just laura

Many thanks to Ryan and Steph for introducing me to fausnaughts… I haven’t eaten this much friend dough since my madazi eating days in Kenya!

Free music online is such a beautiful thing. This song came up on Pandora.com today when I was listening to some Joni Mitchell. I think it’s pretty much hilarious. It stirs up my old dreams of starting a permaculture farm in South Dakota, but I don’t really know that permaculture is in my future, as fantastic as I believe it’d be. Lyrics and song by Gaia Consort, © 1998 Christopher Bingham. Enjoy the silliness…

Move to the Country

We’re gonna move to the country
With a half-a-dozen lovers
I’m gonna move to the country
Aw honey squeeze on over

We’ll leave behind the city and with it our doubts
When we get to where we’re going we’ll hoot and shout
And we’ll turn each other upside down
And shake the concrete out

We’ll be totally independent, we’ll be off the grid
‘cept for the solar power we’ll sell back to the Feds
And we’ll make some half way decent art
Between the gardening and the sex

When we move to the country….

We’ll find the hundredth monkey and our ideas will spread
Even born again Fundie’s will find sense in their heads
And we’ll have Woodstock every weekend
And invite the Grateful Dead

We’ll barter for the tools and the extras we need
Let the virtual economy go to seed
‘Til some genius at the FBI discovers that
Pot is just a weed…

And he moves to the country….

Every note we sing in harmony will be in tune
We’ll plant organic gardens in the nude
And we’ll trade away our given names
For ones like “Ravenchilde” and “Moon”

Everybody on the planet will make peace with their past
Every man, woman child – one at last
And we’ll set fire to the mortgages
When the major banks collapse!

And we’ll move to the country….

Samite concert in Kirkland!

Date night on Saturday with Susie was great fun! We had an outstandingly yummy and long meal at Cafe Flora… my favorite veg place in town! All of our choices were fantastic and the bread pudding with bitter chocolate and blood orange sauce was just astoundingly great! We also were all hot to trot for the evening… both of us in heels, makeup, and fancy clothes. We left dinner and headed to the East Side for Samite’s concert. We weren’t sure he’d remember us from when we met him and spent a day with him in Uganda, but we definitely wanted to say hi anyway. The concert was pretty great and we found him afterwards to say hi. We told him we were in Uganda a year ago, and he said he was too. We told him we were in Bwindi, and he said he was too! “What did you do?,” he asked excitedly. “We rode with you in your matatu all the way to Kampala!,” we said excitedly back! He took a long look at us, the memory clicked into place, and then he loudly exclaimed “Ohhhhh! But you are so CLEAN!” Yep, he didn’t recognize us at first and then it came back to him! The last time we saw him we were in backpacker attire: bandannas, pony tails, 60 pound packs, 10 layers of dirt, and the same dirty clothes we’d been hand washing in rain water. He said he was shocked to see us in dresses and fancy attire. Susie was in sexy sweater and jeans (Russian grandma proclaims “you are so irresistible!”) and I was in my new cute red dress (lady at concert says “you look great, I love your red heels!”). No wonder Samite didn’t recognize us. Such a great response: “but you are so CLEAN!” It was a fun little reunion and he invited us to stick around for a bit to catch up. Good times! Such a great guy!

Sunday night was date night with M, another great guy. I’m thankful M remembers me as well, and appreciates me in a dress as much as Samite does. ;) We had a lovely dinner at Brasa downtown where the appetizers and chocolate bread pudding were to die for. (Skip the veal bolognese, in case you were debating it). Date night was a good time as always. They won’t last forever, but I very much enjoy them when we do hang out.

Cafe Flora
http://www.cafeflora.com
2901 East Madison Street
Seattle, WA 98112 206.325.9100

Brasa
http://www.brasa.com
2107 3rd Ave
Seattle, WA 98121

Monday night was dinner with Jacob and another marathon 4 hour hot tub session. Easy to do when there’s great conversation. I’m totally jealous that Jacob gets to go to SXSW this week in Austin, and maybe even stay with Beal. Super fun times! I haven’t been to SXSW in years, but am excited he’ll get to go experience the craziness and get to see my hometown.

Tonight was girls night clothing swap with Deirdre and Amanda. As with the last one, I ended up with way more clothes than I brought which hardly seems fair. Some of it will be good for work, others good for Burningman, and others just casual fun. The spandex jumpsuit and matching cheerleader pom poms… well… I’m not sure what they’ll be good for but it was too great a find to pass up! We still had boxes and boxes worth for Goodwill at the end of the night, so everyone wins with free clothes, good food, silly conversation, and a donation to a good cause.

