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12:51pm 17/11/2008 |
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So, ignore the list in my previous post...I've found a new love:  zoom!So, I don't know what got me into biking suddenly - probably Minky's influence - but one day I realized that I can't be a true Seattle-ite without a bike. So now...this is what I work for. It's pricey (though not as far as some bikes go), but it has everything I need already together in a nice little package. I know nothing about bike maintenance, so unless somebody wants to help me assemble one from various used parts, I have to go the "brand spankin' new" route. I looked at a few vintage bikes (I really like that retro look), and didn't really find what I was looking for, mainly because we live half way up a fracking mountain, and that's one hell of a climb. If any of you know what to look for in bikes, please give me your opinions. I've done my research, and I know of the complaints with the previous models of this bike (it's too heavy, mainly) but it looks like they've made tons of upgrades to the '09 version. PLUS it's a stepthrough, which is good for short people like myself. Really, I'm just looking for something to play around with...a weekend ride. I don't need a moutain bike, and I'm never going to want a racey street bike. This seems like a good compromise with all the bells and whistles built in. I may commute with it eventually depending on the job situation. I discovered the wonders of the King Country trails system, and I can get (almost) everywhere! Whee! I love Seattle. Sorry, Minky, I should have listened to you earlier. If you would like to make a charitable contribution to the "Yuki Needs a Bike Fund", please call 1-800-AWE-SOME. Donate within 24 hours and you'll receive a "personalized" plaque, and a commemorative tote bag! |
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| My Wish List... |
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04:55pm 23/10/2008 |
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Also called "motivation to work overtime" or "why I need a raise". This is mostly to keep record for myself, BUT... If any of my friends or relatives out there have either recently won the lottery or are feeling particularly generous...well, Christmas is coming up, and I've been a very, very good girl. 1. Tribest Wolfgang flour mill: According to my research, this is THE best flour mill on the market (at least out of what's available in the states). It's super expensive, but very much worth it according to the reviewers. What in the world would I want a flour mill for? Well...baking has become an obsession for me, and I go to a lot of trouble to do it the right way. Milling my own grains from scratch would take it to the next level. 2. Nuit 8" salad plates (we need six) from Crate & Barrel: These are the only (important) remaining thing on our wedding registry. While not a dire need in and of themselves, it drives me nuts not to have the complete collection. Mom, it's your fault. I'm sure you can empathize. 3. Prairie Underground Long Cloak Hoodie: This is, ultimately, the most adorable piece of clothing that I've ever had the pleasure of thinking about constantly. I envision my hoodie and I taking long walks in the park, or even sauntering around downtown, sitting in a quaint little cafe sipping a chai latte...this has been on my "desperately want" list for over a year now, but I just can't bring myself to spend so much money on one sweater. But, damnit. It's cute. (Unfortunately, they no longer make it in the beautiful blue color that got me hooked, so I've missed out *sigh* ...but if you happen to track one down in that color I'd probably sell my soul for it!) Yes, even I can act like a real, live female sometimes. But don't worry, I'm not discarding my morals for this bit of designer paradise...it's all organic cotton, of course. 4. Profile Fleece Hoodie from Nau: I think at least 50% of my wardrobe is from this place. This group of designers has made me passionate about clothing again, and it's (mostly) "guilt-free" to boot. I love supporting them, especially since they were having trouble and actually shut down for awhile. Nau has now been reincarnated as an online-only store, which is better than nothing. I want to make sure that they stay in business this time! 5. cross country skis. I'm not posting a link because I know nothing about selecting skis. I'll leave that to my husband. However, an REI gift certificate would be lovely in any case ;) note: Mom and Dad...I might even forgive you for voting for that insipid hockey-mom nutcase (oh, and McCain, too) if I am gifted one of the above items. |
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| mmm...sunset |
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05:19pm 14/08/2008 |
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Yesterday I spent the evening cleaning up Carcreek Park with some other people from a meetup group. A grad student at U-dub has adopted an area of the park, and we helped her rip out some invasive plants...yay, thorns. Unfortunately, I didn't get there until it was too late to help with much - traffic was horrid - but it was still a rewarding trip all the same. Afterwards, we went out to the beach side of the park and watched the sun set over the Olympics. It was so relaxing. It really felt like a weekend, but alas...here I am back at work today. Sorry you couldn't make it, Minky, but maybe next time.
