Entre Nous.

Top of the Pops

Shows I'm eagerly awaiting in 2010:

1. She & Him, at the Savannah Music Festival in March. 'Indie boys' movie-star crush of choice Zooey Deschanel and rootsy guitarist M. Ward pose as a great lost Seventies AM-gold couple.....they sound like they wish they were cruising in their Le Car, hitting the beach at Martha's Vineyard with James and Carly to pound strawberry daiquiris and sing 'Mockingbird.' -Rolling Stone  [Update: Just bought tickets. Tickets are 15% for the Savannah Music Festival until December 11th. News: S&H's sophmore album, Volume Two, hits stores March 23rd.]

2. The Avett Brothers, where and when is still up in the air [not any longer, just bought tickets to their Savannah show in June]. 'Hailing from North Carolina, The Avett Brothers' members embody the best elements of Southern roots music. Their vocals are earnest and earthy, they have a knack for musical storytelling and they obviously have an appreciation for family ties — singers Seth and Scott Avett are the guitarist and banjo player, respectively. The band also possesses an all-inclusive Southern musical sensibility: Its unique mix of folk, rock, country and bluegrass adds up to a uniquely catchy regional aesthetic.' NPR

3. The Magnetic Fields, either in Seattle or NYC. 'Singer-songwriter Stephen Merritt's ironically morose lyrics, Tin Pan Alley stylings, sugary melodies, and idiosyncratic sound have earned his band the Magnetic Fields cult status and the adulation of grad students everywhere.' Mike McGonigal

4. Camera Obscura, ideally in Bellingham at the Nightlight in April. Although the chances of me making it back to Washington before summer are slim to nil. Why aren't they touring the southeast? A flawless blend of sunny pop, Motown, blues and jazz. The bands gorgeous, heartbreaking and--well--maudlin songs deserve to be heard by an audience far wider than Camera Obscura's current cult- indie-pop devoteees.

"Vacation, all I ever wanted. Vacation, had to get away."

               

I got back a little less than a month ago from my trip to the left coast. Here's a glimpse into how I spent some of my time: 

• Consumed grilled hamburgers stuffed with blue cheese at a "potluck" with all the usual suspects. Followed by the most delicious S'mores. Although not the S'Mores of my childhood, those made using a grill are nothing to scoff at. 
• Played competitive games of Badminton with people of varying skill level, age, and height.
• Had high tea at Abbey Garden Tea Room. All I can say is their version would give The Plaza's a run for their money. So delicious.
• Went to the beach with A. Where we laid out, looked for beach glass and agates (a hold over beach going activity from our childhood), took pictures, and had a much needed catch up session. 
• Ate more crab than I usually consume in a year. A generous friend shared SIX crabs he'd caught. There were crab omelets, crab BLTs, crab salads and oh I'll stop there before I sound like a character out of Forrest Gump. We dined on crab for days. Talk about contentment. 
• Saw an old crush. A boy I'd gown up with and have known since I was a child. Left the island with a renewed crush. He's still adorable.
• Watched Iron Man at the outdoor cinema in Fairhaven's Village Green. Have I already forgotten how chilly summer evenings in Washington can get? Apparently so.
• Ate sweet potato tacos, fish tacos and drank margaritas on the deck at Agua Verde Paddle Club in Seattle. I could hang out there for hours.
• Listened to an old friend sing and play piano at the one "coffee shop" on the island. Bumped into all sorts of characters from my past. Pure bliss.
• Attended the islands annual Chilli cook off. Imagine it, 20 plus chilli's to feast on, beer aplenty, live music, and sunshine. Add to that a slew of people I hadn't seen in YEARS. Perfection.
• Played the slot machines at one of the local casinos. Lost a whopping $10.
• Dinned on savory crepes with the H-------- clan in Seattle, Capital Hill to be precise. Saw a few trannys and a crackhead getting interrogated by the cops. Oh Seattle, I missed you. 
• Visited Revival Home & Garden in the Georgetown neighborhood. A store I'd had on my radar since reading about it in Rita Konig's article about Seattle in Domino. Had a lovely chat with the shops co-owner. The store is in the process of relocating to Capital Hill, so everything was significantly discounted for the impending move. Although the merchandise was clearly thinned out and the store wasn't in its prime condition, I still was smitten. Can't wait to see the reincarnation in the Capital Hill local.
• Devoured the most INCREDIBLE peanut butter & jelly cupcake at the hands down best place for cupcakes, Trophy Cupcakes. They'd opened the most adorable shop at University Village since I'd been home. But I still prefer their Wallingford Center location.
• Attended my baby sisters co-ed baby shower. Lots of babies, toddlers, and kids in attendance, along with their parents, of course. Quite the scene.
• Bought the most divine banana bread from Dahlia Bakery. I'd been craving this for ages and my Mom admitted she wasn't in the mood for baking her own. So when I spied a loaf at Dahlia, I just had to bring it home. It was the best banana bread I've tasted, no joke. I also indulge in their version of a nutter butter cookie. I died. So good. Dahlia Bakery, along with whatever else Tom Douglas touches, is pure perfection.
• Took a sunset boat ride along Bellingham Bay and down towards Chuckanut Drive. I love seeing Bellingham from that perspective. East Coast sunsets are so ho hum compared to our gorgeous West Coast version. No comparison.

