This is also the day I was snug as a bug when I was summoned from the comfort of bed after 10:00 PM to "Come On!" so I trekked to Seattle without any of my girls to meet Ace and the peeps he was out with.

What ended up happening was I put my contacts back in, switched purses, re-curled my hair, did my face, threw on a shirt, a pair of slacks, my knee high boots, my leather jacket and headed out.

They were here. When Ace called the joint was not hopping. By the time I tried to find them (we'll get to this in a minute), it was packed and they were just about ready to go.

For the record, I do not parallel park. This is best for all of us mmmmkay?

I failed, yes failed, this portion of my driving test back in the day. I have not mastered the act of backing in to park either. To back in and squeeze myself between two cars is not going to happen without some sort of damage occurring, lots of swearing, white knuckling, and some nervous sweats to boot.

This was not an issue when I lived in the South. Texans like their parking lots and parking garages.

Here, especially on the streets of downtown Seattle, Capitol Hill, and Queen Anne, parallel parking is the norm.

Lets just say I drove past many open parallel parking spots on my quest to meet up with Ace and crew.

I finally found a parking lot where others had parked, asked a few guys getting out of their SUV if they had parked there before (I didn't want to be towed), and went for it. I pulled my little friend up next to the dumpster and trekked up a hill on the way to find them at Havana.

Looking to and fro for the address that should have been easy enough to find (yea, right).

See this picture, taken in the light of day, of the entrance to the club?

Find that in the dark of night. By the way, it is off the street too.

No markings. No signs. Little to no lights either. I was the one on the other side of the street asking everyone and their brother, "Do you know where Havana is?" Yea, good times I tell ya'.

Finally I called Ace and he was all like, "It is across the street." And y'all it was. But seriously, how I was supposed to find that if I had no idea of where it was?

So anywho, like I said before, by the time I got there and they assessed the situation (a long line to get in and a cover charge to be paid plus the alcohol they consumed and the dancing they were done doing), we headed out to get the 4th of meal.

Oh, all was not lost. Ace and I took a camera phone picture and sent T a happy birthday greeting from the parking lot.

Yes y'all, I drove up to Captiol Hill and then drove around to find a parking spot to walk up and down the same block at least a dozen times to pick the peeps up so we could go eat....AGAIN.

I'm not hating. I am just saying. We seriously ate our way through that weekend.

They all piled in my car so I could take them to their car. We headed over to the Westlake area, they got their car (Ace was sober so he was able drive), and we decided to head up to Queen Anne to eat at a place we had eaten at in January but weren't sure of the exact location. Last time we were there a cab dropped us off. We were buzzing way too much to pay attention to a detail like the name of the place let alone an address.

Somehow or another, after going down multiple streets and Ace breaking a few traffic laws along the way, we arrived at Mecca.

This was my selection of the night. Want to talk about some extra crispy taters? Those puppies were overdone. It's a good thing the meal was free because I love me some taters.

Burgers seemed to be the choice of the night. Ace, his cousin, and Anthony ordered one.

By the end of the weekend Ace's cousin was totally into taking the pictures. Don't you just love how he posed the ketchup for us?

Here is Anthony and his sister scarfing on their meal. Which they ordered and ate before we even got our food. This would be why our meals were free. The cook needed a break. He was working a double. To his credit he asked us if we minded if he took a quick smoke break before cooking our meals.

We told him to go ahead thinking it would be just that. A quick break. Boy howdy were we wrong. Like I said though they made good at Mecca and our 4th meal was free.

This also gave me more time to torture the hungry peeps and take pictures. One of these days I will get a picture of Ace not goofing. Do you hear me Baby Jesus? Just one good one please.
After the bellies were full once again we went our separate ways and headed home.

Good times y'all. Good times.

Happy Hump Day

Happy Wednesday to you and yours!

I have an exciting day of calls, number crunching, copying, emailing, and faxing ahead.

What about you? What do you have going on today?

Let It

Snow!

Oh yes it did last night.

It didn't stick but it was pretty to watch while the flakes were falling.

Of course, being out in it, wasn't too much fun because I was not dressed for it.

Yep, I decided yesterday wearing a long sleeve knit shirt, a mid thigh length sweater jacket, tights, herringbone slacks, and low heel boots warranted no need for a jacket.

Boy howdy was I wrong when I decided to go grocery shopping on my way home from work.

It was not so bad except for when the wind was blowing. Then all I could think to myself was "Holy hell. It is cold!"

