License plate holders (that are dumb).

Seattle drivers have hands down the lamest license plate holders that we've ever seen. Here are a few we've run across:

• Outta my way! I'm headin' for a latte!


• From here to there, funny things are everywhere.


• M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E (but spelled phonetically)


• My cat kneads me. (even though that's kind of cute...)


• Powered by ESPRESSO.
  
• Catch & Release: Wild Trout.

What to do with four days off.

For a couple with no holiday visitors or travel plans, we certainly didn't have any trouble keeping busy the past four days. I'm kind of sorry this little break is over. Our holiday cards are finished, but we didn't get our tree up! Other than the pie-making, food-eating, and tedious things like basement-organizing, we:

1. Ate breakfast at our favorite spot, Coastal Kitchen in Capitol Hill.



2. Admired the Olympics and Puget Sound since the sun was actually shining.



3. Visited the recently renovated Seattle Aquarium.
Although it was a bit overpriced, the sea otters sure were cute! Shawn was pretty fired up after seeing them and had to get a keepsake photo. The exterior is shown in above photo w/mountains.





4. Began working on handmade holiday projects.
I busted out my new(ish) Gocco screen printer and made a big old, awesome mess.





5. Took a tour of an organic chocolate factory in Fremont.
Goodness, that was yummy. We followed it up with a trip to the Belgian brewpub, as well as our local to watch a soccer game. The obligatory weekend evening of Guitar Hero followed, so all-in-all, I'd say it was a pretty sweet four days off.

Thanksgiving.

We woke up to a beautiful morning here in Seattle. We haven't seen the sun shine like this in awhile, so we headed out to Kerry Park to enjoy the view. It was nice to just sit there, looking at Rainier, and feeling the sun on our faces.




After our quick trip out of the house, we came back and put together a nice big meal. We busted out Martha's baking handbook and tried out a new recipe: apple pie with an almond crumb crust. It was quite a treat. We are sadly without visitors this year, but were fortunate that our friend Jon came over to eat with us and cheer on the Colts game (even though he's a Bears fan). It ended up being a pretty swell day.

Back, exhausted, and rocked.

We are back and exhausted. We have stayed up until 2:00 am for three nights in a row. Totally not a good idea for a couple in their 30s who are both suffering from minor health issues at the moment.

The good news is: it was all worth it. We are inspired and happy after two nights of Travis. I had another goosebump moment last night, too. Fran (the frontman) encouraged the audience to pogo during the last chorus of the final song. The floor at the Crystal Ballroom is strangely springy. So, for a few moments, the crowd bounced and bounced while "Why Does It Always Rain on Me?" swelled before us. It was an odd, goosebumpy kind of sight.

One other kind of cool thing about this weekend was that we also became part of a little cult for two days. When we arrived last night, we rounded out about a dozen fans who had also been at the Seattle gig on Saturday. One couple came all the way from Michigan just for these two nights. Also part of the cult? Britt Daniel of Spoon. I caught a glimpse of him on the way to the can, too.

I took some pretty sweet pics, but not posting them quite yet... More on that later. ;)

Meeting Fran.

This week's major ticket purchase combined with last night's Travis show has made this a landmark week in my love for live music. Dramatic, yes, but man! I am constantly amazed at the resulting high I feel from witnessing a stellar show.

Last night's show was at The Moore Theatre (where, according to our pal Andy, where the video for "Even Flow" was filmed). I last saw Travis at the Astoria in London ten years ago. Shawn became a fan shortly after, so it feels like we've been looking forward to this gig for a very long time.

The venue was unbelievably small. We had second row seats, but instead, stood right in front of the stage. Closer than I possibly could have imagined. Proof follows below...


Fran Healy in front of the drum kit. This was the furthest we were from him the entire evening...


Lovely, poncey sing-along encore. Travis are hands-down the *happiest* band I've ever seen. It was very obvious that they love what they are doing.


Fran performed an acoustic version of the first song he ever wrote while basically standing... on my head. It was totally ridiculous that I was this close to witness it. Imagine sitting in the first row of a movie theatre...


We were so close that my purse was sitting right in front of his wee Scottish feet. Absurd!


The capper? We got to meet Fran (and the rest of the band!) afterwards. They were all chatty and nice. I have a full signed copy of that album I bought in London so long ago now. Woot!


Shawn, admiring Fran rocking out the mustache in person.

Needless to say, I'm taking the "big camera" to tonight's gig. I probably could have photographed their tonsils last night if I'd had it with me... =)

A girl!

We just got word that Mitch and Christi had their baby yesterday! A new little girl:

Mary Evelyn
Born 11/15/2007
10:20 am
6 lbs 2 ounces
20" long

CONGRATS to them! We are so happy to see their dreams come true and can't wait to meet Mary.

For such a long time, our friends were all having boys. There is a rash of girls lately, though, and we love that!

OMG.

I'm on a crazy high today. We just got tickets to see MBV! I should emphasize crazy, however... because these tickets are for a show in London. If the band ends up announcing shows over here, we'll sell these. But, the opportunity just could not be passed up. I think I'll retire from concert-going after this. =)

For those who are curious: These shows were announced yesterday and went on sale this morning. Talk about zero notice!

The bookcase.

We have one big project all done. This bookcase went from Grandma's house to my parents' garage to our spare bedroom in Broad Ripple. It came across the country and found new life. All refinished and yummy to match our other furniture. It's a perfect fit in a funny little nook in our kitchen, too.

Too bad I can't seem to locate the "before" pics, though!

MBV.

This week has brought a lot of chatter about a new My Bloody Valentine record and possible tour. My head is spinning as I try to ignore it. Having seen this kind of buzz start up many times over the past many, many (!) years, I have decided not to believe anything until I see it. I will need to be holding an actual record in my hands or seeing Kevin Shields live in action for myself. Until then, it's all garbage! =)

Random coverage:
NME
Pitchfork (subtitled Holy Crap, Guys!)
Brooklyn Vegan
Stereogum (again, this is titled OMG New MBV... journalistic nonsense!)

And starting on Monday, there is a full length interview on video that will surface. Zoinks!!!

But, yeah, I refuse to get worked up over this.

A new project.

The past several months have been dry for me creatively. In the past couple of weeks, however, I've been able to dust off and finish some old projects while also taking on new ones (aah, how I love the new Gocco printer). This little book is something I started thinking about back in Broad Ripple. Finally having come to fruition, it is ready to be an ongoing record of the "Places We Love"... places that we go back to time and time again.


The book itself is a Sarabinder that I painted and "masked" the title onto.


I have a pretty transparency sandwiching the book's contents.


I added the name of each city to the book's dividers.


It is just what it sounds like--a book of places we love. A collection of photos with tidbits about each place.


Each city's section also has a little pocket for business cards, stickers, or postcards I've picked up along the way...

50 days.

50 days til Christmas! =)