Happy Halloween! I'm Back, Sort Of...

Will be playing catch op in the coming days from the trip to Ashland and now San Francisco. Lots to share, but for now, be it a day of more treats than tricks!

Heading South...

Hey folks, I am off to see mom for a few days and will catch up when I get back on Sunday. Looking forward to the drive and the fall colors. By the way, on this street just up on the left is Standing Stone Brewery where Mom and I will enjoy lunch on Thursday.

Breakfast du Jour

For the past two plus months eggs have become my friend. I have them fried, poached (not good at this at all), hard-boiled (awesome for deviled eggs and egg salad sandwiches, plus my favorite - scrambled. I use butter and cream plus some cheese on top and can you say YUM! Well, I sure do. Coffee with cream is beverage of choice and we got it good. I decided to pause this AM and share just what gets me going at least 5 days a week. The weekends often sees a sausage or bacon addition and as happened this past weekend, a delightful omelet. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, without hesitation.

Hide & Seek

So Markie stopped by on his way to the airport last night as I noted in my blog. I happened to mention that he should get me a souvenir from Miami. Well, he got home this morning and indeed, he got me a trinket. He added it to my shelf unit, do you see it there. I got home this afternoon and was tired. Did not look around, just went and crashed and napped. Connie and I were chatting when he texted, "See your present?" And I had not. I did not look for it. Do you see it, a lovely globe from the Florida. I have a real deep love for snow globes. Don't give me a rain globe or a glitter globe. Markie did not. He knows me all too well. But where was it, do you see it below?

It took me 5 seconds to see it and was amazed. Laughed and got up and walked over only to have another good laugh. It was a globe alright...a sand globe! Ya gotta love a guy who knows you all too well. Markie, you are one in a million!

Seriously, you cannot take a snow globe on the plane, but the sand globes are totally cool. I love it. Just crazy enough to be an instant treasure. And so there you go, Markie flew back and forth across the country and all I got was a sand globe. LOVE IT!

Pondering The Blog On Monday

After a weekend of fun and getting a lot of stuff done, I was pondering what would I post today? Seriously, work was steady and full, but boring. Took an afternoon nap and enjoyed a simple dinner, but nothing was coming to me. The hours ticked off and I was getting more and more worried about what would fill this day's posting. And then it happened.Yes, Markie stops by the apt. on his way to the airport. He is flying to Miami on a red-eye via Alaska Airlines only to turn around and fly home in the morning and thereby getting enough miles to sustain his Gold status. What people will do for miles and upgrades. But seriously, the carry-on bag just had to be captured and shared. Too mucking futch! Sometimes, life drops nuggets of laughter at just the right time. Enough said.

A Tale Of Two Countries

There is a Blog called BillinExile and I copied this entry to share. The first photo is in New York City this past weekend. The second photo was taken up in Canada, city not shared. You gotta love the difference. What else is there to be said?

Major Project Done

Last January I went online and found a store having a sale where I got two binders to hold DVD's. I then felt it would be great to consolidate all the DVD's to just the binders and get rid of all the containers (hello recycle) and kept putting it off. Well, that was until today. I got all of them done and only a few did not have to surrender to the binders: Complete series of "Queer As Folk" plus "The West Wing" and "Book of Daniel" along with "Wonderfalls" both short lived, but funny. Also have first seasons of "Brothers & Sisters" along with "Glee" and "Oprah's 20th Anniversary Set" and "Highlights from Johnny Carson" to add flavor. Rounding out the extras are two volumes of Julia Child and the entire "Tales of the City" plus added years. That is going to be touring as Ani wants to see it in California.

So when I got the two binders, they offered free foil stamping on the cover and here is a close-up of what I decided to call them...look close!Yes, I was amused and so now my binders are sorted in to generic, gay-theme, Christmas & adult. To think I own fewer than 100 DVD's and less than 100 CD's let alone no ipod. Go figure!

THE Sunday Brunch

This is our destination for brunch. Have not been in ages and quite excited. I love the places that preserve the old building or house and turn it into a business. Rather than knocking the building down and creating a new featureless space, the old brick beauty got refurbished and maintains a little character.

And so the Hi-Life is a converted firehouse that now serves as a restaurant. You've got the nice brick interior with high ceilings and ample space. If you tacked on a fireplace and let people slide down poles then you'd have the perfect atmosphere.