Clearly I was not thrilled to return to Savannah after such a lovely two weeks at home. Oh and remember those perfect 75 degree days I was hoping for? More like eighties and nineties, then a record breaking 103 degrees on my last day. So much for escaping the heat.

Now I'm off again in mere days for another week long stint back in Washington. Black berries will be picked. Sleeping in will occur. Books will be consumed. Sunsets will be devoured. And fingers crossed another encounter with the crush will occur.

Homeward Bound

It's been almost two months now that I've been living in Savannah and I've already scheduled a trip back home to Washington.  I leave tomorrow and will return in a week.  I depart at the godforsaken hour of 6:15am (that's a 3:15am wake up call).  But it's oh so worth it because I'm scheduled to arrive in Seattle before noon.  Then it's off to Cafe Campagne for either Oeufs en meurette or Croque-savoyard, depending on my mood.  I then have seven jam packed days before me of doing everything I've missed and seeing everyone I've missed in the 8 weeks I've been away.  Is there really anything better than returning home?

"We like it! We love it!"

Saturday I went to The Trucks show at The Nightlight with Sara, Lucy and a few other girls.  Before the show we had dinner at La Fiamma.  Then headed to Caps post dinner to kill time until The Trucks ("The Trucks are four females who will make you want to dance. The sound is Electro-pop meets northwest indie rock and it’s all dressed-up in fishnets.") made their appearance.  It was The Trucks CD release party so they drew quite a crowd.  In addition, Federation X played as well as a band called A Gun that Shoots Knives.  My friend Alina and her boyfriend Brent met us at the show.  The Trucks CD is available on Amazon or through their labels (Clickpop Records) website and comes highly recommended (by me).  Plus, if they happen to be making an appearance in your city you should definitely check them out.  They're such fun.  You'll like them.  You'll love them.

 

Sunday a whole lot of nothing occurred but on Monday I went over to Alina's for dinner.  I brought the wine and Fran's sea salt caramels.  Alina's boyfriend Brent made the fried chicken, asparagus, rice pilaf, and salad.  It was sensational.  I've heard Alina rave about Brent's fried chicken but never had the opportunity to try it myself.  Brent is working as a chef in Bellingham and getting ready to start culinary school in Austin.  He's from Texas and definitely knows a thing or two about southern food.  I decided to ask Brent if he'd be interested in catering my "southern themed" going away party.  Within mere moments he came up with the perfect menu for the party.  It's going to be so fun, I can't wait.  I just might have to start moving more often if only for the going away parties.

Picture this

   

Saturday I took a 5 hour (yes, F-I-V-E hour) long knitting class at NW Handspun Yarns.  I know that 5 hours sounds like such a long time but it really went by so quickly.  After taking a year or two off from regular knitting I needed a refresher course to get me back to my peak knitting potential.  Before the class I found the cutest knit bag, similar to the one used by Lisa Loeb on her show #1 Single.  It turned out to be the perfect bag to keep all my knitting supplies in.  Besides me, there were eight other women at various knitting levels taking the class.  The teacher, Maureen, also teaches yoga and is a talented painter as well.  Maureen even offers a "Restoring Balance Through Yoga and Knitting" class, which sounds intriguing.  We were given an hour break for lunch and one of the other girls, Ann, and I decided to head over to Avenue Bread and Deli on Railroad Ave for sandwiches.  After the class finished Ann and I thought we might start attending "Knit Night" on Tuesdays at the shop.  I just feel like knitting is great relaxing hobby to have once I get all caught up with the stress of graduate school.

Sunday was rather uneventful aside from my friend Eric (he'll be 29 in mere weeks) informing me that he just got engaged to his 20 year old girlfriend whom he has been dating for six months at the most.  But then on Monday it was Spa day for my friend Sara and I at the The Chrysalis Inn & Spa.  Before our Pedicures commenced we sat and chatted over tea in the spas "relaxation" room.  With it being the beginning of fall (which means gray days and rain are on their way) I decided that rather than getting a plain French Tip pedicure I'd add a bit of color.  So I requested a light pink nail with a darker pink tip.  The woman, Jessica, doing my pedicure was such a perfectionist.  Which I greatly appreciated.  The color turned out just how I envisioned.  After our pedicures we ordered a Spa lunch from the Inn's Fino Wine Bar.  I had scallops, which were exceptional, and Sara had the crab cakes.  After lunch Sara headed home while I stayed for a Facial.  This was definitely one of the best facials I've ever received.  Now I know that most people prefer silence when getting any spa treatments but I actually find it more relaxing when I'm able to converse with the person giving the treatment.  The woman giving my facial, Diane, had just returned from a 3 week vacation in Italy so it was great fun to hear all about her trip.  I was also able to get some tips worth mentioning.  Now I don't know about anyone else but I've been using apricot scrub to exfoliate my face for years.  I was informed by Diane that the apricot scrubs actually create little scratches on your face.  Another thing I've been doing wrong is washing my face with only my hands and cleanser.  Diane claims it's best to use a baby washcloth while washing ones face.  I always assumed washcloths were too rough on the face.  And one last thing, when applying moisturizer or other creams to the face apply in an upwards motion.  Unfortunately after leaving the spa it was right back to work.