Thankfully my sweater jacket has a hood. And I was counting my blessings I had a warm place to be after making my purchases.

I couldn't help but say some prayers for the homeless and the people working last night that had to be out in it, especially if they weren't dressed for it.

But then I started thinking "holy hell. It is cold" after I got home and had to drag all the bags of groceries up 25 stairs by myself.

Yada Yada I know...at least I have a place to live and the means to purchase groceries but living by yourself on the 3rd floor sucks when you have to haul stuff up and down the stairs.

The good news? The fridge and pantry are stocked again and they are predicting 14 inches in the passes today.

Know what that means?

We may get to go play in the snow soon. A certain someone I know wants to break out their snowboard. And I am always up for a road trip to the snow.

Peace and Love Peeps. Break time is over...and I have a two hour conference call starting in mere minutes.

Happy Monday

Happy Monday!

We might get some snow tomorrow night and Thursday evening too.

How is the weather where you are?

Weekly Challenge #8

This week we are focusing on our dental health.

The challenge is two fold.

Replace your toothbrushes if needed.

Schedule a cleaning/check up, especially if you are past due.

We are given one set of choppers.

Show them some love!

Lots of This to Come

My crystal ball says lots of giggles are in the future.

For at least 7 of us that is.

Ace, T, Snookums, Maricel, J, a friend of theirs, and moi are getting together for the night before the finals comedy competition this evening.

I hope you have some time planned with your loved ones too...if not, what are you waiting for?

Good Eats...SK Style

What: An indulgent meal

When: Saturday, November 10, 2007

Where: Tacoma's Southern Kitchen

Who: Ace, his cousin, me...and later M2 and family

We've talked about this place before. September 23rd to be exact. We went back to punish and treat ourselves.

We saved our caloric intake for the day. Literally, after multiple texts and a few calls, no one ate breakfast or snacked.

See, this is what we have decided you need, wait, make that HAVE to do so you can truly savor the experience and don't feel so guilty about indulging in the food we grew up on. Food loaded with bad stuff that tastes oh so good. Food that clogs the arteries and expands the waistline among other body parts.

Food like this...

Sweet tea. In a mason jar. And y'all, when I say sweet tea, I mean *sweet*.

And just like at your momma's, the glass never ran empty.
Does biscuit and country gravy say southern to you? It does me.

I had to try theirs. The last two times I have been there it was too late in the day and they ran out. But this day? This day the biscuit and gravy angel was on my side.

Allow me to say, perfection. The dish definitely gets my stamp of approval.
My main dish selection was the cajun catfish strips with cornbread dressing, red beans, and mashed taters. I shared my dish with Ace, as he shared his with me too, so I could be sure to satisfy the fried chicken craving.
Here's the fried chicken. Scrumptious huh? Ace likes his meals with greens, rice with gravy, and cornbread dressing. His cousin chose the whole catfish, fried okra, and red beans and rice. Later he asked for light bread.

Do y'all know what light bread is? In case you don't, it's a Southerner's way of asking for white bread. These two lovelies waited on us.

Meet Ruby (not her real name but what we affectionately call her amongst ourselves). She is on the left.

Talk this day was all over the place, including being shot at, and of course the obligatory smack, trash talking from the kitchen.

Good times y'all. Good times.

As you have come to know and love, we feel life is too short not to have dessert from time to time.

I selected the award winning peach cobbler once again. Ace chose the sweet potato pie with whip cream.

Once again, Ace was able to finish his pie and I ended up taking only a few bites and taking the rest to go.

We hung out, talked, laughed, observed, watched some football, and waited.

M2 and family joined us after we finished chowing on the grub. They had to make a trip to the airport and run another errand before they joined us.

I don't recall what they ordered and at this point Ace had commandeered the camera so just know it was more soul food.

There were lots of other pictures taken but the only one I can share with you would be this little diddy.

How cute are these Chucks?

The other shoe in the background is her daddy's.

So, after a bit more time in the joint, we departed ways. When I got home I reeked, and I mean reeked of fried food. Not so good y'all. Lets just say I promptly took a shower and changed.

I'll remember that smell the next time I crave the goodness of Southern Kitchen...

Happy Thanksgiving

Taking a moment to wish you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving.

I hope you are able to spend the day with loved ones and enjoy the spirit of the day.

I am thankful for so much, so many people, and feel I am truly blessed for all that I have and have experienced.

