Last night Jeff and I went to the Tigers game to celebrate his birthday a day early!!! Yea!!

Jeff's parking garage for work is in Greektown, which is so perfect.

We walked over to this little sports pub called Pappys'. It is a little sports pub with about 6 or 7 flat screen TV's that were playing a bunch of different baseball games. They actually have a "real" food menu, which is more than just your greasy bar food. I had the chicken kabob, and it was really good! They had some good microbrews on draft. Oh, also, they have a great happy hour from 2-7pm!


We drank a bit there, ate our dinner, then started walking over to the stadium. At the light at Gratiot, we run into this guy, who was trying to sell us CD's. He started talking to us and he was freestyling so I asked if I could take a video of him... He, of course, said yes...



We listened to his cd on the way home, and um, it was not so good.

After that we made our way to Comerica Park, and actually our tickets were not that bad. I had bought them off some Craigslist guy that day. We drank beers, watched the game for awhile... The Tigers were up by a lot, then the Rockies scored... And the Tigers rallied in the bottom of the 9th!

There was a quick rain delay. Jeff and I used it to dance in the rain, and move to really close box seats.

Here are some pics (I love how many fans show up at CoPa!):

From 2008-06-28 Ti...

Jeff and I also hit the batting cages:

From 2008-06-28 Ti...

Then the fireworks!!




Finally we went back to the Hills and partied at my neighbors house, where they had a liquor luge. We drank a bit, then decided to go swimming in my pool. The temp in the pool was 86, but I was freezing! We had the patio heater on, but I still couldn't deal with it.

Jeff slept over and then we just got back from meeting my dad at Moe's on 10, in Novi, for brunch. The brunch is made to order omelettes, some regular staples like eggs, meats, pancakes, fruit, potatoes and then random things like... quesadillas and asian veggies, which were very good. Actually, for a brunch it was very good, and very affordable. Moe's is kind of an "older" person place (I keep forgetting my dad is in his 60's, I never think of him as old??), but the food was good, the service was good and I would definitely go back for brunch.


Now, nap, then, Jeff's house for a BBQ to celebrate his birthday!!

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Wednesday night Jeff met me at the mall after I got my haircut. Then we went to Fountain Walk to BW3's. OK, I know it is superficial chain food, and I live in one of the best food towns in the USA, but I missed BW's. I missed the Spicy Garlic dipping sauce, and the Grilled Chicken Buffalitos, not to mention Bell's Oberon Beer!

We ate so much food and then went over to Lucky Strike to play a few games. I had not bowled in a very long while, and Jeff was way better than me. We did play a dollar a frame though, and it just so happened that I ended up only owing Jeff a dollar at the end.

From Blog Pics

From Blog Pics

I went home early, I actually slept, which was amazing. I think Wednesday was the first night I was able to sleep a bit, but I did have to be up at 5:50am EST the next morning because I had to be at a meeting in Lansing, Michigan (about 1.5 hours from my house) by 8am. I struggled!

I went to this meeting for the Michigan Minority Business Development Council. It was interesting. Basically, a bunch of companies tell you how to bid on their jobs, and they need a certain amount of minority bids. You do network with other businesses, which was nice, and you get to meet purchasing agents from the large companies and hopefully that will pan out. There is not a lot of money in Michigan right now, sadly (the malls were EMPTY), so I do not know how much our company will focus on Michigan. So far we seem to be doing better in the west and south, as they are building more and more for all the people moving in, where as in Michigan, everyone is moving out.

My mom was telling me that in her subdivision, which has your typical Farmington Hills Middle to Upper Middle class houses, that there were 5 or 6 foreclosures that she was aware of. There may be more. That is very sad that people are losing their houses, in addition, it makes my mom's and neighbor's houses lose so much value. Detroit needs help!

Thursday night, I went home and took a nap! After that Jeff picked me up and we met up with Joel and Carl at 5th Ave Novi. The Killer Flamingos, this local Detroit band that has been playing the same set list since.... I don't know, 2000 when they used to tour with Gordon Bennett Band... Well, they were not there for whatever reason, and The Spirit of '76 was playing instead. Basically they are a bunch of older dudes that play songs from the 70's and wear really weird clothes. Here is a video:



We didn't stay for too long. We took off about 12:15 and I was home by 12:30am EST.

