Five years of lovin' it between the covers

Here are Scott and Kirsten modelling our brand new book club t-shirts.
We are total geeks.

More book club

Sarah and Phyllis were in good spirits on Friday night as well.
Julie's painting makes it look like there is some thought bubble
action happening over Phyl's head.

Another weekend, another book club

Here are Kirsten and Cindy this past Friday night. I don't think
they're discussing the book ("Music for Torching" by A M Holmes),
because pretty much everyone hated it, except me.

Deaf but not blind

Astro kitty normally ignores the computer screen, but something about
its placement next to the bed, and the fact that "What's Opera, Doc?"
was playing, was enough to command her attention for a few minutes.

Nostalgia

Last night I went with my friend Julie to see The Posies' 20th
anniversary concert at Neumo's. We had an ulterior motive. Her husband
Arthur, who played bass with the group for an album or two, was going
to play a tune with Jon (pictured here) and Ken. Plus Mike, who
drummed for the group for awhile, and whom I've also met.

The band was tight, and it was sweet (or pathetic) to see a lot of
guys in their 30s and 40s singing along with every song, but an hour
and fifteen minutes was plenty for me. I left soon after Arthur had
finished.

Union Trust Building

My brother John and I wandered into this marvel of downtown Pittsburgh
architecture this morning, my last fling with the city before heading
home. Caught up despite myself in Pens mania, I also bought a Pens
baseball cap(?!) and Pens wool cap. The driver of the shuttle to the
airport was happy to give me the lowdown on Pittsburgh's Stanley Cup-
bound (probably) Penguins. The verdict: like Detroit, they are a
strong team rather than a bunch of guys huddled around an egomaniacal
leader. Younger than Detroit, but focused.

I expect to be quite the envy of the sports fanatics at the gym
tomorrow in my new cap...

Local wine

I always like to sample local wine when I'm in a new place, and I was
pleased to discover on this trip that one can get both Pennsylvania
and Maryland wines. I had a red blend while in Pittsburgh that was
perfectly acceptable, and I found two out of these three Maryland
whites to my liking. The exception was the Riesling, pictured here
still in its glass. It had an odor of rubber. The simple Pinot Blanc,
on the other hand, was fresh and light.

The smell was lovely

at the nearby Folger Rose Garden.

At the Haupt Garden

I was hoping to go to the Museum of the American Indian today but ran
out of time. Instead I hung out in several gardens, including the
Haupt Garden in front of the Smithsonian Information Center.

Shannon & Laurie

While I poked around DC for another day, my cousins hopped the Bolt
Bus to NYC to see Laurie's friends Richard and Paul.

And speaking of Nut Job

Here he is!

Mimi is three

Last night after our walk around the Mall, Shannon and I returned to
Laurie's house in Arlington for cousin Mimi's birthday, which was
celebrated with Thai takeout, presents and a Tinkerbell cake. Mini
loved her new dresses and hat, but she pretty much ignored her new
stuffed dog Coconut, which I proceeded to call "Nut Job for short."

Vacation Part Two: DC

Here I am communing with my friend Vincent at the National Gallery
yesterday. Weather yesterday and today in DC has been absolutely
perfect.

Family geeks in Pittsburgh

Here are my brother John and stepmom attending to their individual
needs at John's house in Pittsburgh.

Food ironies

Here I am at the Pittsburgh airport, waiting for my parents to arrive,
and I am hungry. This being an airport in a not particularly snooty
city, I expect that I can get a mediocre meal and a glass of mediocre
wine at a chain pub, say TGI Fridays. Pittsburgh airport does in fact
have a TGI Fridays (more than one, according to the directory), but it
closes at 8:30 pm. Which happens to be as I land.

The only place still open is, as you can see, an even bigger chain
than TGI Fridays. And they don't serve alcohol.

Meanwhile, I picked up this Barbara Kingsolver book at the airport in
snooty Seattle, a book which happens to be about the author and her
family packing up and moving to a farm in Appalachia to try and live
off only locally-grown, sustainable food for a year. The picture on
the front cover appears to be a handful of lovely scarlet runner
beans, grown locally and organically I'm sure. But there's nothing
local or organic about my dinner tonight!

New digs

This is where my office is moving in six weeks. It's UW Medicine's
newest and shiniest complex of buildings, located in South Lake Union.

Yesterday some of us took a tour of our almost-finished spaces. We
also got to see the new lab building, which we won't have access to as
"admin people" once we move in.

It's all very pretty and nice, but I continue to have mixed feelings
about the impending move. My commute will be longer, I'll probably
have to work later and, of course, it will be more effort to get to
decent places for lunch. Not to mention coffee.

I need a nap!

Tonight was the annual RCB dinner, dance and auction. I volunteered to
be a greeter. We have so few opportunities to dress up in casual
Seattle, so I had to get a photo of Kenny, Natalie and Jonathan in
their finery.