Stuff I See

Yesterday I had to go to REI during lunch to get a replacement bolt
for my bike cage. I of course stopped by Vivace when I was done, where
Zach the barista thanked me for brightening the store or something
like that. He's a very sweet guy, the sort of Seattle guy whose sexual
orientation is a mystery to all until/unless he chooses to reveal. He
hasn't, at least to me. But I digress. I and my nonfat iced latte
walked back to the office by way of this mural. I've probably passed
it a dozen times without really noticing it. It's nice.

Went to see "9 to 5" at the ReBar last night, where Rebecca Davis and
Scott Shoemaker stole the show.

Update on Kobe beef burger

Yummy, but not really worth a 30-minute wait. Next time I'll go way
early.

Finally, it's happened to me!

I was supposed to meet my RCB buddy David for lunch today @ Skillet,
but he had to cancel. But I've had this lunch date on my calendar for
days and wasn't about to miss my opportunity to experience this
increasingly famous "street food" fir myself. So I hopped on the SLUT
and rode to 9th & Denny, and I walked up a couple of steep blocks to
Boren. Only to wait in a slow-moving queue to order. And a sit in the
parking lot. Which is where I continue to be, waiting for what had
better be a damn fine Kobe beef burger!

Exotic and erotic

If nothing else, my garden has some great flower displays. Right now
both the Crocosmia "Lucifer" and the lilies are putting on quite a
show. I have always read that Asiatic lilies are easier to grow than
trumpet or Oriental varieties, but the Asiatic ones I planted a few
years ago were almost absent this year, while the fragrant and
supposedly fussy Oriental varieties did just fine. I'm sure my lilies
don't get as much food as they would like, but I did try to help them
out by dumping the rest of my bulb food on them last week.

Yesterday was a busy day consisting of laundry, a BBQ hosted by book
club buddy Michael at Magnuson Park, and a very intense and focused
practice of Dream's song "Slow Poison" with Sean, Kaley and JHT. Today
I went to see "Wall-E" with my book club buddy Bailey. The movie was
impressive and very sweet. A bit like these lilies.

Noodles and Cheever

I am having little luck paying less than ten bucks for lunch. Today I
hit the Noodle Ranch in Belltown. I have never been there for lunch.
It was as I remember - decent food, friendly service, a bit slow. I
had Udon, which was much better than "Bullet Park," the John Cheever
novel I'm reading for the non-drinking book club. I'd heard of Cheever
but knew nothing about him. The book is what I'd call Hemingway in the
suburbs, though that really does a disservice to Hemingway. There's
lots of men drinking and fighting and making love, but there are too
many asides and loose ends and just bad writing. I suppose I should
Google what others think of Cheever and his book...

Cascade Garden

I love the P-Patch in South Lake Union, and I've been going out of my
way to walk by it during my lunch hour. Today, as I was returning from
Vivace, I saw a group of schoolkids leaving the garden in an orderly
fashion, each one wearing a bright red vest. I would have taken their
picture, but I was afraid of being mistaken for a pedophile. So I'm
posting this shot of daisies instead, despite the overabundance of
midday sun.

Food, drink and music

The still-unnamed band didn't practice this weekend, as RCB played at
Tacoma Pride on Saturday. I got a ride south with Jonathan, and Alex
joined us as well. I was amused to find a Conn organ sitting on the
front lawn near the festival; here's Alex showing it off with angular
aplomb.

We also played Bellingam's Pride parade this weekend. And so ends
marching season! It's been way more fun than I expected, and I've
gotten to know a number of band members I never would have otherwise.
And finally, rejoining the band has allowed me to recruit players for
our band's inaugural gig, which also happens to be my birthday and my
20th anniversary of moving to Seattle.

Not a school night

and band practice was canceled, so I hung out with Astro Kitty for a
bit. Outside. It was the first time she'd been outside in many months,
and I think it was a bit overwhelming for her. And as for me, I was
horrified to see all the weeds and overgrowth in the front garden.
Good thing I'm not having a Fourth of July party!

Tom Douglas' Empire

Today I took the SLUT downtown for lunch. I was interested in trying
Serious Pie, the pizza joint around the corner from the Dahlia Lounge.
But the pizzas there seemed to all run at least $14. So I went to the
OTHER Dahlia-associated spot, Dahlia Pastry.

I had a very nice hot sandwich - baguette with chorizo, arugula
(bland) and queso fresco. Prices here are still a bit high to make
this a regular lunch haunt, but I'd like to come back on a weekend for
fresh pastries on the morning.

Sunday Gay Shame

Sunday I played with RCB in the Pride Parade downtown. I didn't think
it was so well attended, but I read that the police were estimating a
crowd of 400,000.

Afterwards, I probably should have stayed and enjoyed the festival,
but again the crowds thing. I went home and took a nap instead. Then
after practicing guitar, I went to the Hill, where I waited in a 45-
minute line to get into the Cuff. Which was fun as long as I hung out
near friends, like book club buddies Bailey and Michael (pictured
here). It's the one day each year I feel compelled to take my shirt
off, temperature permitting.

Saturday at Artopia

Saturday after band practice, Kaley and I drove to Georgetown for a
bite at Stella (great pizza, slow service) and to take in Artopia. The
layout was better than when I went to last year's music festival, but
the crowds were still enough to bug me.

One of the events was a drag race among souled-up powertools. Kaley's
friend Beth was working the event. I really wanted to see out-of-
control saws and nailguns terrorizing the populace. The closest it
came was a tool that crashed and burned, slightly and literally, after
it went through the ring of fire. Here is the ring pre-accident.