The price isn't the cheapest in the Seattle area for standard breakfast food, but it's not gonna kill you either. Chippy staff here and even on the weekend it has a more mellow vibe. Overall, it's a pretty good brunch choice.So we met up and snagged a table as they opened at 8:30 with Mick arriving a few minutes later. Rob & Jodie were already parked and waiting when I arrived 15 minutes early. Coffee was up first and not bad, but I make better. Waiting for Mick we shared a piece of Apple Coffee Cake. I held to two bites and it was moist and tasty. They do a seasonal menu and also all the art work changes quarterly.

Jodie opted for the traditional biscuits & Gravy. I gave her my hash browns and we called it good. She said they were better than average. The High Life holds a special place for her as it was where Rob took her out to breakfast the very first time. Yup, all together = Awwwwww! They are just about the cutest couple I know. Did I mention here yet that they are getting married next year!? Here there are plans to go with a whole Cinco de Mayo theme complete with a pinata in the shape of a wedding cakeNo, do not adjust your computer or eyes, this is a breakfast pizza. Rob ordered it and shared he would again in fact. Eggs, pico de gallo and chorizo made for a festive Mexican theme for his brunch. Hmm, do you get a sense of a theme developing on that side of the table. They keep saying the fact that the reception happens to fall on Cinco de Mayo is totally happen chance. Me thinks they doth protest too much! Ole!Had not seen Mick in a few weeks and always good to catch up. He seems to have dined in quite a few of the breakfast joints around town and had a favorite dish ready to order here. He had the Chili Verde Slinger - Green chile & braised pork stew with pepper jack, stacked on a bed of spiced hash browns. Get two eggs any style & toast. The garnish of some fresh fried tortilla noodles was perfect. By how fast he ate it, it must have been good.Last, but not least I decided to try a seasonal special. Called the Pig in the Orchard Omelet - Smoked pork, Fuji apples, sharp cheddar cheese & red onions folded into a scallion flecked omelet shell. Served with hash browns & toast. Had them hold the onions, actually asked if they could grill them a bit, but they left them off. Hash browns to Jodie and I ate a half slice of bread and a quarter of another. Quite controlled if you ask me.

Next weekend the place will be a zoo as they celebrate the 100th anniversary of the building and here is a blurb on their website: Come celebrate the 100 Year Anniversary of the Old Ballard Firehouse #18 on Saturday October 22nd. All day festivities which will include a family style pancake feed & firemen chili cook-off!

I'll be driving up to Portland from Ashland and will miss it, but I have to admit I am pleased to be getting back to doing things as the pounds begin to fall off. I like being back on my game.

Oh My, Did I Really Do That?

Friday had Jodie & Rob stopping by for cocktails and discussing Halloween. We enjoyed catching up and they are just wonderful friends. I enjoyed blueberry vodka blended with vanilla vodka and add a splash of tonic. Think blueberry pie and vanilla ice cream. Three are perfect, but not four. I repeat, do not try to do 4 of them or you might need some help remembering the calls you have made and commitments as well.

Thankfully among friends we had a lot of laughs and I had committed to two brunches on Sunday and toss in a Worldmark reservation request for next year. I slept very well and was up early and got a ton of crap done and done. Phone calls, dishes, reading and laundry. Heck groceries were delivered and I am ready to entertain! Sounders played and oh my what a loud crowd it was. But have to love the cooler temps outside. How I love autumn.

Friday Frozen Find!

I've admired it and driven by it numerous times. But since its appearance on the southwest corner of Fourth and Blanchard in early June, had no idea who built the Belltown popsicle.

Just that it looks ... delicious. It makes me smile every time I see it.

The 17-foot steel and apoxy dessert sits on property owned by commercial real estate developer Martin Selig -- no stranger to the oversized. He's built many of Seattle's most notable skyscrapers, including its tallest -- the 76-story Columbia Center, which he sold in 1989.Selig is also behind some of downtown's signature commissioned office park art. Seen the bronze man and woman relaxing on benches across from the Cinerama? The aluminum runners frozen mid-step off Elliott Avenue? Earthy and metallic, these and other pieces in his public collection look nowhere as colorful -- or refreshing -- as his newest.

"Whoever created this should be given the Nobel Prize for Awesomeness," Belltown blogger Igor Keller wrote about the popsicle. "This is simply one of the greatest things ever made by human hands."

