Procastinating

Sometimes I wonder if procrastination is such a bad thing. Here are all the things I've done in the past two days, trying to avoid doing something else:

  1. Simmered a pot roast for four hours (yum)
  2. Knit two child sized harfs
  3. Took a leisurely walk in the rain to get coffee & croissant
  4. Expedition to deposit $$$ in the bank
  5. Purchased a small Christmas tree & lugged it home
  6. Decorated the apartment and tree for the season
  7. Cleaned the litter box.
  8. Flossed
  9. Made much belated birthday card
  10. Replied to emails from weeks ago.
  11. Wrote a handful of Christmas cards
  12. Emptied & loaded the dishwasher
  13. Brushed the cats
  14. Put a light bulb in the refrigerator which has been dark for months.
  15. Made Potato pancakes to go with the pot roast.
  16. Hung up the spice rack that has been waiting around for months.
  17. Played around & tested new make up options.
  18. Finished the first season of Mad Men
Phew. I'm tired of thinking of all the things!
Tomorrow is the day to get cracking though... right after I find the perfect holiday dress for the parties I must attend Saturday night!

The way it should be...

When I was in Seattle, every latte looked like this, but not here! So, I was pleasantly surprised the other day to find a spot in Manhattan where they take the time to make you something this beautiful and tasty!

WHere?

Cafe Grumpy
224 W 28th street (between 6 & 7)
or
128 Meserole (at Diamond) in Greenpoint.

They brew each coffee by the cup and the scent of beans grinding is intoxicating! The shop sports a neutral decorating scheme which is neither minimalist nor crowded. I am pleased by the lack of post cards and homemade advertisements. I've also had lovely, unexpected banter with all the servers which, second only to the coffees, makes me want to go back!

Thanks Guys!
and iphone for helping me locate a cafe in the area when I was ten minutes early for rehearsal and for taking this photo.

Of this I am sure...

Over the years we discover things.
Things we know to be true of ourselves and others that have a slim chance of ever changing. This unlikelihood of change is something I'm just starting to be friends with. Rather than view quirks/opinions/rules of mine as strange and unusual, I've decided to just embrace them and be proud. While I certainly acknowledge that there are a million ways to do any task and live a life, here are some things that I firmly believe to be true:

  1. One should always spring for the name brand cotton swabs. You know the ones. Anything less is always disappointing.
  2. Flavored coffee is disgusting, especially pumpkin. If it's presence must be tolerated because, your roommate always buys it or you just can't waste the gift basket- let it have it's own equipment and never mix.
  3. Nothing should ever be pumpkin flavored unless it has actual pumpkin in it. Breads= yes, Beers=NO!
  4. If no one is sleeping or sitting on it, a bed should be made. It looks better and will make things feel less chaotic in life.
  5. Giving children their wishes in fantasy, is a magical cure. What does that mean? Well, the next time you're with a child who throws himself on the ground because he doesn't want to leave the fun thing you're doing... just say to him, "Tell me all the things you'd rather be doing..." When he says "Get on a plane and fly to Madagascar" then by all means get on a plane and fly to Madagascar! At least until you reach your car. If a little one begs for yet another sweet treat say, "Oh, I wish we could eat a million of them! And cake too. And cotton candy. And... " I certainly can't claim this technique... I read about it somewhere, but man, it really works! And by work I mean preventing/soothing a tantrum while at the same time giving your child the reassurance that you do care about his needs/wants/feelings, rather than denying them, which is what we usually do: "It's ok. It's no big deal." "You just had a cookie, how can you possibly want another one?" "Don't worry, we'll come back to the park again."
  6. The best way to deal with catcalls is just to accept them and acknowledge the caller. Give them a dorky hello, smile or wave. I used to get super angry and just be bummed all day, but lately I've been using them as a way to engage. Once someone said something I didn't like and I just told them outright. They apologized and told me to have a nice day instead. It's so much better than being mad at them.
Wow, is that it? Just six. Well, I'm sure there will be more down the line. Anyone else care to share???

The Seattle Rundown

Days in Seattle: 9

Neighborhoods visited: 9

  • Queen Anne
  • Ballard
  • Freemont
  • Greenlake
  • Downtown (public market right)
  • Capitol Hill
  • Blue Ridge
  • Eastlake
Parks Visited: 4
  • Carkeek ( right) A lovely walk from Kj's house. It has a nice grassy part with a childrens play area and then you cross a bridge over train tracks to get to the beach. The view of the mountains is amazing!!
  • Kerry Park This spot is pretty much where all the photos of the Seattle skyline are taken. It's located about halfway up Queen Anne Hill (or mountain as I call it!)
  • Golden Gardens We went here at night and it was cool because the mountains looked all eerie and blue in the distance. This park has fire pits and many groups of people were there, sitting by their orange fires, dotting the beach.
  • St. Edward Park (left) We went here with Kj's niece Abby to play on the playground. It was a pretty awesome castle... with room for grownups too!
Restaurants visited: 12 (!)
  • Greenlake Bar & Grill Burger with fries, yum
  • McMenamins- Queen Anne Burger with tots, yum. Local beer sampler, double yum. I recommend the terminator beer!
  • Macrina Bakery & Cafe I ate here twice! First a brunch of eggs & brioche toast and then the Heirloom tomato salad with a lemon tart for dessert! Double YUM!!
  • A place I don't remember More burgers & beer. Seattle loves burgers... or maybe it's just me?
  • La Carta A wonderful Mexican place in Ballard. I think I ate three bowls of salsa! Triple yum!
  • Blue C Sushi Conveyor belt sushi, need I say more?
  • Another Mexican place I don't remember Tacos a go go! Yum.
  • Another Burger
  • Eastlake Bar & Grill I highly recommend sitting on the patio! Yum.

Coffees purchased: 9 (probably more like 12)
I can honestly say that I found all of my coffees in Seattle at least 3 times better than any I've had in New York. Even the local chains of Starbucks and Tulleys produced a superior brew... My favorites were



Movies Watched: 5

  • Forgetting Sarah Marshall It was an ok film, but the joy was seeing it at the Big Picture, an awesome underground movie theater that actually seams more like a speakeasy. You can grab a cocktail beforehand and even arrange to have one brought in to you during the film! Sitting in the front row means having a comfortable leather footstool. I recommend the "Bogart" which mixed muddled lime & sage with gin.
  • Lord of the Rings:Fellowship of the Ring extended edition
  • Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull We saw this in the packed theater on opening day. It was pretty fun and totally Indiana Jonesy!
  • Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers extended edition
  • Lord of the Rings: Return of the King extended edition
Yes we watched the last two in one day! Sometimes when Kj and I get together, we just have to visit Middle Earth. We also watched the entire third season of Arrested Development.

Shirt, Shoes and Computer required!

Today Eleanor, Clarissa and I went to the coffee shop for some bagels. We do this often and I find myself constantly hushing them. Why? Because everyone there is on their darn computer... doing very important work I'm sure, that must take up every table in the joint. What is the deal? Every table tangled with wires and empty mugs? It makes me feel guilty for having a conversation! I think from now on, if I want to sing, I'll sing. If the kids want to dance, they can dance! If we want to sit together and laugh and giggle and have um.... human interactions... we're going to!