~me |
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| (no subject) |
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07:26pm 06/08/2008 |
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So, this week I spent my energy on organizing our kitchen. Since we've been doing so much cooking I thought it made sense to keep the cooking things in the cabinets where we can get to them, and put the dishes and serving plates elsewhere. I now have a cabinet with all our our flours, grains, and bulk ingredients, complete with matching jars and labels. Next, I'll move on to the herbs and spices, then the oils, vinegars, and salts. Oh, if you only knew the full measure of my obsession with labels, lists, and categorizing. I have a list of "must keep on hand at all times" items which has been loaded in to one of my iPhone apps. This includes necessities like...truffle salt...and tamarind paste. Eventually we'll have every item on my list and replace them as needed. However, it's a very long, expensive list. I've actually found a website that outdoes me on herbs and spices. Mountain Rose Herbs is based in Oregon, gets most of their stuff locally, and all of it is organic. Not only do they have every plant known to man (many of which I've never heard of), but they offer various parts of it, too. The site is geared towards naturopathic medicine and people that make their own cosmetics, mostly. I don't buy into some of the medicinal uses, but it's interesting to read about the history of the herbs. Anyway, browsing their site has lengthened my list significantly. Oh, and the containers!! Mountain Rose Herbs also has a great selection of bottles, jars, and all sorts of recycled packaging. Anyone who knows me knows that I have a weakness for containers of any sort. Going to Ikea the other day for more jars has made me desperate for any excuse to get some pretty frosted ones, so I may have to use those for my herbs. We already got a set of smoked glass jars for our tea (all labeled, of course). If I won the lottery, I'd probably spend part of it on fabric and containers. *sigh* I'm such a bad collector. ~me mood:  exhausted |
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| I've been busy |
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11:25pm 30/07/2008 |
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My parents and friends are always asking me what i've been up to, and I never have anything to say. Well, not this time!! Lately, I have: 1. Built a dining table (with Mike's help, of course). Actually, I'll confess that the benches were originally shelves from Ikea. We repurposed two of them from our bedroom, and then bought the rest of them and painted everything. Eventually we'll have glass doors on all of the little storage areas. These are great because we can move our big, clunky Le Creuset pots out of the kitchen where they take of tons of room! We're also getting glass for the table top so that we can turn it into a giant kotatsu in the winter (Or year round, really ... It's July and I'm wearing fleece right now). Also, I made the cushions entirely from scratch! I'm really proud of them. The original table that we had drawn out, based on a tatami table at my favorite tea shop, would have cost thousands of dollars to have custom built. This is just as practical and way more cozy. 2. Started a new quilt. This one is super modern, and really a bit gaudy if you ask me. However, I had this fabric laying around and that retro style is incredibly popular right now. I'm hoping to sell it on Etsy, so wish me luck! Also, I've been making these bento (lunch box) carriers that are quite adorable. 3. Cooking. Alot. I've discovered a new website, 101cookbooks.com, and it has some excellent ideas that focus on healthy, natural foods. I really can't say enough about this site. I've used it almost every day. It's really inspired me to experiment more with different gluten free flours (not because I care about wheat, but just because I'm curious). I've had so much fun, and Mike and I have made EVERYTHING from scratch lately. Fresh baked bread, crackers, tortillas, stocks, hummus, pasta, curry paste, granola...everything. We rarely buy any packaged food now. Just flours, grains, produce, and the very occasional meat. The only cheese we've bought lately is fresh, Washington-made goat cheese. Even our tofu is made locally in Seattle. Oh, yes, and this would be my latest cooking exploit...it's not quite so healthy. (local from the farmer's market) Blackberry (whole wheat/spelt) cobbler with (organic, non-fat) honey greek yogurt and (organic) lemon zest and a carmelized (unbleached cane) sugar top. I never claimed that I'm not a snob! 4. Gardening...sort of. I do as much as I can on my little patio, but I'm still on the waiting list for a plot in the community garden. I have been for a year...grr. Anyways, I currently have three kinds of basil, sage, oregano, lavender, rosemary, cilantro, peppers, catnip, mint, and thyme. Also, I finally got a Japanese maple. I've been wanting one of these forever!! It was $18 at the farmers market. Hopefully, it will survive the winter. 5. I joined Gold's Gym. That's right, I broke down and paid the $70 a month to conform to the yuppie societal norm. FINALLY, they have a real gym in Issaquah. My other two choices before this was built were a $20/month place that was pretty nasty, or a $100/month place that nickel and dimed you to death with locker fees, towel fees, class fees, etc. Well, I must say that this is worth it. I couldn't motivate myself to work out without access to a gym, and this one has a sauna and steam room. I've been addicted to those ever since our honeymoon in Switzerland. Also, my membership includes unlimited classes. I've been taking advantage of this, so it more than pays for itself. I was spending nearly $70 a month just on yoga when I went consistently. Now, I'm taking yoga, pilates, and some weird Tai Chi hybrid that they call "body flow". They also have a "cardio theatre". The idea is completely rediculous, but I ended up watching part of The Spiderwick Cronicles in there the other day, and I must say I was completely drawn in. My workout went by without me even realizing it and I was much more productive. Anyways, it's nice to be getting exercise again. I'd gotten so lazy over the winter. 6. Enjoying the scenery when I can. My work schedule has been crazy, but occasionally I have time for a hike every now and then. I've only been on one overnight trip so far this year, but that should pick up in the Fall. I've joined several hiking groups on meetup.com, but have yet to make it to a single one (they usually have several going on every day...it's crazy). Sometimes Locke and I will take the long way through the woods to the dog park. It's just a short 1 mile trail, but it's nice and relaxing. It's basically our back yard. 7. Meeting people! Yes, that right, I'm making friends on my own (slowly...we're picky). We're trying to be less hermit-ish, and meetup.com has helped a lot with that. I'm in 10 groups, 2 of which I run (the Seattle Sewing Meetup and the Issaquah Gastronomic Society). This has been taking up a lot of my time, but it's a great way to meet new people that share our interests. Just a few weeks ago we had a tea picnic in the park with 20 other people from the tea meetup, and it was a blast. I'm holding a sustainable sewing meetup, and a pizza and beer night next week. There are even environmental activist groups. I think there's a group for "Mothers of Japanese Toddlers"...really, something for everyone. So, I guess that's about it. There are more of my photos on Natuba if you want. I'm going to bed. Work at 7 a.m. tomorrow ... bleh. ~me mood:  accomplished music: It's All in Your Mind (Limited Bonus Track)-Ivy-Long Distance (Limited Edition) |
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| honeymoon, continued... |
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09:38am 15/06/2008 |
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So, when I said I'd post again "tomorrow", I actually meant next week. We've been busy moving furniture around while our bamboo hardwood floors were installed. Everything is finally back in place, and it looks great!!