I am leaving for a dentist appt soon. I love freshly cleaned teeth!

I have been home now since Saturday. It has been hectic. I feel like when I am home, I am always running here, running there, chaos, I am being spread too thin. I have not seen any of my friends since I have been home. I worked, ran errands, worked, saw my Grandma twice and my Great Aunt & her son (who live in the Houghton/Hancock area of the UP).

Everyone thinks that since I am home, I am on some sort of vacation? I am here for work, work paid for it, so the extra things I get to do are just that extra, a bonus, not a priority. In reality, I feel like I should not have told anyone I was home!!

Not to mention the time change. I am great at going from EST to PST, but not PST to EST. I think today is the first day I am not completely exhausted.

So, some fun/weird things about home...

I forgot how much I love a salt water pool (not to mention how good it is for the environment!) My mom has one and I have been spending time in it.

People (my family, mom, boss, friends) keep paying for my dinners when we go out.

When I came into work on Monday there was a dead turkey vulture hanging upside down. Apparently, there were 5 of them, they tore our roof off, and we had to shoot one and hang it upside down in effigy - whatever that means - and it scares the other ones away. We had to get a special permit from the DNR and get the insurance company out because they did like 10,000 dollars worth of damage in 4 days. So, apparently my boss shot the bird, and hung it on our directv dish.

Ha, I just said it worked, and just saw one flying over the lake and then land on our back roof. Apparently, it did not work. Our permit is for 5...



Gas is so cheap here, well, compared to Seattle. I got gas with my mom on Sunday and it was just over 4 bucks a gallon. In Belltown that same day, 4.45.


On that same Sunday, I went to my sis's new house and saw her cat. Her roommate got a new kitten, and he is an 8 week old little devil of a cat. I am not a big fan of cats anyway (in fact, they are a deal breaker when dating!!), but how can you not think this little kitten was cute...


Tonight, I get to get my haircut - Yea!! I haven't had it done since Dec 23, which was the last time I was in Detroit. I just haven't found someone in Seattle, and I really like Denise... and well, I am getting it cut. Then Jeff and I are going to get a late dinner - of all my friends I have seen Jeff the most... which is nice. Saturday night we are going out for a crazy night since it his birthday!!

And back to work for a few mins...

We get a lot of links to our trout video from this video... Really? I didn't get it at first, so I skipped to the last 10 seconds, as I often do... Really? There is a market for this?? Is that why my fish video has so many hits???

Gross.

As some might know, my life has involved Wendy's lately. Not being much of a fast food fan, mostly because of calorie and food quality concerns, I generally avoided most forms of fast food. Now, don't get me wrong, I do go to Subway, Qdoba, Baja Fresh, etc. Well, last week, I had my eyes reopened to fast food. And I have always enjoyed the baked potato from Wendy's, in fact, when I was sick as a kid my mom would always get me a baked potato and frosty. Now, it is sort of a comfort food, as when I am sick I always want a Wendy's baked potato.

Well, a client told me to go to the Wendy's website where they have an amazing nutrition calculator, and you can even personalize your menu (let's say, hold the sour cream) to find the best option that fits your life style.

Here is the nutrition website, and the picture above... is my lunch -baked no sour cream and a grilled chicken sandwich no honey mustard... with a total of 4 grams of fat.

As most know, I travel quite a bit for my job. I am here, there, and everywhere in between. In fact, I am not in Seattle right now, rather in Detroit, for work.

So, when traveling, and I am not at airports, I am often in a car going to and from my hotel, convention, conference, or just out to eat... And where does one get a car? Well, Argus Car Hire, of course. Car Hire has been in business since 1959 and searches over 450 rental agencies and compares all the agencies in 12,000 cites to find you the best on your rental car. What is really nice about this service is - you can use it ANYWHERE in the world and it will be able to compare rental rates for you.

