casacaudill

Seattle - Day 2

Our second day in Seattle dawned early, but not so bright.  We met up with Mike & Shannon for a short tour of some of the city's landmarks, starting out in the Queen Anne neighborhood at Kerry View Park overlooking the city.  I definitely loved the big, classic houses up on the hill.  And as the name suggests, the views are outstanding.

From there we went to the Fremont neighborhood and were introduced to the Fremont Bridge troll, quite a novel concept that we loved.

A couple more stops in the city and then we were off to Tacoma to the Glassworks Museum to check out some Chihuly glass art.

I know there are probably people out there who love the glass museum and think I'm crazy when I say this, but WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT.  It's less a museum and more a big room with glass art that isn't all that beautiful or impressive.  Thank goodness they had a special exhibit of a chandelier Chuhily did on Murano Island because otherwise there was NOTHING there that was any better than the glass art that was in the lobby of our hotel. 

[Sidenote - there was a Chuhily exhibit in SF several months back that we missed.  After having come across this Flickr photo set from the woman who runs the Simply Recipes blog, I really wish we had gone to the DeYoung and skipped Tacoma b/c what was shown in SF is - in my opinion - far superior to what we saw on this trip.]

What was interesting though was going into a different part of the museum and seeing an artisan create some pieces.  It's a long, slow process so it's hard to get too into the process but it was interesting to watch for awhile.

When we left the museum we wandered across the bridge and that's where we saw some more (free) Chuhily art that was interesting but still ... nothing worth a drive to Tacoma for.

After Tacoma we went back to Mike & Shannon's apartment on Mercer Island - watched some tv, snuggled a cat, and played a competitive game of Outburst.  Sadly, Shannon and I lost - but barely! - to Mike & Alan.  We had dinner at a restaurant on the island and then Mike drove us back to our hotel where Alan was able to - with the help of the Westin's lovely Victoria - get us a room with a king bed and a WICKED view of the Space Needle.

 

(taken with my iPhone so please ignore the quality)

Once again, I stayed up late reading more adventures of Sookie Stackhouse.  I have to say ... I'm just not feeling Bill.  I think I much prefer Eric.

7th anniversary vacation - Seattle (day 1)

Long-time readers of casacaudill may know that every February, Alan and I take about a week off to celebrate our wedding anniversary.  Since our wedding was in Maui - in and of itself an amazing vacation destination - it's kind of a nice tradition to take the time away from the stresses of work and every day life.  Last year was our trip to Paris which was an absolutely amazing trip (if you don't count the debacle with NWA on our way home from Detroit). 

Our original plan had been to go to Ireland this year but because of the money we spent last fall trying to save Miles, we felt it was better to take a shorter, less expensive vacation this year and maybe try to get to Ireland later this year.  For several years we've been talking about wanting to visit Seattle and the Pacific Northwest so when airfare on Virgin America was $67/person each way, we jumped at the chance to head up there.

We left the day after the Buffalo airplane crash and while we sat in the Virgin terminal, all the TVs were tuned to CNN, showing clips of the fiery plane crash and its wreckage.  I'm a really bad flier anyhow, so this did nothing to settle my nerves.  As we sat in the lounge waiting to board, I found myself in the bathroom with a bloody nose.  I think it was a combination of dry, hot heat from all the heaters and the stress from having to fly because I really felt quite awful.

Our flight went off without a hitch and we landed in Seattle just before noon.  Alan's friend from high school, Mike, has been living in Seattle for the last 7 years or so, so he and his fiance, Shannon, picked us up and dropped us off at our hotel (The Westin) in downtown Seattle.  Anyone who's made the drive from Sea-Tac to Seattle knows it's not much of a scenic drive, but coming into downtown gave me a good feel for what the downtown area had in store for us.  I work in downtown San Francisco and I felt like the area around the Westin was very similar to Union Square and the shopping there.  Definitely a very shoppable city.

We checked into the hotel and unfortunately the strange lady working the front desk put us in a room with two double beds and a view of some other buildings.  I say that she's weird b/c I really couldn't tell if she was 19 or 39.  She had pretty smooth skin, but her hair was graying and ragged and she talked funny and she wouldn't make eye contact.  Not my first choice for a front desk attendant, but whatever floats your boat.  Even though we're Starwood Preferred Guest members, we still found ourselves with a crappy room.  She told us we could try again the next night to get a king size bed and sent us on our way.  I'm convinced all the decent rooms were taken by the Holy Rollers convention that was happening at the hotel while we were there.  (Really, it was called the Holy Ghost Spirit 2009 Convention or something like that.)