Tomorrow Susie and I get to see David C who we met in Tanzania while he was working at the Jane Goodall Institute. Yep, last month was Mike who we met in Namibia, last weekend was Samite who we met in Uganda, and this week we get to hang with David who’s in town from Tanzania! I heart travel friends! Now if we could just get Brett or David A to town, I’d be even more excited if that’s possible!!

Last night hanging with David felt just like old times… pretty funny that we only met him briefly back in Dar es Salam last spring! Saw a good talk at the Science Center on climate change and the melting ice cap. Also heard about a great series I plan to check out: www.scienceontap.org/. Drinks afterwards at Buckley’s… not bad as far as sport’s bars go. TVs in general are just distracting for me… especially when FSN was showing ostrich racing in the background. Love it.

Tonight was First Thursday so we started with happy hour with Mike (friend from Namibia), then added Susie, then hit galleries all over Pioneer Square, where we eventually added Duff. Hit the new 108 Occidental space… some creepy clown paintings, nicer roller derby paintings, and some other great stuff too with a woman who had trees for a head. Beautiful. 619 Western remains my all time favorite though… love the energy and diversity in the building.

After Art Walk, I met up with lovely Caroline for dinner and drinks (mmm chocolate milk!). Felt like forever since we’d caught up, but really it was just Friday. Mysterious. Next week we hope to have a swim party. I’m also hosting a craft night next week for the ladies… so if you’re interested, come on over on Wed. :) Bring a project. Come ready for girl talk.

Work is going better than my first few days that felt a bit overwhelming. I feel valued, empowered, trusted, and productive. I also feel like I want to learn everything there is to learn about the environment (impossible, you say?). Here’s a little Seattle trash and recycling article for you. Welcome to my world.

DJC Article: Seattle sets new recycling record
March 5, 2008
By JOURNAL STAFF

SEATTLE — Mayor Greg Nickels said Seattle has set a new record for recycling rates in 2006 of 47.5 percent.

Seattle’s 2005 rate was 44 percent. The city’s goal is to reach 60 percent by 2012. Last year’s boost benefited from a 5.1 percent raise in commercial recycling rates.

The city says businesses in Seattle are recycling more than throwing out for the first time, with a 51.7 percent recycling rate.

Recycling for single-family homeowners is up 2.6 percent. A new effort to expand the city’s recycling program will go into effect in 2009. That effort will provide weekly pickup for food and yard waste from single-family homes, and combine all recycled materials like glass, paper and plastic in one bin.

Last night was happy hour with coworkers at 88 Keys where I’m almost convinced I was tipsy after a drink and a half. (The first one didn’t appear to have alcohol in it, but perhaps that wasn’t the case?). I’m not sure if I was tipsy or if it was my new glasses. I picked them up and they totally make me incompetent when it comes to movement. Everything looks way wrong, like a square really has a giant wide top and a small narrow base, even though a square generally has equal sized sides. The glasses really throw off my depth perception and made me feel even tipsier. Maybe I should check with my doc to make sure they’re supposed to be like that? I rushed home from happy hour and took my quasi-tipsy, bespectacled self over to M’s place for date night/travel story night. The glasses came in handy for seeing the screen in great detail, so that much worked well. The pictures and travel stories make me want to travel… but really, what doesn’t make me want to travel?

Dinner tonight was with M at an auction/benefit for Blue Nile Children’s Organization. Maegan did a great job on the mic and M and I both won items in the silent auction. He bought a dinner for 8 and I bought a gorgeous, hand made, original, hip leather purse. I think it would match my gown from South Africa pretty perfectly, if only the colors were different. Side note: one of these days I need to find a place to wear my gown.

Clare and I had high hopes of going dancing this weekend, and planned to go after the fund raiser with M, but seems she’s still sick and canceled on Art Orgy tonight. Bummer. Probably for the best though… she needs her rest and I could probably use some rest too. I’ll still see her tomorrow at brunch and might have with Simon or Cindy later in the day…

Today I woke at 6am without my alarm, just as I’ve been doing for weeks and weeks. At least that meant it was officially 7am with daylight savings… but still. Would sleeping in just once kill me? We may never know. :) I was awake as can be so I started my taxes. Good times.