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I am sitting in the Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood airport. It is early. I barely slept last night and left my hotel at 4 to get to the airport for a 6am flight... Well, it is now 6am EST and why am I not on my flight? Oh, cuz they canceled it, and put me on the 8am. Yeah, go Delta.

Oh, and last night, I was outside about to go swimming and I saw this guy...

Yesterday morning, I woke up to a siren... and then a voice saying... Warning, this is not a test, a fire has been detected on your floor. Please proceed to the nearest stairwell and exit... or something to that effect.

Yeah, at the Marriott, the fire alarm went off, at 6:20am. I had my alarm set for 6:30, so I missed out on a solid 10 minutes of sleep! Hey, 10 minutes could mean the world to me. Well, we all kind of go to the stairwells, walk outside. Some people really took it seriously... because women were in nighties, some guy was ONLY wearing boxers, etc. I took a few seconds to throw on my glasses, and some clothes... even a bra.



(Ugghh - Blogger just shut on me and lost the rest of my post!!)

I was pretty pissy that my sleep was interrupted and that my customers were seeing me with bed head, morning breath, and tank and shorts... but then I saw this, and suddenly, I was not so upset..




Then about 6:30 they let us get back into our rooms. When I went back into my room, I noticed that same rainbow above the golf course.




I was running behind, so I hurried into the shower (where the alarm went off - again, but I just stayed in the shower). I got dressed and ran down to breakfast before my meeting.

I was in meetings all day, one of which I had to do a 30 min presentation. After that the whole group had lunch and hit the golf course!

It had FINALLY stopped raining, and the weather cleared up for us, though it was really balmy. We played at TPC Heron Bay, and I actually had a pretty good game, especially considering that I am a pretty lousy golfer. On one hole, a par 3, my drive landed on the green, about 3 feet from the pin. Yeah, I rock.



After golfing, we all went back to the hotel to shower up before dinner. One of the guys in my conference offered to come to my room to help me, or discuss work, or something... Yeah, I am one of few females in my male dominated construction field. It gets weird sometimes, but I will explain more about that later...

We had dinner, networked, talked a bunch. Then I stayed out with a few of the guys from our group drinking a bit until pretty late. I was also raving about a product I use a lot to the rep that worked for the particular company. He was pretty amused that I loved his product so much. I was selling it to the other people in my group, essentially.

Finally, I went to bed about 1:30, and had to be back downstairs in my meeting again at 7:00am... which I am struggling.

I must talk about something... so, I am in a male dominated field, and construction/maintenance workers have a reputation of being, well, less than perfect gentlemen. Also, I think most people that travel, especially alone, are men, making me a bit of an anomaly. Well, men then give me some stereotypes... one is that I am a super slut and will sleep around on my trips, another is my company sent me to flirt, and possibly sleep around and finally they think I am just some random at the hotel, I could not possibly be with their conference. Which makes it funny when you start telling me weird things about your sexual adventures last weekend... and then you see me, at your conference the next morning. Oh, and I haven't been on a trip yet, where I didn't have the chance to bang a married man - in fact, this trip the option was there the Tuesday night BEFORE my Thursday conference started! Funny.

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The last time I ate was 1:30pm Pacific time... yesterday. It is not because I have an eating disorder... it is just bad timing and lame cities.

I am in Coral Springs... land of old people, golf courses, and of course, convention centers. I got in late last night and couldn't eat during my connection in Atlanta because I did not have time, because my plane was late (probably because so many people carried their bag on!). So, I get to my hotel around 1:15am, and everything is closed. It looks like a ghost town, and I am in the middle of nowhere, not even a 7-11!!! I ask the front desk clerk if there is any food anywhere... she conjures up some boxes of honey nut cheerios, no milk. I eat some, I am not going to go into shock from hunger now... I was in too late to order room service for breakfast, but figured no big deal, I would go to the restaurant when I wake up.

I wake up at 8:45am from housekeeping. I forgot to put the do not disturb. That was so early, 5:45am my time... I couldn't really fall back asleep because the hotel is atrium style and the door to my room has a 1 inch crack between the door and the floor... so I can hear everything in the lounge. Stupid design.