Nothing near the sculpture identifies its creator, though a plaque should appear there soon, Selig said.

How did Selig come to embrace an artist with such different tastes?

"I guess I married her," he said.

'OMG - a giant popsicle!'

Catherine Mayer's art is all about first reactions. When she considered what should go on the corner of her husband's Belltown office building, her answer came quick.

"I said, 'Oh. My. God. A giant popsicle!'" she recalled. "And he said, 'OK!'" Mayer, 61, married Selig in 2006. She had one particular popsicle in mind for that corner. It was red, like the ones she got as a kid from the ice cream guy in New Orleans. It had two sticks, not one, like the ones she could split to share half with her brother.Mayer has been working to make multi-sensory art that inspires positive reactions in the form of murals, animations and sculptures. The popsicle was perfect.

"If you think of them, you can almost smell them and taste them," she said.

The popsicle is her first piece of outdoor public art in downtown Seattle, but it won't be the last.

"It's the first of a series of things that went through my mind as I envisioned the popsicle," she said. "Childhood things that made me smile that I loved."

Stay tuned: The next sculpture could appear somewhere in the city within a year.

And this time, we might just know who made it.

Special thanks to KING5 for their posting of this story.

Why Is Greenwich The "Centre Of Time & Space"?

It dates back to October 1884. At the behest of the President of the United States of America 41 delegates from 25 nations met in Washington, DC, USA for the International Meridian Conference.

At the Conference the following important principles were established:

It was desirable to adopt a single world meridian to replace the numerous ones already in existence.

The Meridian passing through the principal Transit Instrument at the Observatory at Greenwich was to be the 'initial meridian'.

That all longitude would be calculated both east and west from this meridian up to 180°.

All countries would adopt a universal day.

The universal day would be a Mean Solar Day, beginning at the Mean Midnight at Greenwich and counted on a 24 hour clock.

That nautical and astronomical days everywhere would begin at mean midnight.

All technical studies to regulate and extend the application of the decimal system to the division of time and space would be supported.

Resolution 2, fixing the Meridian at Greenwich was passed 22-1 (San Domingo voted against), France & Brazil abstained.

The National Maritime Museum have kindly given us extracts from the Conference minutes.

On The Road Again

Next week, I will head south on Wednesday and stop for the night in Portland and see Janet. Thursday, I'll wake up and head south to see Mom for a few days. Things are not going well and so I want to spend a few days chatting and going to arrange for a complete house cleaning. On Saturday, I will head north to Portland and spend the night with Janet again. Sunday will have me doing a drive by in Long Beach to get the tuna from Michael. Each year we are blessed to enjoy some fresh caught and canned tuna. It is divine.

Back in Seattle, I'll drop off the cases to Helene and Moonsong. Then home and crash for a few days until I fly south to San Francisco on Thursday, the 27th.Upon arrival I'll get settled and spend a few days getting to attend events and on Saturday, the 29th will help out with the big Halloween Party. From there it will be a chance to see Alcatraz and see the Bay Area clubs to a flash mob Thriller dance. That should be a hoot. Hope to get a chance to see several friends and then it will be home again. My oh my! Who knew the day would take a 180 degree turn, but then again change is in the air and this is but the first couple of turns.

National Coming Out Day

Yes, it is a day to come out if you have not. I cannot imagine what life would be like not being able to live free and happy. Plus, this is a really cool photo I snagged from Bill in Exile's blog and had to share.

For All The Worried Boys & Girls

There have been a few days lapse without posting, but they are now caught up here. Today is a holiday up north don't you know plus a whole different one down here in the USofA, so go have fun!

In Honor Of Our Friends To The North...

There Is A God!

A festive Halloween Goblin stopped by to see how I was doing and decided to take things into their own hands and help me out. How kind and with just a tad of direction (READ: Compulsive to a fault) it really turned out festive and fabulous. So glad to get up the decor to be able to enjoy for a couple of weeks.

Praise all as my apartment got a bit of a festive touch this fine day. Yes, the dining table did get the most attention, but look how cute my cookbook caddy is. Something completely new this year is the addition of the hand swizzle sticks. They are fun. This on is especially fun.

Frappe Of Food

Yes, life can be hellish at times. All my food had to go through a blender or be mashed up completely for a couple of days. Hell, just go out and buy a case of two of Gerber's and be done with it. Ick!