There’s a woman I love named Cindy who was my pretty fantastic roomie, coworker, and entire social support network while living in Kenya. She and her date were apparently at Art Orgy last night (where I’d planned to go but skipped after Clare declared herself too sick). I don’t see Cindy nearly enough and it would’ve been great fun to run into her at the Art Orgy (and to meet the new girlfriend!). As it is, I was quite content to meet up for conversation and catch up time this afternoon. Yay Stumptown!

Today was also brunch with Rod, Clare, Blaque, and Deirdra at El Greco. Eggs benedict and peanut butter pancakes confirm what M asserts and I already know: brunch isn’t usually healthy. I concur, my dear, but it’s oh so good anyway. I treasure my Sunday brunch social time, and am generally quite content with or without the yummy treats as an added bonus. Today’s brunch included the usual dating mishap stories and adventures, and also included much Burning Man planning and scheming. Now I have invites to join two different camps… yay options! After brunch was coffee with Cindy. And after coffee was dinner with Simon. We had sushi in the ID and had lovely conversation. Good times all around. Now I’m back to the laptop in an attempt to finish my taxes, judge grant requests, and get a little sleep too. Hope everyone is well!

As I begin to search for my wedding dress that’s been packed away for two years, I notice I never posted pics from the 2005 Brides of March festivities. Crazy to remember I managed to get Dot, Sam, and Charlie all out to participate that year. Good times!

Brides ready!

Dot came out to play during her brief stint in the NW

Samantha and I enjoy our sunny, special day as brides

Caroline even showed up near the end

Not sure why the Brides events get only 20-ish people compared to the much larger Santa event…

Maybe now that it’s evening instead of day it’ll grow?

I somehow left my treasured ancient Singer sewing machine in Austin when I made the move back to Seattle and finally broke down and bought a new sewing machine. My grandmother sewed. My mother sews. I’ve been sewing since I was 6 or 7 years old, but haven’t done much in recent years. I’m not sure if I’ll start much now beyond things like hemming and tailoring and curtains, but at least I’ve got the opportunity if the time and the desire present themselves. Plus, I’ve been collecting random costume pieces with ideas for Burning Man, so that sewing project will happen sometime between now and August.

I’ve been feeling crafty in general lately… feeling the need to replenish supplies that went away when I went to Kenya. As of today, I’m the proud owner of a new paint scraper. Current project: refinishing a few antique window frames and transforming them into a picture frame, mirror, or cork board. I’d originally gotten the frames from Kevin for an art installation in my last kitchen, but haven’t used them yet in my current place. I’m thinking one for the office (maybe a sunny beach photo or Rainier or map?) and one for home (maybe a mirror? maybe add a ledge?). Not sure yet…

I feel like I’m on a productivity kick right now. Just stated my taxes before brunch yesterday and finished them tonight after I got home from a board meeting around 8pm. I think it’s hilarious that I get a whopping $43 refund. ($43 isn’t much, but I’d rather get money than have to owe money). Yay big bucks! Also finally cooked some dinner tonight so I’ll have a few leftovers during the rest of the week.

And on an anti-productive note… I’m riding the bus again, spending lots of time waiting in the rain for them to arrive. Back in the day I used to spend much time going back and forth between Capitol Hill and Fremont in the evenings. Buses #7 and #358 were always particularly full of interesting characters… usually choosing to sit next to me despite many, many rows of empty seats. (Dieter can attest to those days, the rows of empty seats, and the strangest person around choosing to sit next to me). I’m generally chatting and willing to see where the conversation goes. Those buses were much more involved and entertaining than my current downtown rush hour commute with business folks who all read books or listen to iPods. Tonight coming back from the Central District totally reminded me of the old days… waiting in the rain in close quarters with a handful of chatty, chatty folks…