So, I shower, go downstairs to the lounge... no one helps me. I go to the restaurant... no one is there!!! There was a buffet out and I almost just stole food I am dying of hunger. I go to the front desk, who originally told me about the food options.. I ask, do you really have food here... I plead my case, how I haven't eaten in hours... They have to call a server.. who then says, you want coffee? I say, no food, as I have little energy to say much else. She tells me I have to go to the restaurant, not the lounge. I say they told me I could order here, and I went to the restaurant and no one was working. She then gives me a menu, and lets me order... right away, while standing there. I tried to order a salad and then have her put that in while I decided on a meal, but she wasn't having that... so I just ordered the first thing that looked decent...

I ordered food at 8:14... It's been 15 mins, and I have only a water at my table... with a lemon... I am thinking about eating the lemon...

Oh, and I do not have a rental car and I am about 3 miles away from civilization... just Everglades and Golf Courses....

Update, it's now 8:37am PST... no food...

Update, I might die of starvation soon... 8:51... no food.... and no people that apparently work here to ask where the hell my food is...

Update... 8:57... FINALLY!

Planes are funny. Yes, a general statement I know. Think about it, though... You are in a giant tin can, a glorified bus, with 175 strangers for 5 hours... and it's not pure chaos? Everyone is tired, you have to take off your shoes, airport food sucks, flights are late (I will get to that in a minute), airplane cleaners are contracted out (so the plane never really gets clean), kids are screaming, some people forget to use deodorant (as I have once already blogged)... and yet, for the most part... everyone remains calm?

I am currently en route to Fort Lauderdale airport, after connecting through Atlanta Hartsfield. It's been a bit of a bumpy ride, more so because I am in the back of the plane, but seemingly OK (in fact, there goes the seatbelt sign).

I am attending a very important conference, in which I will also be presenting our products to a room full of people. In addition, I am golfing - which, um, I am a really bad golfer, so we will see how that goes.

So, now... late flights. As most who fly know, the major airlines have changed their baggage policy to allow only one checked bag per passenger, instead of two. I am flying with the two bags I generally fly with, one is large, about 50 pounds - definitely a checkable bag. The other bag is smaller, a carry on, maybe 25 pounds? At the check in counter, I asked if I could still check my smaller bag... The answer was no, unless I wanted to pay. Now, I am flying on my company's dime, but I am still a cost cutter and try to cut costs wherever, plus it is the principal!

So, I get to my gate, and find a CSA and guess what.. he checked my bag, for free! Then I realized the plane is taking FOREVER to load and board... I mean forever, we are already late because the plane came in 15 minutes late, and then I realized.. everyone is loading their second bag into the overheads. We left 30 minutes late, which made them fly the plane faster, which wasted more fuel, which costs the airline more money. The question is, are they making more money from the extra bag fee than they are spending playing catchup? I am curious.

Oh, and my flight from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale, took off late, surprise, surprise....

8:26pm - I'll leave this on West Coast time and post when I get to the hotel

I am bound for Ft. Lauderdale, FL today. Apparently, it is going to be really hot there.

As I pack, I realize how silly it is we pack in quart sized plastic bags. I also wonder if Ziplock and Hefty are pushing for this 3.3 ounces limit in the quart bag, because I bet their sales have doubled. I know this argument has been made many times before... as their are so many liquids that in 3.3 ounce form would hurt a plane, or cause sickness... but I just wish 5 ounces were allowed... so I could bring my Bed Head After Party on the plane.

Also, for the first time in a long time... I am carrying on. You can only check one bag now... I would usually check my 2nd one, but now I am bringing it on the plane. I do not get it. It will just take me an extra 2-3 mins to put my bag (slowing down boarding) in the overhead and I am carrying the same amount of weight. Annoying.

And now... I am out... on my way to SeaTac ;)

Yesterday I went to Spa Noir, in Belltown, for a 40 min facial. The facial uses Eminence products, which I guess is an all organic skin care line. OK, so this is my second visit to Spa Noir, and if I had to base this spa upon this visit, I probably would not go back, which is sad because the owner is really good to our community! Just next time, I will make sure to see a different esthetician.