Oh, and we finally have wedding pictures posted! www.utskot.com Anyways...where was I...?
Ahh, yes.
Day 4: We left Salzburg and made our way to Innsbruck. It looks like we missed the Eurocup there by two weeks. I'm okay with that, though, because it was incredibly crowded already...and there were cheesy soccerball shaped banners everywhere. Innsbruck was a very pretty town, though not quite as "yoreful" as Salzburg. We went to a few of the smaller, low-key places to escape the tourists and came across some pretty good Neopolitan style pizza. Aside from that, it wasn't too eventful
Day 5: Zell am See
This was the cutest little town. I really liked it there. We were just starting to get into the Alps at that point, so we "hiked" (took a ski lift) to the top of a mountain and shot some amazing pictures of the Swiss National Park. Unfortunately, it was pretty cloudy, but that made the hike down a lot more pleasant. As you can see in the pictures there is still quite a bit of snow at the top, but it was fairly warm. I had a tank top on in the few shots of myself. Our hotel there was definitely the most memorable. Most of the inns we stayed in were very cozy and very old but this sleek, modern one was a huge contrast. There was very interesting artwork everywhere, and it even had a library. Very nice. Besides the hiking, we also had some good authentic Austrian food there...think that's it.
Day 6: Lavin
The trip to Lavin was absolutely amazing. We had to take a bus across the Swiss border because it was too steep to go by train. Unfortunately, our pictures don't do it justice, but travelling across the countryside was probably my favorite part of the trip. According to Wikipedia, Lavin has a population of 177, but I think that's including the goats. It felt more like 30 because it was a very cold, rainy day and everything besides our hotel was closed. Luckily, our hotel had the most amazing restaurant and a very cozy bar. We stayed in all night and took advantage of the atmosphere...mostly because there wasn't any other choice.
Side Note: The buildings in the Engadine area, which includes Lavin and Zernez, were commonly in the sgraffito style (article). I found it really odd...almost like a movie set with too small a budget to have three demensional features on the buildings. I have no idea why it was characteristic of only this small area, but it was really interesting. We have a few pictures of some buildings like this on the website.
Day 7: Zernez
This town was only slightly bigger than Lavin, but it was a Monday so everything was a bit more lively. Our hotel there was nothing outstanding, but it had character. There was a creepy, run down sauna in the basement that looked like it could have been something from a horror movie. The front of the hotel, however, was decorated with a small pond that had a bridge going over it.
Originally, we were going to hike from Lavin to Zernez through the Swiss National Park, but there was too much danger of avalanches. Instead, we took the train there and did some hiking around the town. Unfortunately, we couldn't make it to the summit (there was just too much snow) but we did get a few good shots. We rewarded ourselves with fondue and Movenpick ice cream. Yumm.
Day 8: Interlakken
This town was even more touristy than Salzburg, and for good reason. As the name indicates, Interlakken is nestled between two lakes and surrounded by mountains. There are more things to do than we could have possibly fit into a week, but we plan to go back to that area at some point. We only spent a night there, but that was probably for the better. Our hotel had a Mexican ghetto motif going, which was quite amusing to see in Switzerland of all places. Luckily, the chocolate and the English pub made up for that.
Day 9: Grindelwald
I could spend a month in this town. We skipped the town that we were supposed to go to next because we liked this place so much and wanted to stay there for two nights instead of one. So, I'll start from the beginning. We were very skeptical of our hotel at first because it smelled horrible when you first walked in. The reception was actually on the 4th floor (very common in some of these older places, actually) and it turns out that the first floor was a wine cellar in which they were aging cheese. Once we tasted the cheese the smell was much more tolerable (and it was only the first floor that smelled weird...our room was on the third). This hotel also had a wonderful sauna room that wasn't haunted, and you really couldn't beat the view from our balcony (see pictures).
