Monday, July 26, 2010

Birthday Bash Part 1

Birthday bash - another year down in Sept 2009.....I made plans to get out of town on my birthday - more on that later, but  since Anne had just moved from DC back to AZ, she was lovely and gracious and convinced me that I should do something in Phoenix to celebrate in town the weekend before.  Her parents had the perfect place for a Dive-in Movie, excellent!

Except that as we got there to set up, it started pouring rain....gotta love those AZ monsoons.  Complete with crazy wind and lightning.  Luckily it passed and we were able to hang outside.  Movie of choice: Better Off Dead.





Best of the NW Part 2

***This is part of a mild effort to catch up on last year's travels before it actually hits the year-mark of going on said trip.  People have a year to send wedding presents, I should have a year to update my blog about something, right?***

Reference Part 1

The main purpose of this trip was to attend J's coworker's wedding.  A bit of a scandalous story about how the couple ended up together, but hey, life's interesting, eh?  So on Friday afternoon we drove out to the Columbia Gorge, passing the most amazing scenery I may have ever experience in the continental USA.  Oregon is beautiful!!



The wedding itself may have been the most boring wedding I've ever attended, probably due to the fact that I knew neither bride nor groom nor anyone else.  The couple doesn't live in OR, so they did most of the wedding planning via the internet, hence the spiky fake red-haired hippie minister lady who managed a nine-minute service.   I hate to say that the couple didn't even really look all that happy or in love. I felt bad for all the people who ended up in the wedding slide show at the reception, because none of the photos of friends and family were flattering - really just random, bad, candid shots.  At least dinner was pretty excellent.  I think J and I mostly went for the food?  Oh, and the drive....  Driving back during sunset was amazing!





Bright and early Saturday, we were off to O, Canada!

We decided to splurge on the hotel in Vancouver, since we were only there for one night.  Oh, and maybe because the cast of Twilight was filming at the time and were staying at this hotel....don't ask me how I knew that - I'm not a Twihard.  We arrived in the mid-afternoon and our room wasn't quite ready yet.  We dropped our bags and went out on a little walk.  Little did I know that I'd be back in a few months time for the Olympics!

An hour of exploration or so later, our room still wasn't ready.  And at a nice hotel, that means a complimentary upgrade to a ridiculous two-bedroom suite on a high floor.  Too bad we weren't staying longer!

Saturday night, we were ready to tackle our reservations at Glowbal.  I have to say that I was incredibly impressed with the service, not to mention amazing food.  It was a packed Saturday night.  And I hate when trendy, crowded restaurants act like they're doing you a favor to let you sit down and hurriedly order something.  Despite the craziness, they were attentive and courteous without rushing us out of there.  Perfectly done.  And the sampler dish was perfect for late-night dining.  Too bad I didn't feel well and we left early....

Sunday morning we had to get going, since it was our only day in Van, and we needed to drive back to Seattle that night. First up, walk to the water and little ferry to Granville Island.




Next must-see place - Stanley Park.  Not without grabbing some sushi to go.  Vancouver's got tons of good places to choose from.  So good that the bees wouldn't leave me alone and I had to give them their own piece.  The flowers were just incredible.  I miss such greenery in Arizona!  I couldn't get enough.




We relunctantly drove back to Seattle that night and were too tired for dining out - pizza from room service, please.  And that was an amazing decision on our part.  J had a flight back East in the morning, and I had a few hours to kill before my afternoon flight.  I decided to do the Seattle Underground tour, which turned out to be worthwhile.  Caught a glimpse of Mt Rainier on the way home - definitely would love to go back to the great NW!

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Habits of a Modern-Day Gentleman

The PopSugar family sites recently posted a starting list of what habits a modern-day gentleman should possess.

I hate to have a check-list when it comes to dating, but I don't think this list of 12 things is too much to ask for, is it? Recent dating trends in my life show that maybe it is.....

1)Read the news today: We know he was on the Internet, but can he talk about the big stories? A modern-day gentleman can.

2)Doesn't overuse Facebook: I wouldn't go as far as Christina Hendricks and say he shouldn't have a Facebook account (they're kind of an obligatory), but he also shouldn't be updating it like a 16-year-old girl. True for Twitter too.

3)Dresses up without borrowing: He may need to rent a tux, but other than that he's ready, pressed, and set for any occasion.

4)You can take him anywhere: Whether it's to an art opening or a bar closing, he knows how to act, dress, and circulate at (nearly) every occasion.

5) Recommends books: He not only reads, but he has an opinion on what's good, what's not, and what you'd like.

6)Tips well: If you can't afford the tip, then you can't afford the dinner. A gentleman knows this, and he will not try to weasel out of it.

7)Pays you back: Nothing should stop him from paying you back, especially if it's a large sum. Not even a breakup!

8)Doesn't talk about exes: Unless you ask him (and do you really want to?), he doesn't talk about his ex-girlfriends. Especially by obliquely referring to them as "friends"!

9)Can cook dinner: Really, it's not that hard. It doesn't have to be amazing or gourmet or even in season; it just needs to be, well, cooked.

10)Holds the door: It may sound old-fashioned to the point of passé, but it's one of those small gestures that's just better off done. If he does it, we notice; and if he doesn't, we wonder why.

11)Is kind to women — and men: Kindness knows no gender, and he knows that. If he's nice to only ladies, then he's in it to win them. And, he'll always lose.

12)He's not perfect, and he knows it: With this list, we're not saying a modern-day gentleman is made of perfection. We don't want to live with that, and we certainly don't want to live with a man who believes it.

2023 Recap

Oh, hey there. It's been awhile. I disappeared for a bit. Everyone's doing their 2023 year in review today, and I figured I'd ju...

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