My appointment was at 1:45. I came into the spa and sat down at 1:41, everyone was in the backroom and it was a few minutes before anyone appeared. The esthetician that I ended up seeing spoke to her coworker in a very passive aggressive, condescending tone, then asked me if I wanted to use the bathroom before, and I said yeah, that might be a good idea. Then she said, well, we are already running 5 minutes behind schedule. I then used the restroom and after I finished looked at my phone - which runs of Verizon time - and it said 1:45, which was my appointment time, originally. Weird.

The spa itself is dark, has exposed brick, and has quality equipment and comfortable rooms. I do not like the music they play, as I am more of a fan of "spa" type music that helps relax you. The music they play was modern soft-rock, which I totally dig, but didn't help put me into the "relaxing" mood (not to mention I kind of felt I was a burden on my esthetician, which one should NEVER feel in a spa setting.)

I did like my facial quite a bit, but it wasn't the best one I have ever had. Part of that might be the fact that Rachael, my esthetician at Salon Agape in Novi, Michigan spoiled me with her amazing facials!

After that my friend came over, cooked a pasta dinner, and then we drank some wine and talked for a bit. After that we went to Umi Sake House and had the tropical sunrise roll - Yum!

Next Cory called me and said he and friends were at Belltown Billards. Now I swore I would never go here again, but here I am... at Belltown Billards. I hung out with Cory for a bit and his friends... they were playing pool... I danced a bit... they danced... then something crazy odd happened...

Cory wanted to introduce me to his friend... so we started talking and he said he was from Detroit, I said I was, too... He said where, I said Farmington Hills... he said he was, too... Turns out he went to Harrison and graduated in 1996... and I grad in 99 so we were there at the same time. It was just crazy.... so many MI people are out here!

It is super nice out today, and I am sitting on my balcony enjoying the sun while typing this!

Yesterday after work I went to Peter's place in Redmond, then we drove up to Tulalip to the Seattle Premium Outlets mall. I did go to the customer service desk to get the savings coupon (just show your AAA card, or other options) and it was well worth it! I had to get some golf clothes for this golf outing I am attending in Ft. Lauderdale, FL next week.

After we left there we decided on some Italian food, and since we were on the Eastside, Maggianos was our choice. They must have been having an "on" night because we made a 9:30 reservation from the car, got there about 9:15 and were seated about 9:25. Our service was great (which is touch and go at this location), the food was very good (which again, is touch and go here), and we were sat at a booth (which I always prefer). If this were my only experience at the Bellevue Maggiano's, I would say this was a great Italian place... so I am glad I gave it another shot! Next time though, we'll see.


After that we went to Fred Meyer for a minute, I picked up a pot and potting soil so I can grow onions on my balcony, then we went to Peter's for a minute.

I drove home after that, and while I generally do not visit the Eastside, I noticed how serene it was driving over the 520 at about midnight. Every lamppost had a single seagul standing guard (I assumed it is because it is a good insect hunting place?). I love driving into the city on I-5, you can see the Space Needle in the backdrop of Lake Union... it reminds me why I love this city so much. The stupid, cheesy, man made tourist attraction of a Space Needle reminds me that this is my home? Silly, maybe...

It still does not exactly feel like home... but as the days go by... I am feeling like less and less of a tourist...

Monday, I sat home... worked all night... did not go out... it was wonderful!

Tuesday I had a doctor appointment and they took all this blood from me. I was so exhausted that I fell asleep and took a nap in the afternoon. My friend Michael and I were supposed to get sushi, but he got busy and I had a work thing to finish since I fell asleep... so we rescheduled...

Instead, Peter and I went to Pomodoro in Eastlake. It was pretty good. The restaurant has an open kitchen, a european feel, and the food was really good. There were not many tables in there, so the place was quiet and the service excellent. I think so many people go to Serafina, that they forget this place exists and is practically across the street. I had a pasta dish that was perfect. It normally comes with olives, I asked for it without... which I was charged $3.50 for removing olives. That was my only complaint. For dessert (which I usually pass) we chose bananas foster... which they make right at your table, and it was so yummy.