• Gentle, elderly homeless guy, recently out of jail, killing time at the bus stop. Was upset/hurt that some small man had a napoleon complex and was picking fights. Also sad he was running out of beer.
• Woman waiting at the bus stop, sharing her smokes, and sharing her 24 oz beer. Very generous. Lots of cussing. Grew up in Seattle with a white mom and African, Indian, and Chinese dad. Recently out of prison. Stories about the good old days before Seattle had shootings in Capitol Hill or shootings at the Philly cheese steak place. Lots of nuckle knocking/fist knocking “high fives” every few minutes with me. Guess she liked me? (Is there a word for that gesture? I’m sure there is but don’t think I know it). Update: After a minute on urbandictionary.com, I’ve found it: “Respect Knuckles. Instead of high-fiving, why not use the gangsta way, Respect Knuckles. This is where both people take their fists and slowly tap them together on the knuckles, showing respect to that person. This is a handy substitute for dangerously clapping the hands together, quite possibly causing a bone to be broken in the wrist.”
• Teen girl, no family, visiting Seattle to see her boyfriend who’s living in a halfway house. You know I’m a sucker for troubled teens. Needed to get downtown, so I took her to my bus stop, she joined me for the trip downtown, got off at my stop, and then I got her onto a U-District bus. Also politely borrowed my cell, paper, and pen to call a friend she’s hoping to stay with for a night since she just arrived in Seattle today from Colorado.
• And my last seat mate of the night, on the 358, was Kyoo… a stylin, good looking, articulate, funny guy from China who was turning 33 day. (Happy Birthday!). He was reading a gambling newspaper, telling me stories of the crazy recent winners. He’s working as a bartender and gets free food, and works at NW Airlines as an interpreter and gets free travel. What does he do with his hard earned cash? Gamble. He’s been doing it for 14 years, and his father does it too. Kyoo put himself through college with gambling. In his best year ever, he made over $89,000. Crazy. In some cities, he does well and plays in tournaments that require as much as a $10,000 buy in. Some casinos, however, block him from playing. Does he cheat? “Yep.” He counts cards (“there’s only about 300 in a deck,” he says.) With the card counting and subsequent winning, he often gets put on a “do not play” list. Sadly, in total over all years, he’s lost over $200,000. “Maybe losing all this money is why I don’t have a girlfriend?” he lamented, seeming resigned to the life. “Yep,” I agreed. “Perhaps girls don’t see you as stable if you’re losing $10,000 or more a year to gambling.” Good looking guy. Smart. Good jobs. Nice benefits. Why gamble? “I’m a gambler.” Do you see it as an addiction or a problem? “Nope. ” Waiting for better luck? “Nope.” He says over time it will all even out. For tonight, it’s his birthday, and he was heading up to Shoreline to the casinos to play some poker. Intriguing. Hard to say goodnight…

I [heart] people.

It’s mid-March and that means I’m not shamefully far behind posting a few photos from February…

Easter this year is party central. Seems everyone, and their brother, AND their roommate, are all throwing parties next weekend over the three/four day holiday weekend. As for me, I’ll be working in San Jose… no 3-4 day weekend for me. I’m missing wholesome parties, and not at all wholesome parties, and missing housewarmings, and BBQs, and drunk pajama parties. I do love my friends and admit I’m a bit bummed they’re all happening on the same weekend when I’m out of town. Sad days. On the bright side, I do get to see Jess, Dawne, and Darryl in San Francisco next weekend. Might even make a trek out to Yosemite since I’ll have an all wheel drive rental car. I’ve got my national parks pass and I’m ready. Yay adventure!

The last four nights have been pretty busy. Advisory board meeting in the CD. Happy hour with Jennie in Cap Hill. Green Drinks in SODO with Jacob and Susie. Goodbye happy hour with former coworkers in Queen Anne. And girls craft night at my place in Fremont. Good times! The next couple of nights have competing parties, multiple live shows both nights, dancing, and marriage. Oh, and small handful of boys. And a pregnant Angelica who’s due any time and has gained over 70 lbs! Not sure how much I’ll be able to fit in between 8pm and 2am, but we’ll find out soon enough.

Oh! And happy late bday to Alyssa! Love the new hair!

I apparently haven’t posted in a few days. Life is good. Weekend was busy and fun. I’m now in San Jose for two weeks for a client. Super busy figuring out what I’m doing. Hopefully I’ll get in a groove once the initial setup is complete. Oh, and I finally broke down and joined facebook after about a million people told me I should join. More life details to come when I’m not quite so focused on work…

Today is Dieter’s birthday… wahoo! Yay Dieter, everyone’s favorite coworker!

And today’s Mike Silk’s bday too… yay Canadians and travel partners!

And last week was Alyssa’s bday in Austin and my cousin Jon’s bday in NYC. Yay good people in March!

PS More belated March birthday wishes to Samer, Sameer, and cousin Steph!

It was a busy weekend, so I just had to pick and choose what I could attend, and what wasn’t going to fit into the schedule. Having too much fun stuff going on is a pretty good problem to have… all things considered.