After settling into our room a bit, we geared up to walk down to Pike Place Market.  I'd alternately heard that it is an absolutely amazing place and that it's a tourist trap.  I tried to keep an open mind because I love SF's Ferry Building and the markets in Paris were one of my favorite places to visit on that trip.  Our first stop was Beecher's Artisan Cheeses for their curds and "world famous" mac & cheese.  I'm happy to report that while their mac & cheese was good, it was no better than the Quattro Fromagio recipe I make from Martha Stewart.  The curds were great, but nothing to write home about.

From Beechers we just walked around, taking in all the sights, sounds and smells of the market.

After we took a break from walking we headed back to the room to read & relax before dinner.  We didn't make reservations anywhere, so with it being Valentine's Day we were in a bit of a bind.  After some investigation, we ended up being able to get a table at Matt's on the Market, overlooking the market's clock & neon sign.  The space had a great loft feel to it and while it was on the smaller side, it felt intimate, but not crowded. 

To start, we had a smoked pork belly with frissee and kumquat marmalade that was absolutely mouth watering.  For dinner Alan ordered a Pacific Ling Cod with roasted cauliflower while I had a braised short rib with hominy & grits.  Oh my gosh those grits were AMAZING.  For dessert we had a frozen maple pecan pie.  Of everything we had, the grits were my absolute favorite.  It wasn't a cheap meal by any means, but every bite was delicious and I would definitely recommend it to anyone heading to Seattle looking for a romantic, enjoyable meal.

By the time we wandered back to our room I was soooo full, but ready to dive a bit deeper into my Sookie Stackhouse book, Dead Until Dark (the basis of HBO's True Blood).  Watch out Edward Cullen, I think I have a new favorite vampire. :-)

Book Reviews: Sookie Stackhouse series

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book - with a few changes in characters and plot development - is essentially Season 1 of HBO's True Blood series. In Dead Until Dark we're introduced to Sookie Stackhouse, Vampire Bill Compton, Sam Merlotte and a host of other supporting characters. I definitely recommend this book for anyone who read and enjoyed Stephenie Meyer and Anne Rice as it's a good combo of the two. Like Meyer's Twilight series, when reading the Sookie Stackhouse series I just couldn't put the book down and the story moved along at a quick, yet satisfying, pace. Like Anne Rice's earlier works, it introduces you to vampire lore and lets you in on the emergence of a new subculture of America. This book definitely kicked off my love for the series.

Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris
rating: 4 of 5 stars

In Book 2 of the Sookie Stackhouse series, we're led deeper into the world of vampires and other things that go bump in the night as Sookie travels to Dallas on her crime solving adventures. We learn more about her vampire lover, Bill Compton, and get to know more about the vamps from Fangtasia (my favorites, actually). I can't say more without giving away the main plot lines, but if you enjoyed Book 1, you'll want to jump into this one. That said, it's not my favorite of the series.

Club Dead by Charlaine Harris
rating: 4 of 5 stars

In the next installment of the Sookie Stackhouse series, Sookie is once again working for the supernatural beings of the world to help solve a mystery. In this book we're further introduced to the world of shapeshifters and Werewolves when Sookie is forced to work alongside a big, rugged Were named Alcide. Sparks fly, but Sookie is torn between too many loves so her ans Alcide must focus on the task at hand and save the day. But ... as she tries to figure out what's going on with Bill and how she feels about Alcide, her "relationship" with Eric grows stronger and stronger every day, which was really the highlight for me.

In Book 1 we're introduced to Eric and Pam but we don't get to see too much of them. By Book 3 Eric and Sookie have developed their own rapport outside of her relationship with Bill and we get to see a relationship that tests Sookie's desires and allows her to stand up for herself with a man who appreciates that about her. By the time I got to Book 3, I really disliked Vampire Bill and by now am definitely Team Eric.

Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris
rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dead to the World was one of my favorite books of the series. It kicks off with Sookie and Bill having parted ways due to his no good cheating ways, with Sookie back in Bon Temps waiting tables and hoping for a return to normalcy. Ha! As Sookie's driving home from Merlotte's one night, she sees a half naked beautiful blonde man running down the road. Because Sookie is a sweetheart and let's be honest, has dealt with worst things than a possible crazy hitch hiker, she pulls over only to find out that said crazy man is actually Eric, Bill's boss and Sheriff of Area 5. Sookie and Eric have a bit of a past and Eric has always wanted Sookie in a way that he just can't, so imagine Sookie's surprise when cocky Eric is replaced by Amnesiac Eric - he doesn't know who he is, who Sookie is, or how he got that way. This Eric is out of sorts, scared and relies on Sookie to take care of him. It turns out that Eric's had a curse put on him by some bad ass witches that want to take over all the money being brought in by Shreveport's supernatural community. When they tell Eric they want part of Fangtasia's revenue - and some time in the sack with Eric - he declines and all hell breaks loose.

While all of this is going on, Sookie's brother Jason disappears too and she has no idea where he's gone to. With the help of some shifters from the next town over, that mystery is solved, but Eric and Sookie still have to battle the witches.

What I really liked about this book was seeing Sookie fall for Eric and him return the feelings. I've always felt like a lot of Eric's behavior is bravado and that he had feelings for Sookie that extended beyond the erotic kind. This book takes that story and elevates it. A side bonus of this story is that we get to see more of Pam, Eric's second in command and a great addition to the story.

Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris
rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was my least favorite book of the series because it takes Sookie away from the Vampire world and puts her firmly in the world of shapeshifters and werewolves, who aren't that interesting to me. Once again she finds herself hooking up with Alcide the Werewolf by helping him and his father in a contest for pack leader. Things don't go so well for Sookie or Alcide and in the process of this story, Sookie is introduced to Quinn, an exotic looking 6 foot something man of muscle. There's something really interesting about Quinn but Sookie just can't put her finger on it. Thankfully, she has time to find out because Quinn is definitely interested in Sookie as well.

With all series there can come a point where I'll say, "yup, I got it ... move along." That was this book for me. I couldn't really care about the were community and I just wanted Sookie to get back to her adventures with the vamps.

Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris
rating: 3 of 5 stars

Finally, back with the vamps! But now we've also got Quinn the bad ass weretiger and a couple of good witches along for the ride. Things continue to go from bad to worse for Bill and Sookie (however, thankfully he's not raping her anymore) when Eric forces him to tell her the nature of their initial meeting and why he began to court her all those months ago. Thankfully, this puts the final nail in the coffin in the Bill/Sookie romance, hopefully paving the way for more quality time with Eric. Unfortunately, that's not to be the case. Instead, Sookie is pulled into the world of New Orleans vampires, witches and weres for some more murder mystery solving time. There's an additional subplot that I should have seen coming but didn't that I also didn't much care for.

While this was still a fun read, it just didn't do it for me in terms of the satisfaction I got from the other Sookie novels.

All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris
rating: 5 of 5 stars

Finally - we're back to the vamps and in a big way! In this book, Sookie and Quinn have finally gotten together romantically, but they still don't see a whole lot of each other. Having become of interest to the Queen of Louisiana for her telepathic abilities, Sookie (along with the Northern Louisiana vamps) are summoned to Illinois for a big old Vampire Summit. This is post-Katrina Louisiana so the vampire queen is low on cash, missing a few devoted vamps and charged with the killing of her husband. As the only actual witness to the killing, Sookie is doubly in demand as she's needed to testify at the hearing.

In this book we see the re-emergence of the Fellowship of the Sun, some pissed off vampires and humans, a clash between clans and Sookie's loyalties tested. Is she Quinn's girlfriend and if so, what does that mean? What's her relationship with Eric and can it be defined? Unfortunately for Sookie, this book sees the two far too closely entwined, but it was either Eric or another vamp and we already know Sookie has a thing for Eric ... even if she won't freely admit it.

This book is filled with a lot of vampire politics, mystery and towards the end, a ton of action as Sookie's telepathic capabilities literally help determine life or death for several characters.

When I finished this book I felt like I *needed* to jump into the next one. Unfortunately, I've been told I need to get a library card and quit spending so much darn money on books. :-)

American Idol

I'm really looking forward to tonight's AI episode to find out who the final 32 will be.  Early faves include Matt Giraud, Adam Lambert, Danny Gokey (also known as Robert Downey Jr's twin), Jamar Rogers, Lil Rounds, and Michael Sarver.

I don't know yet if any of them are capable of delivering a performance as good as David Cook's rendition of Billie Jean, which is quite possibly one of my very favorite moments in AI history.

The absolute horror of American Idol this season though has been Tatiana.  I want to strangle her everytime she comes on TV.  What were the producers thinking?