After that I went home, worked for a bit, then passed out as I was tired from the blood withdrawal.

Yesterday I again worked all day, then met up with Darren to go over work stuff... then went to Dan's to pick him up.

We chose Blue Moon Burger's in South Lake Union for dinner, and let me tell you... we will be back. In fact, I am craving the Hawaiian chicken sandwich now! First, we just happened to be there on Wednesday night - well, Wednesday is buy one get one half off. Perfect. We missed happy hour, which is $1 off all beers, but still the Pyramid was only like $4. You go up to the counter to order, then sit down, they call your name and you get your burgers, go to the counter and get your ketchup, etc. I had the chicken sandwich, Dan had the regular burger and we split fries. It was very good. Also, it is locally owned and they say their beef is all natural and hormone free.


Then we went to his house, watched Thank You for Smoking, which I liked and had never seen before...

Oh, I almost forgot to add... I blog in space now...

It is almost 2am, on Monday night and I was abruptly woken up from my deep slumber... but the sheriff yelling "all of you put your hands up" on his loudspeaker. Now, I love the fact that crackheads are getting arrested/questioned/my alley is getting cleaned up... I really do. Just wish I were still sleeping...

I have been super busy with work as of late. We have a lot of cool things going on, and the start up is really starting to take off... but as most people that work for start-ups know... lots of work to do, never enough people to do it!

I should blog about my Sunday... My Montreal friend Peter came by with Starbucks, bless his heart... I dig the Cinnamon Dolce Skinny - and that is what he got me! We drove to South Center, ate at Red Robin - which pulled tomatoes because of this salmonella outbreak... and that is why restaurants, even chains, should only use local organic foods...

After that we went shopping at random stores, bought random stuff, I declined to impulse buy too much, which is good. The stores were crowded, lots of people meandering around and bumping into me!

And then came the reason why we were down south... Walmart. Well, anyone that knows me and my habits knows a few things... 1 - I hate Walmart and everything it stands for... and 2 - I hate shopping when there are large crowds... I have been to Walmart maybe 4 times in my life? Where I grew up they are sparse, you have to go way south or way west... and I just don't like Walmart. Often when camping though, you are forced to go to one, as it is the only store for miles. And silly me, I wanted this specific vacuum cleaner, and it has been discontinued for an upgraded model, and the current model was sold out pretty much everywhere in the country, except - Renton's Walmart.

The experience first started with us somehow getting lost. Then I called Walmart to see where they were located... um, the first chick says... right across from Renton Honda, so I say... where is Renton Honda. She says Rainier Ave S. I ask for the cross street, she transfers me. What? How do you not know the cross street?? So, the 2nd chick picks up... I ask again, she says... across from Renton Honda. What??? So, I say... where is Renton Honda located? She says Rainier Ave... I ask, do you know the cross street... she had to ask someone next to her... then she was able to tell me. How do you not know where you work, and why does Walmart have people answering the phones that do not know the location??

Then we finally get there... and oh my goodness, so many people! You cannot get through, everyone was walking slow, leaving their carts in the way, misbehaving children running in front of you, just honestly, a bit chaotic. In addition, the store is merchandised in a way that reminds me of a garage sale. I get what I need, including face wash. Now, the face wash made me realize why people might shop at Walmart... it was 2 dollars cheaper ($6 down from $8) that it usually is at most stores. Now I usually buy it when it's on sale for $6, but that is a sale, this was Walmart's normal price... so I can see why people would chose to shop here, especially after my last post.. but for me... my sanity and staying in the city, rather than driving to Renton is not worth the 20-25 percent savings.

So, I am already a bit panicky, because... well, it is chaotic... so I go to pay. Oh my, lines, lines, lines... Finally, I choose a self check out. We got a dirty look and lectured by the chick that worked there because we didn't put the vacuum on the sensor, just left it in the cart after scanning. It's too big, but yet, she was rude to us about it. Well, then I go to pay... and it wouldn't take credit card number 1. I know there is money on it, so I try again... Won't take... Then I try card number 2, now I know there is a lot of money on this one... It won't take... What? Finally, it takes it on the 3rd try.