• Friday was a house concert with an invite extended from Gabriel to Susie to me. Nancy, Sus, and I saw Bill Horist perform live and honestly, y’all, I had no idea I’d actually like it as much as I did. Maybe it’s because he was so darn charming during the interview or while chatting over snacks and potato chips, but really, wow! Go check out his experimental show the next chance you get. We also saw Obelus, another very good show. See details below for more about the artists. Also exciting about the event was the crowd… the coolest of the unhip, or something like that? All very hip and friendly, and why do I have to think everyone is adorable these days?
• Friday after the show was a mixer at M’s place, complete with at least five boys I’ve made out with. I think that was a first for me, and I think I survived quite well. Yay socializing!
• Saturday I got to visit a very pregnant Angelica who’s due any day now!
• Saturday was also Brides of March with Jacob and Jen. Getting married was fine and all, but I loved the dance party at the Wild Rose the best! And then it was Marty’s birthday with Jacob and Barry and overlapping worlds colliding. Then it was Ashley’s going away with Barry and Denny, with more worlds colliding. And then it was just me and Barry hanging out. He just came back from Whistler and I was on my way out the door to California, so we had to squeeze in time where we could. Good times.
• Sunday morning was me attempting to do a very quick pack on very little sleepy with a very spacey mind. Alas. I got the essentials and the rest are easy to replace if needed. My flight sat on the runway for an hour before finally taking off, affording me an extra hour of sleep before arrival in San Jose. Whew!
• Sunday evening I spent in San Francisco with Jess… yay! I got to see her fancy new place in the Mission District, we ate some yummy Mexican food, and we did deluxe grocery shopping at Rainbow, the ultimate in hippie co-op vegetarian grocery stores.
• Monday was a chaotic first day of work, starting with an entirely too early 5am mtg. I should’ve slept more over the weekend to prepare, but that didn’t really happen. Monday night Dieter and I did dinner at Amber, a seriously tasty Indian food place on Santana Row. Monday afternoon I finally made a Facebook profile and then got about 50 friend confirmations. Okay, yes, I can see how it’d be addictive. The most exciting thing about Facebook so far: it’s gotten Mitch and I chatting again after a few quiet years. Yay old friends!
• Today was more work, at my computer, no meetings. Tonight was Ethiopian food (yummy, but a bit more greasy than I’m accustomed to). Tomorrow I will be back onsite in my hardhat and steel toe boots. Variety is the spice of life! Tomorrow might also be Jess doing a sleepover in San Jose. Wahoo!

For now, I’m exhausted and am heading to bed… G’night, g’night!

Musician’s background:

Bill Horist (from accretions)
“Since moving to Seattle in 1995, Bill Horist has established himself as a noted improviser/performer along the West Coast and beyond. He has performed over 500 concerts in the past 8 years in the US, Canada, Mexico and Europe. Bill has performed and/or recorded with Bill Frisell, Wayne Horvitz, KK Null, Trey Gunn(King Crimson), Chris Cutler, William Hooker, Eugene Chadbourne, Tatsuya Yoshida(Ruins), Climax Golden Twins, Haco, Illusion of Safety, Saadet Tuerkoez, Michael Bisio, Jack Wright, Amy Denio, Uchihashi Kazuhisa, Steve Fisk, Luigi Archetti, Michael White, Christoph Gallio, Eyvind Kang, Lesli Dalaba, Paul Hoskin, Thomas Dimuzio, Wally Shoup, Jessica Lurie, Shazaad Ismaily, Mason Jones, Jeff Grienke and Tucker Martine among others.” His music is most easily classified as unclassifiably interesting.

Obelus (from Igloo)
“Guitarist Jason Goessl and drummer Adam Pessl are men with a thousand triggers. Obliterating the preconceptions of every audience member with their crackling set of wild melody, dervish drums and triggered effects, Obelus are demonstrating why they’ve been hosting the weekly Basskamp show every Sunday at the Lower Level in the Capitol Hill Arts Center. Pessl starts a couple of loops, Goessl finds a few drones to layer, and then they start to twist the rhythm and fuse the melodies to the clatter and chatter of triggered effects. It’s a mesmerizing set of traditional instruments making modern big beat music. There’s something unmistakably organic about live drums that no sythnesized beat-banger can match. It’s the completely human ability to lay on the back side of the beat which keeps the swing alive. Try as technology might to masquerade as a living player, it always hits the beat dead center. The drum machines haven’t got any jive, and can’t intuit much about swing. Which is why a crowd is packing in tight to hear Obelus: this funk is real.”

