I’m still having a really good time and keeping very busy. Work goes smoothly 95% of the time and I am definitely accustomed to the work schedule now and have the wake up and commute down. I also have the after work festivities down.
Highlights of last week included finding the most breathtaking view of the city on Monday while stretching my legs (been back there twice already), happy hour at Fado’s Irish Pub in Pioneer Square with friends for free (three!) glasses of wine and appetizers of chicken satay, sliders, potato wedge fries, and boxty quesadillas, a return to Japonessa for sushi lunch with work folk and a great walk and gossip fest with friend Ashley on Wednesday, Tauber dinner at Salty’s on Alki Beach in West Seattle for a delicious salad, grilled salmon, and splitting of a hazlenut cheesecake and a fresh fruit tart, and a dinner out to Cedar’s restaurant for my first taste of the middle eastern that Seattle has to offer and a showing of Midnight in Paris at a old classic theater on 45th in Wallingford.
A friend from UM visited for the entire day Saturday but honestly I was a little put off by their unappreciativeness of my hospitality. We explored Pike’s Place, grilled burgers and then went to see Marc Broussard in a phenomenal concert at the Showbox at the Market. The concert was 4 hours long with two opening bands and with standing the whole time I was exhausted.
Sunday was relaxation day for me, though I did wake up rather early to get to the Lululemon at U-village for their complimentary weekly yoga class. It was just like Ann Arbor’s, a breeze to get there and it felt so so good after doing no strength training or stretching whatsoever since arriving in Seattle. I am actually slightly sore today! I soaked up as much sun as humanly possible at Gasworks Park in the gorgeous weather. Bands were playing, I read, and then Ashley joined me. We then bought bread and returned to her place to learn how to make crawfish etouffee. Holy yum. I am making that dish again. It had a kick to it and my two other coworkers that joined us for dinner with Malbec in hand blamed me for the heat. 🙂 Dinner wsa so, so fun. I couldn’t believe that the weekend was already over which was very sad.
Now my roommate’s parents are staying with us for the week. Tonight I went out to dinner with them to a Japanese restaurant on 45th in Wallingford, a very easy walk from our place. We split a variety of items. We sampled the California roll and Dragon roll, a chicken meatball thing with Ponzu sauce, Japanese Fried Chicken (JFC they called it), tofu anadashi (fried topped with daikon, so good), gyoza, and the very best was this grilled tuna collar. No joke the tuna was probably 2lbs of meat and cost $7.50. When is tuna ever that much and when is it ever that good!?!?! I really enjoyed her parents and know they would get along with mine really well. Her dad and I had a conversation for 15 minutes about the Beach Boys. Nuff said.
Note: Ishiyaki (Stone Grill) is a traditional way of cooking among fishermen on Tsushima Island. It began when a fisherman heated up a stone on the shoreline and broiled the seafood on it. Cooking on stone provides far-infrared radiation that cooks the meat very juicy and soft. By absorbing any extra oil contained in the meat, food is cooked without any smoke allowing the freshness and the sweetness of the dish to be maximized. (Found on the restaurants website I just googled.)
Yes, very busy and it just does not end. But seriously I am still loving it and have not tired from it. It most be Seattle’s fab coffee that is keeping me going!
Other news, I signed up for this place to volunteer for their live music (like the Ark!) and am very excited to start checking out local Seattle bands. The place is a little different than the Ark in that it is smaller and is actually a cafe but I’m still excited. So I kept getting the “I don’t believe you are an engineer. You seem nothing like an engineer.” at every bar, restaurant, etc. I have attended. I was really confused about this because I most certainly think of myself as an engineer and most of my friends at UM were a lot like me. I had no idea what they were talking about and was starting to get a little offended and taken aback. Until the intern started work last Monday. Holy smokes! I seriously want Ashley and I to give her a makeover. Also, she is so quiet and reserved I can’t take it. The other day at lunch I tried really hard to get her to break out of her shell a bit and asked her what she likes to do. She is moving back home with her parents to save money and has started to play piano again. That’s all! That’s all she had to talk about and I realized a few things. First of all, I have already really clicked with several of my coworkers and realized that I have meshed well in the office. Secondly, I am so glad that I am no longer an intern. And finally, I will take the “unlike an engineer” statement into a solid compliment.
Chelsea
Evolving in the Emerald City 