You my dear internet peeps are some of my counted blessings and a part of what I am giving thanks for on this special day.

I leave you with what would have been this year's Thanksgiving card if I had not gotten sick and been able to finish them in time to mail with an arrival prior to today. I am usually ahead of the game but now I will be really ahead. Hopefully you'll forget this design by this time next year.

I got everything done but adhering the leaves to the card, filling out the personalized sentiment, addressing the envelopes, and dropping them in the mail. The finished card will contain all leaves with swirls.

See how much fun being creative and green can be? We all know being sick is never fun. Thankfully I am on the mend...Peace and Love Peeps.

Do You?

Do you do Black Friday?

Is the day after Thanksgiving a MUST shopping day for you?

Do you scour the ads well in advance?

Are you up at the crack dawn to get that sale?

Or do you head out before midnight to stand in line until the store opens?

I made the effort once or twice back in the day.

These days, come Friday morning, you won't find me near a store at the crack of dawn...unless it is a work emergency.

For those of you brave, or crazy enough, to venture out Friday, I wish you a happy shopping day.

May you find a parking space near. I hope the spirit of the season is with you and everyone around you throughout the day. Be sure to take care of you - hydrate and make time to feed your body. Wear comfortable clothing and shoes. Travel safe and go get those sales!

Good, Quick Read

This was one of the books I picked up while shopping with Ace last week.

I read it last night after I snuggled under the covers with the kitties.

I had not heard of the book until I stumbled across it last week.

Apparently Tom Hanks has signed on to do a movie based from the memoir in 2008.

If you are looking for a quick read or a gift for someone this holiday season, this could be a good option.

With that being said, which one of you peeps is ready for me to send it your way?

Friday, 11.09.07

When: Friday, November 9, 2007

Where: Downtown Tacoma

Why: To Celebrate Marie's Birthday

Who: Marie, M2, Ace, his cousin, and little ole me

How: Tacoma Comedy Underground Style

Marie, who is M2's Mom and close friend/family of mine, was in town from Texas for the week and Ace's cousin flew in from Tennessee for the long weekend.

Friday was Marie's birthday. She wanted to go to a comedy show since we had such a good time at the competition Tuesday night and was not able to join us.

So of course we wanted to honor this birthday girl's wishes. How adorable is she?

They all piled into one car and drove around. I met them here to see this dude.


They were running a little bit behind so I was seated, ordered and tried not to make a new friend.

I seem to attract the freaks. We've talked about this before. The saying of the freaks come out at night certainly applies to me.

Here's the latest one to add to the list.

His peeps tried to contain him but he was having no part of it. After trying to figure out if he had too much to drink, not enough to drink, was off his meds, or was simply trying to drive me crazy with his version of reality, the peeps arrived.

They ordered their drinks and the show started shortly thereafter.

I would love to tell you this show as good as the 16 we saw Tuesday but I am unable to do so. There were moments of comedic genius but for the most part, the amateurs were funnier.

Don't get me wrong. We had a good time and the company I was in was great both nights. Tuesday just offered more laughs. I didn't even need to get the aspirin out once.

We left the show and as is the norm, took a few pictures before we went our separate ways.

And then because I am funny like that, I decided to take a picture while I was driving home on a rainy, fall, Pacific Northwest night...

Coming up later this week for sure will be southern peeps eating at the Southern Kitchen and the Saturday night excursion out for the fourth meal and trekking across Seattle.

For now, I am going to crawl under the covers with the love kitty and just be.

Peace and Love Peeps.

Weekly Challenge #7

This week's challenge is to SLOW DOWN.

Enjoy time with loved ones.

Take a moment or two for yourself.

Give thanks.

Live in the moment.

Love.

Laugh.

Simply be in the midst of the chaos holidays can bring.

Love You but Let Me Sleep!

Princess above.

Jasmine below.


Neither one has really left my side, which is normal when I am feeling blue or under the weather.

What is new is the bickering between them to see who gets to lay on my throat as I sleep.

The key word here is S L E E P.

In the midst of growls, hissing, meowing, and boxing not much of the key word has been going on.

I love you babies but for the love of all that is good and right in the world, will you please let me sleep?

I promise there is enough of me to go around for both of you.

And y'all that have been here know putting them out of the bedroom isn't option. Howl and scratch central is more of an issue than what I am dealing with as I try to curl up under the covers and sleep. And sleep. And S L E E P.

Blah

Woke up from my nap with a sore throat yesterday.