Seattle Bans Sale Of Bottled Water
Treehugger | Collin Dunn | March 19, 2008 04:56 PM

First San Francisco banned it. Then Chicago started taxing it. Now, the city of Seattle is taking action against bottled water; last week, Mayor Greg Nickels signed an executive order to stop the city from buying bottled water. That means no more bottled water at city facilities and events, which may sound like a small step, but it’ll make a big difference; last year, the city spent $58,000 on the stuff (and that’s not including the true cost and carbon footprint of bottled water). We’re willing to bet that the city’s taxpayers can probably think of about 58,000 ways to better spend that money.

The move isn’t just an issue of saving money, though that is a nice ancillary effect. It’s also a strong vote of confidence in the city’s municipal water supply and treatment systems; in light of the fracas about prescription drugs in our water last week, it’s good to see the city standing behind its tap water and encouraging its employees and citizens to drink up.

Further, “This is a matter of leading by example,” Nickels said. “The people of Seattle own one of the best water supplies in the country, every bit as good as bottled water and available at a fraction of the price. When you add up the tremendous environmental costs of disposable plastic bottles clogging our landfills, the better choice is crystal clear.”

According to the city’s press release, “The mayor’s order — which applies only to city departments — is the first step in an effort to promote Seattle’s water and get people to consider kicking the bottle habit.” What else does the Emerald City have up her sleeve? Grab a glass of tap water, take a sip and stay tuned for more.

Seems I’m incapable of focus this afternoon/evening. Not because I’m thinking about exciting things, or lacking sleep, or anything wild and crazy… just not focusing in general, that’s all. I’m working on a 112 page report for the city. Finally plowed through the first 60 pages after a double mocha… the caffeine left me feeling productive for a few hours, but also left me in pain. As much as I like coffee, it’s really not so great for me and it apparently interferes with my iron intake (not so good for the anemic inner me). Arg…

No food in itself contains enough iron to treat iron deficiency anemia. An average-sized person with anemia would have to eat at least a ten-pound steak daily to receive the therapeutic amounts of iron needed to correct the condition. However, foods can help maintain health and aid supplementation. Coffee contains polyphenols and tea contains tannins, both of which render any iron found in food unusable. -innvista

Now I’m down to the last 40+ pages at 10pm and I’m not feeling inspired. I guess it’s just time to buckle down and get it done.

Twins Stella and Fiona… guaranteed to be a handful!

Angelica with sweet Stella

“Big welcome to twins Fiona Sol and Stella Luz! Fiona means “pale beauty” (and incidentally, she came out much paler than normal) and “sol” is the Spanish word for “sun”. Stella is for star, and “luz” is Spanish for light. They were born at 3:43 and 3:44 am on Saturday, March 22nd, 2008. Stella weighed in at 6 lbs, 5.4 oz, and Fiona was 5 lbs and 6.4 oz. The girls are perfect, adorable, and healthy, and Angelica and Stefan are still glowing through their exhaustion.”

Some quick food reminders for myself about my time in the area…

San Francisco:
Osha (at 149 2nd Street, San Francisco, www.oshathai.com) – Thai food with energetic atmosphere. One of those meals where you pass everything around and every single dish gets “ooooh… this IS good” remarks. Apparently popular with groups and birthdays, they had nice booths but the gong got a little old.

Papalote (at 3409 24th St, San Francisco, CA 94110, www.papalote-sf.com) – yummy burritos in the Mission and good sweet horchata. Oh how I love the Mission… such a great place to practice my rusty Spanish at each and every turn!

Dosa (at 995 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110, (415) 642-3672, www.dosasf.com) – I’m a sucker for Indian food and this pretty place was happily serving all Southern Indian… so elusive in Seattle but so happily present in SF. We shared a classic masala as well as an eggplant and both were excellent. The table right next to us had a friendly couple who just recently moved from Seattle… Andrew and his girlfriend ride bikes, are vegetarian, work in theatre and yoga, traveled to India, etc. Emails were exchanged and a good time was had by all.

Hotel St. Regis – chic bar with comfy, leisurely feel despite the somewhat snobby staff. The drinks were delightful, the wall of fire was pretty, and the sexy prostitute with the mafia next to us at the bar was highly entertaining. Felt like I was living in a Sopranos episode. Seriously great place for people watching.

San Jose:

Rehoboth Café (655 N 6th St, San Jose, CA 95112, 408-947-1717) – Small local Ethiopian cafe that opened less than a year ago. The friendly woman who owned/ran the place generously let me in right before closing. I had a hard time deciding between my two favorite entrees, and when she brought me my food, she surprised me by additionally making a bit of the unselected entree as a free added bonus. So very sweet!