The hike here was probably the most dramatic I've ever been on. Grindelwald is in a valley that sits under the Eiger (article) We hiked from our starting point in Grindelwald (1,034 meters or 3,392 feet) down the valley to Grund, then up about 1000 meters to Kleine Sheidegg (2061 meters or 6672 ft) to get a better view of the base of the Eiger (summit at 3,970 meters or 13,025 ft). It was stunning! To get a feel for the region, look at this map:
Kliene Scheidegg is really more of a ski resort than a city. The center of the town had a huge "party teepee" with music blaring. I remember hearing the Macarena at some point.
We treated ourselves to more fondue in that town, and it was probably the best I've ever had. Remember the smelly cheese? Mmmm.
Day 11: Zermatt
This town looked like what I picture when somebody describes a "mountain town". The buildings were all log and had slate roofs. With the Matterhorn in the background, it made this town very picturesque. You could tell that it would have been completely packed with tourists during ski season, but since we were there at an odd time it was very nice. We only spent one night there, but I got the chance to enjoy the best Italian food I've ever had.
Day 12: Genev(e/a)
By this time we were both really exhausted and ready to get back home. This made us less inclined to enjoy the huge, noisy city that is Geneve. A little too French for our taste...this was the only town in which we had any language barrier issues. Also, the racist posters made things interesting (article) The picture in that article is not the same poster that we saw, actually, but part of the same campaign. That one leaves a bit of obscurity in the meaning of "black sheep", but the poster we saw had white sheep kicking out all other colors of sheep (yellow, blue, red, black, brown, green etc.) How could that really leave any doubt? Not what we would have expected from good ol' peaceful Switzerland.
Parts of Geneve were very nice, but mostly it was just one brand name store after another. The same stores at our malls here, but charging three times the price. We walked around for a bit and bought the obligatory cigars and chocolate, then hibernated in our hotel once we'd had enough of the crowds. We had Chinese food for dinner, of all things! It was pretty good, though.
The next day we went home...after a 3 hour delay and an hour in line for customs. It's good to know that we're all terrorists until proven innocent. That being said, we're glad to be back and to be rid of our carpet. Thank you to everyone who contributed! The end.
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| honeymoon summary: part 1 |
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10:11pm 05/06/2008 |
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Alright, we're back from our honeymoon. I guess that means that I'm married now! As promised, here is a short summary of what we did in Europe. For pictures, go to utskot.com. Day 1: After a long plane ride we arrived in Munich, took a train to the center plaza (Murienplatz) and walked through the gigantic English Gardens to our hotel which was on the other side. Sights included naked or mostly naked sunbathers and lots of neat scooters. After checking in, we walked back into the English Gardens and had dinner at a biergarten by the lake. I had schnitzel for the first time. It wasn't the best schnitzel of the trip...I'd give it a 7. The beer, however, was great (for non-northwest beer). We went to bed really early because we were still adjusting to the time change and woke up around 5 am. Day 2: We took a long walk around the city in the morning (about 5 or 6 am) before anyone was awake. Then, we went back to the hotel for breakfast and took a train out to Salzburg. I ate a whole pretzel mostly by myself. This was a huge mistake. By the time we got to Salzburg I was incredibly swollen and dehydrated from the salt. No more pretzels for me. Anyways, we stayed at Zur Golden Ente (the golden duck), which is this cute little hotel in the middle of the touristy "historic" part of the city (all of the signs, even the McDonalds one, are done in woodwork and scrolls). Mozart was born in Salzburg, so that is that is their big claim to fame. In the center plaza they had a guy dressed as him that was painted entirely silver to look like a "moving statue". This is where my craving for ice cream started. It was pretty warm, and everyone was walking around with milkshakes. However, we could not manage to find where they were getting them from. Everyone had gelato, but try as we might, we could not find a decent milkshake. Still, the gelato was amazing. The highlights of that day include spargel (white asparagus) soup for lunch, and some sort of wonderful stew for dinner in this dark, smoky yoreful pub. Once again, we went to bed fairly early after walking around town a bit. We did, however find out that one of our favorite bands, Hooverphonic, was playing there the next day. Neither of us had seen them live, and it just so happens that they did the song we used for our first dance. We decided that we must go at all costs. Day 3: This was my second morning of hotel breakfasts. I still liked it at that point. Let me explain: There must be some sort of "cute bed and breakfast convention" at which they all agree to serve the exact same thing for breakfast across all three countries we went to...in every hotel. It was really good, but it did get old. Bread, cheese, meat, hard boiled eggs, yogurt, crappy cereal (I skipped that part), and bagged tea. Anyways, to the point. We left early and hiked up to the fortress at the top of the hill. We got there before they even open (and we didn't cheat and take the stupid trolley up!), so the gates were wide open for the cleaning and construction crew (everywhere we went seemed to be doing renovation). They waved us through, so we didn't get charged admission. We got to see everything before the other tourists got there, which made for some great pictures. Being the obsessive person I am, I had to made sure we went in every room of the castle. It was pretty neat as far as castles go...I think. It's really the only castle I've been to so I have no basis for comparison. Mike dragged