The Unplanned Weekend

In life, there are things that happen that you do not plan on. As I have been losing weight I have been feeling better and the clothes keep getting bigger. It's a good thing. Sadly, some things can happen that are just a fact of nature and spoil it all. Well, one of those things happened tonight and after a brief visit to the emergency room, if you call three and a half hours brief, I arrived home to a mess of a place as Amazon Fresh had delivered groceries just before everything broke loose. I just had to turn a blind eye and let it all be. It will all get settled, but for now, rest is a top priority. Needless to say, this is being posted several days later, but I wanted you to know why Friday was not a festive posting, but just you wait, they get better.

The Joy Of A Note

It was a delight to receive an actual hand written note this day from a good friend. Markie, Helene and my sister, Janet, are among those that write Thank You notes. They have told me that I inspired them to do so. Sadly, for the past couple of years I have fallen into the majority and have stopped writing to people.

When I got my mail, it was a collection of sales fliers, offers for credit cards, catalogs and requests for donations. Plus, one envelope that glowed as it was hand written. I am going to make a commitment right here and now that by the end of the month I will be sending out notes and cards again to dear friends and family. Just in time to do my time honored custom of Christmas-New Year Cards. I like to send them the day after Christmas as it is then when we have time to pause and read after the holiday rush. Happy Writing!

A Journey One Pound At A Time

Needless to say, weight has been a challenge for the better part of my life. I have tried just about every diet there is and get frustrated. I have always been trying to loose weight for someone else, but not for me. Well, earlier this year I had a few internal messages tell me I had to do something. They were not good messages and so I talked to my doctor and began quietly to work at the weight. Let me tell you there is a lot to work at. Dropped the majority of carbs and hello protein and fats plus 20 units of carbs a day. Bye-bye to sodas, chips, ice cream, and pasta plus bread. And today I went to weigh in as I do every two weeks. It is the journey, not the numbers. But you do need to pause every once in a while and catch your breath.Today was such a day. Yes, the clothes are getting more roomy and I can feel a change, but the stomach tells me otherwise. It is truly a case of I am my father. The initial weight is coming off my legs and backside. As I sat and talked to John, my doctor, he stated that this is not unusual and that for the next few months a cane may be in order to create a triad of balance and to relieve some of the stress on my legs. It is a case of being the artichoke pit with the tooth picks stuck in. So sometimes you have to take two steps forward and one step back to get somewhere. Today, I am 52 pounds lighter than when I started. But it is a heck of a relief, now let's keep this going.

National Taco Day

It’s National Taco Day! A taco is a traditional Mexican dish made with chicken, beef, vegetables, or seafood. The filling is folded inside a soft or hard tortilla and garnished with toppings such as cheese, salsa, or guacamole.

In 1520, the conquistador Hernando Cortez wrote to King Charles V of Spain to describe his experiences in the New World. In his letter he mentioned a delicious meal the Aztec inhabitants prepared with “tlaxcalli” or “tortilla.” It is the first historical reference to tacos!

Today, tacos are enjoyed all over the world. Invite your friends over for make-your-own tacos and celebrate National Taco Day!

I Have Been Sucked In!

Janet, my sister, and I have been texting and calling each other as we watch each week. Mind you, we do not vote, heaven's no, that would mean we had gone to the dark side. Rather, we chat about the dances and the judges remarks. It has been a hoot and quite frankly, the GLBT contingent has been doing ok. We shall see how the results go tomorrow night.

We also chat about "Project Runway" and "Amazing Race" so we do have plenty of opportunity to dish and discuss who is going to make it and who will be going home. It is a way to stay connected across the miles. Funny how television plays such a roll in our lives and yet, how I do enjoy turning the damn thing off and enjoying the silence.

A Day To Catch Up

Laundry, check!

Dishes, check!

Brunch, check!

Phone Calls, check!

Backlog of NYTime, check!

Backlog of Seattle Met, check!

Nap in the afternoon, check!

Yup, it was a good day and so there you go...later.

Time For Transition

This is the arrangement of Stargazer Lillies that was in the picture last Sunday of Moonsong. Now they have burst open and the apartment smells great. Once they have peaked, it will be time to take the apartment into the autumnal look with pumpkins, corn, grapes and various festive decor for the new season. For today, I shall enjoy the flowers, the overcast skies and catch up on some reading. Enjoy the day.