Moral of my story... do not go to Walmart.

After that, we came to my apt, dropped off the stuff... then went to Umi Sake House for happy hour. Always makes me feel better! Though the bar area got really crowded as we were about to leave and people kept bumping into me as I sat in my stool, which was totally the theme of my day... go figure...

Oh, I did see a funny sign in Renton...

OK, so, really... today is June 7, and... I could see my breath today! What? Why is it so cold here!!

Today Dan and I got a late breakfast/brunch at this place called The Dish in Fremont. It is one of Dan's favorite places for breakfast, with good reason. I had a scramble with all this random stuff in it... it comes with red potatoes and a scone! It was so good!! They also have a large array of hot sauces to make your meal even more tasty! I have a feeling this place is busy quite often, but I am sure the late time and the crappy weather helped us get a seat pretty fast. We sat at the counter, so we could see into the kitchen and the pancakes looked amazing! So did the lunch sandwiches. They close at 1:30, and do not take credit, but those are the only downfalls I could see.


I had to get gas today. It was sad, so sad. And I went to the cheap gas station on 15th... the Shell on Denny was 4.449/gallon! Ha, you can see me in the reflection! At least this tank will last me 2 months...


After that we went to Discovery Park. We first went to the welcome center and looked at the map, then drove to the south entrance, parked there and walked up the trail to the south beach trail. The south beach trail is easy to go down the stairs, but going up the stairs.. OH MY! You always forget how hard it is to get back when you are all excited to get down to the beach. We didn't go all the way down, because we ran out of time, but we will be going back!






Oh and most know that I like funny signs - well I saw two today! Both at Discovery Park!


Now, I am going to catch up on my blog, take a nap, and then get ready for the night!!

Sunday (yesterday) Dan and I woke up, I made breakfast then we went off to the game. We tried to get on the free ride bus at 1st and Bell, but it was full, so it just drove past us. Then we went to Alaskan and Bell to get that bus, but it didn't come, so we ended up meeting random Detroit people and shared a cab with them.

We got into the game, got some beers, then snuck into seats that were way better than ours. Ok, so the game was on June 1, you think June, you think summer... and we were wearing hoodies and jackets and we were still cold! Oh, not to mention the sky had this perfect thick blanket of grey clouds above us...



The Tigers won the game, we stayed till the end... then we walked to Pioneer Square to get some food, but ended up going to Elliott's on Pier 56. I thought we could still get lunch, we couldn't, but we just really wanted the chowder anyway. We sat at the oyster bar and I chatted up the guy behind the counter and asked what oysters were best, and I told him I liked the salt oysters. He had me try one from Otter Bay, and oh my was it yummy. We ended up ordering 6 of them.

After that we went to my house, took a nap - which was much needed after a busy day of baseball ;) Then woke up, I took Dan home and then came back here and passed out.

Saturday I woke up, took Brandon to his place, came back here, did some work then showered and got ready for the 2nd Tigers Game. Charlie and his friends were going there, too, but I was meeting them there. I tried to take the free ride zone bus, but it didn't come and I ended up just walking to Safeco from my house.

On the way, one of the turning points of me living here happened... I always talk about one of the milestones of actually living in a place is randomly running into someone on the street. So there I am, walking down 1st Ave, past the market, maybe even in Pioneer Square by the time and I hear... "Elise". I turn around and it is Dan, of all people, which is even more random. Both of us were like a mile from our places, he was coming back from a work thing. I tried to convince him to go to the Tiger's game, but he went home.

I walked towards the stadium and I saw a police horse eating popcorn. I kind of laughed and it made me think of halfbaked, and Buttercup.


Then I went to Jimmy's at the Silver Cloud hotel to meet up with Charlie and his friends. We had a beer then went to the game. The Tigers lost. It was sad. Here are my pics from the game, which are starting to look so generic.