The crud has taken up residence in my body.

15 hour work days and going out on school nights will do that to this girl.

The good news? So far it is not strep like last year.

Y'all say prayers and send vibes my way it says that way.

I just want this to be a simple sore throat and stuffy nose.

Peace and Love Peeps. I am going back to bed.

Crapola

I can be my own worst enemy.

I totally just erased my entire iPod library.

I was trying to make my laptop the primary as my dinosaur desktop hard drive is on the fritz and what do I do?

Erase it all.

Infotech or Geek Squad is 'bout to get some of my bank.

Grrrrr.

Wednesday, 11.07.07

You know by now last Tuesday Maricel, Ace, and I went to Seattle for a comedy competition at the Comedy Underground in downtown Seattle.

What I didn't tell you is Ace left his wallet in my car on accident Tuesday night.

There I am Wednesday morning getting ready for work. My cell rings at 7:00 AM on the dot. Ace needed me to check to see if indeed he had left it in my car. I trekked downstairs, searched high and lo, and was just about to give up when I saw it wedged between the door and seat. Behold the wallet!

I called him back, shared the good news, and we both went about our days. I figured we would meet up after work at some point.

Little did I know I would end up heading back over to Bremerton and having dinner with him, M2, and her hubby.

I dashed home, picked up the wallet, and headed out. After traffic delays, I picked Ace up at his place.

Let me just say walking up and down a Washington hill in 4 inch heels is not easy, can lead to calf cramps, and someone telling you to wear 3 inch heels next time.

Ok, so I know that wasn't the brightest move on my part but he called me lazy when I said I would wait for him in the car outside the gate. That sounded like a challenge to me so I went for it. Next time I will wait in the car, lazy or not.

We headed over to the Bremerton waterfront for dinner here. For those who don't care for seafood pictures, there are a few below.

I apologize for the lighting in the pictures. I couldn't seem to get it right this night for some reason.

This is a one of the lights hanging in the restaurant and was directly in my view during dinner. It totally captivated me.

Don't you love bread? Carbs go straight to waistline and other places but I am not at the point of denying myself the small pleasure of it's yeasty goodness.

You know by now we also like to have drinks from time to time.

This was not the best mojito consumed but made for a nice picture nonetheless.

My desire was for a crisp glass of Sauvignon Blanc. I let the waiter, Matt, select which one. His choice was right on as it paired perfectly with my dinner selection.

Ace goofing and M2 looking purty.

M2's surf and turf. She later had to send the steak back as it was overcooked. Her lobster was just right though. Her hubby had surf and turf too but opted for tempura prawns versus lobster. His dead cow was good to go.

I opted for the lobster special and convinced Matt it would be in their best interest to make my lobster "user friendly". "User friendly" means taking the meat out of the shell before bringing it to the table.

Otherwise, no matter how easy it might be to get it out of the shell, bits of lobster might be flying here, there, and everywhere.

I readily admit it. I am messy like that. I may use a fork and knife to eat pretty much everything but I manage to still make a mess.

As you can see, he complied with the request and we were all thankful he did.

Ace doesn't care for seafood so he chose a burger and fries. Isn't the wrapping so pretty? Just like a little gift wrapped nicely for him come Christmas morning.

Midway through the meal M2's hubby finished his mojito and wanted to try a new drink. He left the decision up to Matt and the bartender. Matt said he would make sure it would be something feisty.

I am not sure a surfer on acid qualifies as feisty but this is what he got and ended up not really caring for the selection.

I have had a surfer on acid before but it didn't taste too much like this one did. What it tasted like to me was when you lick someone's back after the suntan oil/lotion has settled in and been sunbaked for a little bit.

Do you see that? What's that you ask? Look again. That's me in the corner of your eye waving my freak flag.

Apparently, even though we are all from the south, I am the only one who has licked someone with a bit of sunbaked lotion/oil on the skin.

At this point we found out something about Ace that disappoints me. We will get to that in a moment.

We decided to ask Matt if he had tasted suntan oil/lotion on the skin. He hadn't either and god bless him, he didn't miss a beat when the question was asked or when humoring us with an answer.

No blushing. No nervous laughter. No running away from the table as soon as he could. Secretly I bet he has his own freak flag waving in the wind too.

Remember how M2's cow wasn't cooked as ordered? The restaurant said dessert was on them as a result. They selected a slice of pumpkin cheesecake.