Book Reviews: A Taste of Victoriana

Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife: Pride and Prejudice Continues by Linda Berdoll
rating: 1 of 5 stars

Outside of Philippa Gregory's "Wideacre" this is the single worst book I have ever read.

The book starts off incredibly slow, with Elizabeth and Darcy suddenly wanting to rip each others' clothes off in a carriage. And for the next 200 or so pages, we're "treated" to graphic and explicit sex scene after sex scene. And they aren't titillating or romantic or anything that you'd want them to be. Some, dare I say, are downright disgusting. (I speak of the scene before the ball at Pemberly when Elizabeth is wearing the yellow dress and that's all I'll say about that - you've been warned!).

It wasn't until Part II of the book that any real story started to develop and even then it was so watered down and lacking any sort of character depth. When the extras in the book did start taking on any sort of activity worthy of a storyline, it was explained so blandly and matter of fact that there was no reason to invest yourself in caring about the outcome of their foibles.

Finally, the book wrapped up with an expected, "and they all lived happily ever after ..." but by that point, I couldn't have cared less. The only reason I finished this piece of drivel was because I'd spent money on it and I have a rule about buying books and not reading them. Do yourself a favor and DON'T get this one.

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was recommended to me after I became addicted to the Twilight series. I liked it well enough but what I really wanted more of was the backstory, including Mary Dowd and the school's first headmistress. I'm considering reading the sequels because the plot line was interesting enough to me, but I wouldn't be heartbroken if I never got around to it.

wanderlust

I want to go here.  I don't know where it is (except that it's in France) and I have no information on what else exists beyond these beautiful buildings. 

7 year anniversary dinner

Reservations are confirmed for Dahlia Lounge in Seattle for our 7th wedding anniversary.  There are only three eateries in Seattle that I absolutely want to visit and Dahlia Lounge is one.  The other two are Salumi and Elliott's Oyster House.  I'm currently trying to get reservations for Elliott's for our first night in town. 

Any other recommendations for local folks?

purchasing prints for the kitchen

Aside from some extremely aggravating Photoshop/jpg issues I'm having with one particular print, I've finally decided on which three images from the Paris food markets and meals I want to use for prints in our kitchen.  I won't show you the third image b/c I can't upload it anywhere and now it's telling me that it's an uncrecognizeable .jpg image because of some markup issue (or something ridiculous like that), but here are two of the three I decided on.

This was taken at the cafe across the street from our hotel in the 8th arrondisement. We walked past here everyday as we walked to the metro, but it was only as we were preparing to check-out of the hotel and make our way to Charles de Gaul that we decided to have a meal there.  I never would have though baguette and jam to be a perfect breakfast, but there it was ... made even better by a nice cup of cafe au lait.

The first half of our trip was sunny and warm(ish) but the day we decided to go to Notre Dame and Montmarte was cloudy and COLD. Before sight seeing, we stopped into a cafe at the base of the Le Pont Neuf. I was happy to sit inside with a nice cup of cafe au lait and start the day off with a meal I'd been looking forward to our whole trip - croque madame.  And I was not disappointed!  Oh, and I've never seen an egg with such an orange yolk. 

And now, if you'll excuse me, it's off to REI to buy socks and gloves for our upcoming trip to Seattle.  A year ago I was looking forward to duck confit, chateaux, croque madame's, historic churches and cobblestone streets.  Now I'm prepping for amazing coffee and microbrews, some of the freshest seafood around and a profusion of green many of us here in California are lacking (due to the drought). 

i'm a sucker for animal videos

Courtesy of More Ways to Waste Time, I give you:



I love her and want her to tell me she loves me too.

pimping out a friend's new blog

You know how sometimes you have one of those friends who is such a good writer they make you feel inadequate and clumsy with your own writing?  And on top of that, they're in a field that does so much good for the world and there you are doing something necessary but not necessarily noble?  And you just think your friend is the coolest person ever?  No, don't know anyone like that? Well, I do and she's started a blog!

I first met my friend, Dr. V, when she was in vet school, I was unemployed and we were both planning our weddings.  Over the years we've stayed friends and have watched our lives change.  After becoming a vet, she'd write the most beautiful, heartwarming (and gut wrenching) tidbits about her life as an animal doctor.  Several of us encouraged her to write a book, which we're still doing.  In absence of that, she has, however, started a blog about her life in the veterinary world.  If you love animals (and like good story telling), definitely check it out - pawcurious.