El Sol Market (at 705 N 13th St, San Jose, CA, 408-287-8432) – This taco truck in a parking lot down the street from my hotel had some seriously good tacos. This was another great place to practice my Spanish with the young woman who worked there and was shy about her entirely adequate English.

Amber Indian Food (in Santana Row, San Jose, CA) – Trendy Indian restaurant with impressive food. Dieter tells me all of his previous Indian food attempts in SJ weren’t so great, and from the reviews in City Search, most places were in strip malls and were known for their lunch buffet. Amber was definitely noteworthy for their delicious food… a bit fancier than I’m used to with Indian food and thoroughly enjoyable.

Thepthai (at 23 N Market St, San Jose, CA) – The place was mostly empty despite it’s location in the heart of downtown’s restaurant and bar district, and prominently featured some pretty astounding 80s neon in addition to beautifully carved woodwork and trim. The Tom Kha was very good, and my massaman curry was seriously spicy. I have to remember that ordering a medium in Seattle won’t get you far, but the same medium in California can make it almost too spicy to eat. Good times.

Groveland:
Iron Door Saloon (18761 State Highway 120, Groveland, CA 95321, (209) 962-8904, www.iron-door-saloon.com) – apparently one of California’s oldest establishments still in use (from the Gold Rush days). They make some mighty tasty cumin sweet potato fries, my buffalo burger was excellent, and they had a dance-worthy cover band called “Ben Kert & The Burnouts” that rotated between Ben Harper and Tom Petty.

How fantastic for my first out of town client to be so very near so many great people? Friday night I was blessed to have random friends all together in one city for a lovely evening.

Laura C D First met: in college in Austin. Last saw: in Houston in 2005, bearing goodbye gifts for my Kenya adventure. Now: Finishing her MBA in Boston, getting ready to move to SF in July.

Dawne & Daryll First met: in the dunes of Namibia. Last saw: at Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. Now: Living in SF since November, working downtown in architecture and tech.

Jess First met: through Caroline in Seattle. Last saw: last Sunday when I flew into SF. Now: Living in SF since November, managing print production for major retail firm.

The five of us met up for drinks at the swanky St. Regis Hotel bar (love the wall of fire!) and then went to Osha for some really good Thai food. How chic was the Regis? Our one round of drinks in the bar at St. Regis cost more than our Thai food dinner entrees, soup, and drinks combined. So great!

The evening was full of catch up conversation of the very best variety. Can’t tell you how much fun it was to see Dawne and Daryll again… such good people! And I’m excited to know Ajit and Laura are finally moving to SF… Laura’s been talking about a West Coast move since I moved to the West Coast 8 years ago. I’m thrilled by the idea that Laura, Jess, Dawne, and Daryll might stay in touch after I’m gone. All asked for emails and made plans to be in touch. Yay!!

Saturday and Sunday Jess and I had a girls weekend road trip out to Yosemite National Park. We loaded up my SUV rental, booked our cabin, grabbed my national park’s pass, and away we went! We did a couple of miles of hiking, took lots of pictures, and spent much time soaking up the sun and contemplating nature’s beauty all around us. Our cabin at Yosemite Pines was pretty terrific. And we even made it back into the city in time for a great south Indian dinner at Dosa in the Mission District. We were lucky there to sit next to a couple from Seattle who recently moved to SF. Very cool and friendly… and more emails were exchanged. Good times. Thanks SF!

I have many Laura friends scattered around the country, and my Laura in NYC is now an Independent Sales Representative for AVON. This is a free plug for her new business. If you need any Avon, do consider using her webstore.

Times have changed, and so has AVON! Their products are still world-famous, but the color spectrum of makeups and the range of skin-care has been expanded to help more and more ladies look and feel their very best. Also, you don’t have to wait for an AVON lady to come by with a paper brochure anymore! It’s super easy to shop AVON online, and you can choose either to have it shipped directly to your home or work!

If you’d like to purchase AVON products, please think of me and give me a call or browse my webstore:
http://www.youravon.com/lvan-vliet

Wishing you all the best,
Laura

30 was such a great year. I’m really not sure why 31 is trying so hard to knock me down. Today I can walk and get out of bed… a definite improvement from yesterday. I went to bed Tuesday around 11pm, got up yesterday for a total of 4 miserable hours to write some reports, and then crawled back to bed till this morning around 8am. This could be a new sleep record for me. Even after surgery I was lucid for a while between pain killers. Alas. Happily, my fever was gone by this morning, and I’m feeling a little bit better, even if I’m still moving a bit slow.