me around town for hours (or maybe about 20 minutes) looking for this mysterious store that had mini chessboards. I think they hid it, because we never did find it. By that point I was starving, and we made our way over to this "secret" beer garden that I'd seen on our way to the castle. Well, it wasn't so secret after all. It was actually the back side of this huge brewery, Stiegl, for which Salzburg is somewhat famous. The food there was very impressive, especially for being such a large place. They won the best schnitzel award, and Mike had this...huge piece of meat that was about the size of his head. He also had a liter of beer, which was even bigger. Hrm...I wonder why it is we gained a few pounds... The real highlight of that town, however, was the Hooverphonic concert. It was at the Rock House, and there were about 30 people there...maybe. I think the opening act had an audience of 5, including the bartender. I have loved that band for about 8 years now and it was so amazing to see them live, especially in a situation where we could get so close. I think they usually perform at huge venues, so this was a special treat. Before the concert started I saw them sleepily crawl out of the tour bus and make their way backstage. The keyboard guy stayed behind to have a beer with some of the fans outside. They performed almost all of my favorite songs, but the live arrangements were even better. They were extremely likeable and funny in person. They even took requests at the end, and then came out for 3 encores. The very intimate audience just couldn't let them go. There have been so many emotional times in my life when I looked to their music to help me through, so a lot of that came back during the concert. It was definitely the best performance I've ever been to. After the concert we were extremely giddy, and extremely hungry. The only thing open was a kabop stand. I'd never had one of those before either, and the big huge chunk of mystery meat looked very suspicious...but it was edible. I'm still alive to talk about it. So, remember how I said this would be a short summary? I got a little carried away. I will divide this into parts and continue tomorrow. ~me~ |
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| Long, long wedding post... |
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03:41pm 31/03/2008 |
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So... Less than 6 weeks until the wedding now! If I haven't posted it's because things have been a little crazy. Being the obsessive control-freak that I am, I had to do EVERYTHING myself. This includes favors, lavender sachets, the card box, the ring bearer's box (yes, box, not pillow...which Mike is hand painting), the flower girl basket, invitations, place cards, programs, decorations, flower arrangements...and much more. I'm writing a fairly detailed post now, more for my benefit than yours. Feel free to read or skip, but I want to have some account of how much I put into this so that I can look back years from now when I'm thankful that it's all over. So how did I become such a Godless lib-rull, you ask (supposedly because I read too many textbooks). What's the big deal with organic? The former question aside, I think going all organic, eco-friendly, environmentally responsible..."green" *shudder*...however you want to label it...is a moral and economic statement. 1. It makes me feel and warm and fuzzy. Is buying an organic cotton shirt going to save the world? No. The best solution would be not to consume resources at all. But if I'm going to buy a shirt, the least I could do is make a choice that will minimally contribute to the damage. 2. I'm putting my money where my mouth is. Why would I support industry that doesn't behave responsibly? I use these practices when buying everything from dish soap to socks. It only makes sense that I would apply the same logic to any wedding purchases. In some cases it's more expensive. My dress, for example, could have been a lot cheaper if it was made out of synthetic satiny junk and assembled by Chinese child labor, but I just wouldn't feel right wearing that...and mine is much prettier. In other cases, it's about REDUCING in the first place, which actually saves money. 3. It's tastier. The food, that is. Especially the cake. Numm. 4. I like projects. I promise that my hurricane lanterns covered with handmade paper (that I had sitting in my closet leftover from another project) are going to be much prettier than these. There is so much mass produced CRAP out there, and it sickens me. It took me about 10 minutes to make said lanterns, which is probably less time than it would take most people to purchase something more convenient. 5. Less waste. I think people are more likely to keep something that's truly meaningful rather than something like this heart shaped calculator. Who wants to spend half of their budget on cheap (quality, not cost) stuff that people just throw away. We made our favors and "survival kits" for much less money than I could have spent on premade monstrosities. So, that's the end of my rant...finally. ~me |
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| (no subject) |
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08:54pm 20/01/2008 |
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I should really, ya know...use this. I'm so bad about forgetting to post, but I guess there's not too much going on in my life right now. Okay, well...there is. But most of you that read this know about it anyways, or I've mentioned it in here already. Top 5 things on my mind now are: 1. wow, I'm engaged...that's very surreal. I'm an adult now...maybe? 2. I can't believe I actually (sorta) own my own place in one of the nicest areas around Seattle. That's also very surreal. I thought I'd be renting until I was 30 or so. 3. The iPhone has changed my life. No longer do I miss appointments, get lost, and forget my grocery list. It is possibly the most useful electronic device I've ever owned. 4. I really wish I didn't have to work on such a pretty day. I'm dying to be outside. 5. On a more shallow level...I've completely ditched 80% of my wardrobe and replaced it with clothing that suits my lifestyle. Many of my old clothes were donated and replaced with stuff from Nau (nau.com). Their clothing is made for the outdoors, but it's very sleek and sexy looking...the styling and tailoring is pure genius AND it's very functional. On top of that, it's all made from recycled/sustainable materials and they donate 5% of your total to an organization of your choice. I'm in love. Unfortunately, the only time I can afford it is when it's all half off, like now! Everybody made a New Years post, so I'll just summarize a few goals. It's more for my own benefit than yours, so don't bother reading if you really don't care. (these are in no particular order) 1. go to yoga more often 2. finish my sewing projects 3. find a better job (or apply for grad school...or both) 4. learn Norwegian 5. floss? (but who does that? honestly!) |