After my boys lost, we walked to Pioneer Square to get some food and drinks. On the way we passed this dog, which the guy I think got made at me cuz apparently you are supposed to give a dollar if you take the picture... but really, who does this to their dog??



We walked through Pioneer Square and went to New Orleans Restaurant. It is a cool old "southern" pub feel with exposed brick walls. They also had a live New Orlean's tyle jazz band playing in the "dining" side, but it was not too loud to still have a conversation on the bar side. The service was a little shoddy, and I ordered seafood gumbo and got chicken, but it was still really good chicken gumbo. I would go there again. I loved it this place, especially on a rainy day after the M's game. Oh, and this is their ladies room... I am weird, I know..


I walked back to my house after New Orleans, but first stopped at the market to get some dinner for Dan and myself. I got fresh salmon, veggies and this awesome vanilla flavored honey. So yummy. The market is so so so busy on weekends now that it is all touristy season, so going there on a Saturday was a bit suicidal.

I made it out of the market alive and then as I am walking back this guy stops me on the street. He first asked me where he should eat, and just random Seattle questions. I was trying to be nice and answer him, but he was a talker and from Dallas and then finally asked me to hang out. It was kind of random, and usually I am about random, but I just was not feeling it, so I declined.

I went home, I cooked, Dan and I ate... and then... played the Wii... Dan loves to beat me in boxing, apparently... Oh, we also looked for a puppy for me. I want a maltese-poodle or a maltese-bichon, and we found a few, but they are from breeders and I am trying to adopt rather than buy, so we will see.

I have been a bit behind on the blog front... but then maybe it is because I have been out, living life ;)

Friday I met my Montreal friend, Peter, at Wasabi Bistro in Belltown. Usually if I go to sushi, I go to Umi, but Umi is not open for lunch. Anyway, we had awesome sushi and then we went to Starbucks on 2nd for a cup of after lunch coffee...

Friday night Brandon and I went to the Tigers/Mariner's game.



The Tigers game was fun. Before hand we went to Del Rey, drank a bit, ate some food. Then we bused to Safeco. We did not have any money, but I was wearing an orange wig and the bus driver let us on. We met some kids on the bus, one was a Fin from Michigan, so we talked about the UP. Then we got off, went to Safeco, got some beers and went to our seats.

We had pretty good seats on the 3rd base line and were surrounded by a bunch of Detroit people. The Pistons were playing and I was getting text updates because the sports pages on my phone are always 2-3 mins behind. Finally, Jeff and I were on the phone and he was announcing the last 3 mins of the game. It was sad. My heart was broken. My Pistons broke my heart, yet again.



We ended up meeting all these Michigan people at the game, and I think I made plans, and got phone numbers/facebooks names, etc.

The Tigers won! After that Brandon and I started walking back towards my place. Apparently we walked in the middle of 1st Ave...




We stopped at Jimmy John's in Pioneer Square for a sandwich. We got the veggie ones, and in the process met all these boys from Grosse Pointe. We chatted for a bit and they told us to meet them at Kell's by the market. We stayed there, ate, chatted with the Jimmy John's people and then took off towards Kell's. On the way we met more random people on the street, created a bit of havoc, and what not. Then we went to Kells and saw the GP guys again... apparently I added them all on Facebook and vice versa.

After Kells, Brandon and I tried to get a cab, neither of us had cash. It took a few but finally we found a yellowcab, which we took to Ozzies. It was packed! We wanted to sign karokee, but it was hard to even get a drink there. We did meet some random Belgium basketball players? And also this boy wearing a "hecho in conn" shirt that really wanted to do it with Brandon.

We walked back to my place, but tried to stop at Del Ray. The line was forever long, and we were not dealing with that. So, we went to the store, bought a 6 pack of Corona and went back to my house and played Wii. Then Brandon passed out on my floor...

OK, I cleaned my fridge out today. Um, yeah, that's been in there since I went to Kingfish Cafe. It is leftover pancake and fruit, I think. In my defense, it was hiding behind all the condiments, on it's side, so it blended in with the back of my refrigerator.

Nasty, so so so nasty.