Unrelated: This week I had Laura CD staying with me for a few nights in San Jose. We haven’t been in the same city for more than a day or two since her visit to Seattle back in 2001! Was fun to catch up and hear about life, grad school, and hopes for the future. Monday night Laura, Dieter, and I had dinner from Tofoo Com Chay… a veggie place just down the street at 388 E Santa Clara. Tuesday night Laura and I joined another college friend Nan for dinner at her home in Mountain View. The last time I saw Nan was Laura & Ajit’s wedding in 2005, and the time before that was a visit I made to stay with her parents in San Jose in 2000 when I was still working for Enform. Looong time ago. Dinner was fun and I got to meet Nan’s fabulous new dog, fabulous new husband, and admire their fabulous new house. All in all, I think she’s doing quite well. (Sadly forgot to take a picture of the happy couple or the delicious food… was a bit distracted from the pain). Last night I was hoping to see Jess again before leaving town, but the day spent in bed didn’t quite allow for that. I’m sure I’ll get to see her sometime soon back in the good old’ Pac-NW.

I’m glad to be home, and am looking forward to all kinds of madness shortly, but it hardly seems fair to have to leave sunny and warm CA to arrive at a snowing Sea-Tac at the end of March. And did I mention how unbecoming it is for the postal service to leave my mail stuffed full with six new medical bills, one credit card bill, and only one paycheck? Somehow I think they keep getting the ratio wrong. If these bills keep coming, I might actually have to find a real sugar daddy someday. I can just imagine a “pay my medical bills” posting on craigslist and the real keepers who’d surely reply en mass.

This week I’m thankful for: old friends (online, over the phone, or in the Bay area), Yosemite and natural beauty, my new camera, a window above my desk, a return to good health, Buffalo Speedway’s Babaganoush, friendly offers and offerings.

I’m currently looking forward to: meeting the twins, girls night, brunch, a photo date, a play date, an art date, a normal date, and whatever else awaits me. It’s good to be home. :)

Best email of the day:

“I love you; you’re amazing.”

Is it from a date? Don’t be silly. Old friend? Nope (they tell me over the phone). Just another former employee turned friend. Love it when that happens. I think it’s up there with “Cat – you’re my rock.” Thanks guys. :)

In other news, I was delighted to run into Steph and Nitza at while shopping for my low flow shower head, and further delighted to run into Eric and Leah while dropping off my clothing swap boots for repair (Leah just happened to be picking up her clothing swap boots that had just been repaired). Perfectly lovely afternoon and girl’s night is still to come!

My cousin’s birthday party for your viewing pleasure. Aww… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3ZWsyFTfes.

Saturday was drinks and dinner with Caroline and Susie… a highly coveted combo! It’s rare to get these two impressive (and impressively busy) gals together at the same time! Afterward dinner Caroline and I headed to Broadway for drinks and instead stumbled upon Le Faux, the female impersonator show at Julia’s on Broadway. We decided to buy tickets and enjoy a silly night of drag queens. Madonna, Cher, and Dolly were all present, and so was, much to my delight, Mary Poppins (my personal favorite skit of the night)! It was a pretty entertaining evening. :)

Sunday I thoroughly enjoyed my brunch conversation, as always. The hugs from Kat are always fantastic, Rod always provides tasty treats, Kaleen apparently moved into my old building on Summit Ave, and my conversation with Blaque and Amanda was fun, intriguing, insightful, and provided much room for reflection. I think the conversation could’ve gone for a long while longer, but by afternoon we all seemed to have places to be. I was leaving Belltown for Capitol Hill when I ran into Simon on my way to Angelica’s to meet the twins. He came along for a quick visit to meet the girls. Angelica and Stefan get major props for being the calmest, happiest new parents I’ve seen in a long time! I got to hold both Stella and Fiona and can confirm they are indeed precious, tiny, mellow, and entirely too sweet. Angelica and Stefan reminded me a bit of Mary, also a mother of twins, who continues to appear to be the most naturally calm parent of all times.

Last night was another party at M’s, this time celebrating Leo’s new status as Master (yay MBAs!). I was debating passing on the party, but decided to suck it up and attend anyway. As always, it was a lovely evening of good conversations with many good people. Always a lovely community, even on nights when I’m feeling less than social.

Today I was tired at work and tonight I’m hoping to be productive at home. Whew.