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| (no subject) |
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06:14pm 04/01/2008 |
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Alright, it's time to start sending out invitations!! If you are in regular contact with me and feel like hauling yourself up to Seattle for my wedding, please give me your address. Obviously, this doesn't apply to family. I should have your addresses already. Email me or you're not getting a pretty invitation! ~me mood:  artistic music: It's All in Your Mind (Limited Bonus Track)-Ivy-Long Distance (Limited Edition) |
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| Holiday stuff |
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02:04am 31/12/2007 |
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I've had a REALLY good Christmas, though I feel quite materialistic. What can I say...I've gotten everything I could possibly want (material and otherwise) this year. I'm extremely lucky, and I hope things continue to go this well. I don't think I've been this happy in a very, very long time. I'll skip all the details, because, let's be honest...everyone just skims over those anyways. Nobody really wants to hear what somebody -else- got for Christmas, what they did with their family, etc. Summary: We went to Houston to see Mike's family, and that's about it. My parents flew in for a short dinner and then left the same night, so I didn't see much of them. I got to meet Mike's brother and sister-in-law. They were both a lot of fun. The few days we were there consisted of much Guitar Hero and Wii Sports. Whoot. Also, I have an iPhone. That about sums up my life at the moment. No concrete plans for New Years besides a bottle of sauternes and perhaps some lobster. *slurp* Think that's it... ~me~ mood:  thoughtful |
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06:44pm 22/10/2007 |
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It occurs to me that I've never posted any pictures of our puppy! This is very silly of me...he's gotten so big already. Here is our Shiba Inu, Locke:    If you're anything like the people that stop us every 10 feet when we take him out, here's what you're thinking: Yes, he's cute. Yes, he looks like a fox (not really). He is male, yes, that is what "HE" implies! (you wouldn't believe how many people don't get that the first 10 times we say it) No, Shibas (that's shee-bah) do not get very big...only about 25 lbs max. Yes, they can be good with children/dogs/cats/steak...especially the steak part. Yes, they are very stubborn and considered quite intelligent. (If stubbornness is a sign of intelligence, then I've got it made) No, they are not hard to train if you are persistent and do not allow them to "use their powers for evil" as his breeder once said. Yes, they can be aggressive if their owner is retarded...so can a lab. Why is he spazzing out? You see, that blade of grass moved, and it could be potentially dangerous. He instinctively chases everything that moves: leaves, pebbles, bugs, feet...he's like a really fluffy cat that goes hiking. There, that should cover it. Yeah, that was ranty, but we are asked the same things every time. It gets old, and so do the stories of people picking up a puppy-mill Shiba from the pet store without knowing what they're getting into. Anyways...off to dinner! ~me |
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| Quick update... |
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02:03am 05/10/2007 |
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Okay, so it's official now. We're engaged *grin* I'm way too giddy for coherent words right now, but 'whee' will do temporarily. The ring:  It's so gorgeous in person! The pictures don't even do it justice. Celes designed it himself, of course, and had it custom made. We haven't made any real plans yet, even though we've talked about this for quite awhile. More details to come eventually... ~me |
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01:16am 20/09/2007 |
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Continuing with my earlier eco-nazi rant... here are several websites that are AWESOME! They get the "yuki thinks you are awesome" award. 1. treehugger.com The name says it all...just a general site w/ articles (including the guide to "greener" sex) and links to eco-friendly stores 2. localharvest.com Yesterday morning I woke Celes up by going on and on about how I want to "buy a farm". Well, I was half asleep and so was he, so it made for a very amusing conversation. What I meant was "I want to buy a share of a farm", I just didn't word it so well. You can pay a certain amount per week/month/year and get a box of what local farms are growing seasonally. Everything on that site is organic and you search by zip code to find participants near you. I also found places that sell very reasonably priced (organic, etc.) yarn, as alpaca and such is a big deal up here. This gives me an excuse to learn how to knit. 3. spud.com Not close to a Whole Foods? Have organic groceries delivered right to your door. This is more fuel efficient for all involved and they have a huge selection available. I sound like an advertisement...I am aware of this. But I think is a great option for those that don't have yummy food available locally. This site does still focus on local options as much as possible, however. For example, we can buy bread baked about 15 miles away...nyum. We may do this simply because it's a good way to itemize and watch the budget and the Whole Foods in Redmond is a bit of a commute. That is all, me |