I ordered a piece of pumpkin cheesecake too. It was very sweet, almost too sweet, but good. I kinda strong-armed Ace into sharing it with me. I think his favorite part was the peanut brittle.

We also used the forks in a display of not quite good etiquette but in the spirit of flag waving discussion. Who needs a book when you have food to play with?

Once again, Matt hung in there and took our inappropriateness in stride.

We paid our bills and headed out but not before some more pictures were taken.

Here are Ace and M2's husband.

In case you wondered how Ace and I became friends, it was through these fine folks.

My ex and I used to live above them. Through the years and miles separating us, we have maintained a friendship.

Now allow me to go onward to the disappointing factoid we learned over dinner.

You know him as Ace. You've heard him referred to as Dark Chocolate. We lovingly call him McChocolately.

Allow me to introduce you to The Utensil.

Before y'all go on hating, he knows I am calling him out.

So there we are at dinner and during the course of conversation he shares with us he is the type of lover, because he has body parts that hurt and high blood pressure, that he lets his utensil and the woman do all the work. Since he is that good, he can do this.

He lays there and enjoys the ride but not on his bed. It might interrupt the sheet cleaning schedule. And y'all thought I was bad?

He will dirty up her sheets or get busy on the couch or floor but his bed is off limits to all except for him and Murph.

I'm disappointed on a few different levels but appreciative of the clean sheets.

And while you reflect on that, I leave you with Bremerton's little piece of Vegas...

Peace and Love Peeps.

Random Act of Kindness

We still have lots to catch up on from last week but I feel like starting with today first. Forgive me for being selfish like that.

Most of my peeps had today off. Me? Not so lucky. I was up and at 'em nice and early today. I was taking no chances the predicted windstorm would knock the power out and I would not be able to get done what I absolutely had to.

Yes y'all, we had another fierce windstorm complete with rain today. No power loss in my neck of the woods but plenty of other fierceness to go around and around and around and around.

Nonetheless we (Maricel, Ace, and I) braved the elements and headed out to lunch. After discussion, Panera was chosen.

I think we all had the chipotle chicken sandwich. I can't remember what Maricel's sandwich was as they gave her the wrong number, then someone took her food, and finally she had to get another one made.

Ace had a whole sandwich and apple.

Maricel and I chose a half sandwich, chips, and soup. She had the broccoli cheddar and I chose the clam chowder.
We all shared the sweet treat.
I know it is not right to pass judgment on others, let alone take pictures to publicly out them for all to see, but this one, god please forgive me, was too much not to share with you.

I would like to think her grandchild did her hair and she was wearing it like this with love but she was all alone.One clip maybe but four with that amount of hair? Really?

I'm just saying.

Post lunch, Ace and I were going to take in a movie and maybe a little shopping. Maricel left us to hang with her hubby.

We never made it to the movie. We did shop though.

We hit up Barnes and Noble and Borders. Yep, we're bookish like that.

We were on the hunt for two books Ace has his mind's eye on. Would you believe neither one was found? One has not been released yet and the other one was not in stock.

When all was said and done, I ended up getting two books and he selected one.

Afterward we walked around the mall and Ace spotted this gem. Leave it to him to find the grandma orthopedic shoes and to call out a display.

We thought it was Santa wearing some girly pants and then after the picture was taken, we noticed the Mrs. for Mrs. Fields cookies and it made sense.

Later the thought of the fugly shoes on this and the other displays was a conscious choice so peeps wouldn't be tempted to steal them.

On the way to the grocery store, we came across a homeless man and his dog on the street corner. Ace gave him some money.

As the light changed and I drove onward, my inner voice spoke and said, "Go buy the puppy a jacket and some food."

So I quickly changed lanes and onward to Pet Smart we went all the while Ace was singing "Someone's got their good samaritan on."

I thought the reversible, rain protective, reflective jacket was the best choice for the pup. It even had two little pockets on it and a cut out for the leash.

We probably could have gotten a large instead of the extra large size but at least the pup will be somewhat protected from the elements.

We weren't the only good samaritans either. As we drove back to the corner, another lady was giving him a bag of food.

This little puppy made out today. A bag of food from her and four individual, easy to travel, natural food bags and a doggie jacket from me.

I am sure the man was taken care of as well. Ace gave him money today and I did Friday night too. I am sure others opened their hearts and wallets too.

It makes me even more thankful for what I have tonight as I sit on my couch, with a roof over my head, food in the pantry, food for my kitties, and a warm place to sleep tonight.