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| *sniff* |
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04:36am 15/09/2007 |
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We'll do it all Everything On our own We don't need Anything Or anyone If I lay here If I just lay here Would you lie with me and just forget the world? I don't quite know How to say How I feel Those three words Are said too much They're not enough If I lay here If I just lay here Would you lie with me and just forget the world? Forget what we're told Before we get too old Show me a garden that's bursting into life Let's waste time Chasing cars Around our heads I need your grace To remind me To find my own If I lay here If I just lay here Would you lie with me and just forget the world? Forget what we're told Before we get too old Show me a garden that's bursting into life All that I am All that I ever was Is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see I don't know where Confused about how as well Just know that these things will never change for us at all If I lay here If I just lay here Would you lie with me and just forget the world? |
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| can't sleep... |
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04:38am 04/08/2007 |
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Okay, so I've now spent a year up in the beautiful Northwest, and I think I've come a long, long way. It's also almost my birthday. For some reason I've always treated my birthday like most people treat New Years; for me it's the time to start anew and re-establish my philosophies and goals. In light of that, I'll state them here. I was already a partial "hippy eco-elitist" before moving up here, but now I've become a full fledged self-righteous Eco Nazi. I'm very proud of this. But in order to feel justified in my loathing of the unenlightened I need to cut back on some of the hypocrisy. After all, if my long term career goal is to fight for this I should practice what I preach now. Things I need to change: 1. No longer will I buy any clothing that is not ethically sourced. I'll either suck it up and pay extra for fair trade/ organic clothing or I'll make it myself. (I actually found an online fabric shop that sources organic cotton prints! yay!) This is a huge commitment for me. I'm as guilty of loving Banana Republic as the next yuppy, but they are the definition of evil mega-conglomeration, and I must wean myself away. The good news is that I haven't really had money to buy much in the way of new clothing for quite awhile. I think over the past year I've made a lot of progress in choosing quality of quantity. Sometimes it's okay to be insanely picky. 2. We only ever buy quality food when grocery shopping, most of which is organic...however...what good is it to buy an organic apple from New Zealand? It's still shipped across the world, thus contributing to the massive amount of fuel used by planes. Am I saying I'll never fly again? No. Make a difference in small ways that don't impact the way you live. Much better to get something local when possible and support the local economy. One of the best ways to do this is to buy mostly seasonal food. This may be harder to do in Siberia, but luckily I live HERE. Also, the Highlands has a community garden. I'm on the waiting list to purchase a plot and attempt to grow my own veggies. We'll see how that goes. 2.5 - We're very careful when buying fish. Tuna, especially, is in a lot of trouble since the onslaught of new sushi lovers, and most countries do little to regulate fishing practices. Anything we buy in the grocery store is responsibly fished and (relatively) sustainable, but you can not make this guarantee when eating out. In general, I've vowed to myself not to touch food if it is from a questionable source, meaning basically any resaurant not on my "top 10 approved" list. These are restaurants that I feel are worth that potential ethical sacrifice because the enjoyment I get from them outweighs my guilt. Quality over quantity. I'd much rather spend $30 for one meal at Pomegranate or Serious Pie vs. 3 meals at a crappy sub-standard place. Yes, that means basically ALL fast food is completely out of the question. I can honestly say I have not set foot in a mega-chain restaurant since moving here. 3. Any major changes we make to the house will be very carefully thought out and implemented with minimal environmental impact. This includes using recycled materials and/or sustainable products with minimal toxins. I would like to say that everything I buy from now on (furniture, etc.) will only be made out of sustainable materials, but that simply isn't practical with most of the smaller things. However, I'll do the best I can. If I find something I must have, I'll at least make an effort to see if there is a less mass-produced alternative. Most of my personal goals really come down to making more conscious choices instead of mindlessly buying something because it happens to be convenient. 4. I will volunteer my time to some sort of worthy cause. I haven't decided what it will be yet, but there are endless possibilities in the region. I can start with one: the Issaquah Highlands environmental awareness group. Even if it's only within the neighborhood, education is key. 5. Become more politically active -- Out of my goals, this is probably the least fun and the least rewarding, but you can't bitch about something if you don't do anything to change it. I'll vote in local elections, at least on the things that are important to me. If something pisses me off enough, I may even write letters and do all of that grassroots stuff that a good Seattle-ite is supposed to live by. So now that I've driven myself into a state of guilt, I'll boost my ego by flaunting the things that I actually do right: 1. recycle, recycle, recycle. 2. I refuse to buy bath products or household cleaning supplies that are not eco-friendly. 3. I drive a hybrid. Yeah, it's not a "get out of jail free" card, but it's better than nothing. 4. I go into gestapo mode when it comes to electricity usage. Also, a portion of our electricity is sourced from wind power. 5. Whenever possible, we re-use plastic bags, or bring our cloth bags when grocery shopping (or just ask them to not give us a bag if it's only a few items). The number of bags we use when shopping has been signicantly reduced. These are all very small things, but they are little actions I've taken without impacting my day to day life. The more you can do without feeling that you are sacrificing anything, the better. So, there. I'll get off my soap box. Maybe I've inspired you, maybe not...but if nothing else I got a lot off of my chest. If I seem smug, well...there's no point in trying to hide it. I am a bit, yes. I probably do better than 90% of Americans in these things. Is it enough...absolutely not. This has become a constant nagging voice in the back of my mind. When buying ANYTHING I think about what's on the label, where it comes from, how much electricity is uses, etc. It's like the feeling you have the night before a biochemistry test, knowing that no matter how much study you aren't doing enough to prepare yourself. I'm constantly reading things about the impact of our species that terrify me, and this my way of assuaging these fears. This is how I pretend that we will someday evolve as a species and be able to correct the irreversible damage. Okay, really...I'm done. Again. ~me |
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10:11pm 14/06/2007 |
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Okay, we're finally settled in to our awesome new place. Most everything is unpacked and the majority of the decorating is done. I absolutely love it here. First, this is the neighborhood we live in: The Issaquah HighlandsIt's a very eco-friendly type place. As the name indicates, it's up high ... about level with halfway up Tiger Mountain. That means we get some pretty awesome views. There is still lots of development going on, but the highlands has dedicated about 3 acres of open, green space for every acre of development. That means there are lots of trails and parks. You can actually walk to the Tiger Mountain trail head from our place. There's also a DOG PARK. WHEE. the end. Everything in this area is built sustainably. Yay. Blakely Hall, the community center, is even LEED certified. As a resident you have to follow fairly strict guidelines as to how you landscape your yard (mimimal grass, xeriscaping with native plants is preferred), water usage, pesticide and herbicide usage, etc. Oh yeah, and a deer came right up to our porch last night. Seriously, within 10 feet. I fear for my herbs. The ultimate goal is to make this a very centralized pedestrian friendly area to cut down on driving and urban sprawl. They still have a long way to go, but they're well on their way. There is already a huge park and ride with access to Seattle, Redmond, Bellevue, and such within walking distance. The shopping center leaves much to be desired, but the highlights include a wine bar and a pretty good coffee shop. I think in 5 years this place is going to be amazing. It already suits our lifestyles perfectly. Yay for being elitist! Here are the long awaited pictures --> clicky herePlease note the bright green sewing room, complete with cat. Also, I updated my photobucket account with more hiking pictures, including this random (frozen) lake we went to about a month ago. I forget the name, but here they are. Guess that's it. ~me |
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| I'm moving! |
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04:22pm 21/05/2007 |
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Celes and I finally got our wonderful townhome in the highlands, so that means I'm moving (this Friday). Whee! Also, I finally updated my cell to a local number. Now there's no more evidence that I'm from Texas. *grin* I sent a mass email out to most of you regarding my new address/phone number. If I missed you, please don't think I've forgotten about you. I probably just didn't have your info. If you want my current contact info please call or email me and I'll update my address/phone lists, as well.~me |
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12:42am 06/12/2006 |
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I'm aware that I haven't updated in forever. I suppose I'll start in chronological order for those of you that actually read this. We finished up the summer with a few more really neat hikes. One of them was especially long, but noteably beautiful. That whole area (which is about 15-20 minutes away by car) is now completely covered in snow. It's very surreal to drive by a place that you visited a matter of weeks ago and barely be able to recognize it. My parents visited for Thanksgiving. Celes cooked duck and I covered the side dishes. I can assure you, it beat any turkey dinner I've had. *grin* We took a side trip to Vancouver the next day and stayed at the Pan Pacific. Unfortunately, it wasn't very pretty with the weather, but we got a snow storm on the way back home. Of course, it was cloudy the whole time they were up here and then sunny the very day they left. You couldn't even see the Cascades as we drove right by them...very disorienting. A few days afterwards we got a snow storm in Issaquah...4-5 inches overnight, I think. Both my and Celes' cars got stranded, luckily just a mile or so from home, but it made for an interesting few days. I have pictures of the above events which I'll post tonight. Everything was so gorgeous with the snow! I really love it here. For those of you in the Dallas area, I'll be visiting from the 25th through the 29th, so reserve your time now. I assume I'll meet up with everyone in Denton probably on the 26th or 27th for gift exchange. In other random things, we've missed going to Element for awhile but it would be very hard to top Junkie XL and Armin van Buuren. *slurp* Those were the most amazing shows I've ever been to. Above and Beyond is this Friday at the Last Supper Club, so that should be fun, as well. (minky: care to join?) I think that's about it... ~me |
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kanek0yuki's journal
