Holidays

I Went To Seattle and All I Got Was...

mig14 — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 22:35:00 GMT

...to see Brett Favre play football.

Ok, so I got back from Seattle on December 22nd, and I WAS going to post last week, but then Christmas got in the way and so did New Years and that's that. But here it is.

First of all, I actually wrote things down. I took notes. I. Took. Notes (so I could remember what happened if it took me a long time to write about it). Which it obviously did.

Without further ado...

I decided in August that I was going to go to Seattle to see the New York Jets (and my football boyfriend) play against the Seahawks. No one wanted to come with me, so I decided that I was going to go by myself. I bought my ticket for the football game, booked through Expedia (a very pleasant experience) and waited. December 19^th was D-Day, and I was very excited indeed.

Because of the not-so-great weather both in Edmonton and Seattle, I made sure that I was at the airport well before I needed to be; despite my preparation, it still took 45 minutes for the ticket agent to get 14 people through the gate. I heart airports.

Once through U.S. Customs and on the plane, I found myself sitting beside a guy from southeastern Michigan who works in Edmonton as a pipefitter. He was on his way to Seattle to spend Christmas with his daughter and her new baby. I discovered two things from sitting beside this guy. First of all, not all Americans are ignorant; some just choose to remain that way. Secondly, even Detroit Lions fans didn’t wish for Brett Favre to suck so bad this year.

The flight was pretty uneventful, and we landed in Seattle on time. I got my luggage, found a cab to take me to my hotel and then started to plan my Saturday. Since the bulk of Sunday was going to be spent getting to, watching, or leaving from the football game, I had some strategies to work out. I ultimately decided on Space Needle and Experience Music Project first, followed by a quick look at some stuff downtown, then on to Pike Place Market and the original Starbucks. That almost worked out.

I did get to the Space Needle at about 1030 Saturday morning, paid my money and went up the elevator. I was struck by how small it is compared to the CN Tower in Toronto, but also at how beautiful Seattle actually is. Once at the top I was one of about three people on the outside part of the observation deck, due to the “frigid temperatures” (it was about -3 that day). I got a few pictures of the city, but not of anything too far in the distance because of the low clouds and fog.

After leaving the Space Needle, I wandered over to the Pacific Science Center (also in Seattle Center), where they are currently hosting an exhibit called “Lucy’s Legacy”, in reference to the discovery of the partial skeleton of an Australopithecus afarensis in Ethiopia in 1974. I decided that I was going to go check that out instead of the Experience Music Project. I’m so glad I did. When I walked into the pavilion, the first thing I saw was a model of an obelisk from Ethiopia. The exhibit essentially takes visitors through Ethiopia from the earliest known time of settlement through to the present day. After learning about how powerful some of the civilizations out of Ethiopia were, I was disheartened to think about what kind of state Ethiopia is in today.

After making my way through the information about Ethiopia itself, I walked up a ramp that showed partial and complete reconstructions of different species of pre-humans. One of the things that really struck me was the size of the cranium; ours isn’t the biggest after all. At the top of the ramp was a darkened room, which held the actual bones discovered in 1974. The bones are 3.2 million years old, and form a partial skeleton. “Lucy” took my breath away. To be standing in a room that contains something that is older than anything I’ve ever seen in my life was a pretty humbling experience.

I had to eat, so I went to a restaurant nearby, where I had some horrible beer ad some pretty good fish and chips. I made my way to the Monorail, and was kind of sketched out that they were only selling one-way tickets because of the bad weather. I can say with 100% certainty that I’ll never ride that thing again if the track is even the slightest bit slippery. I was TERRIFIED.

After getting off the monorail and walking for about 30 minutes in the wrong direction, I got found and headed down to Pike Place Market. I think that it might be one of the coolest places I’ve ever been, simply because of the layout. I wasn’t feeling especially touristy, so I took no pictures, but it was definitely neat to see.

The Pike Place Starbucks (which I wish I had taken pictures of) was something else entirely. It was so busy, there were 8 people working; one of the girls was responsible for taking the marked cups from the cashier and giving them to the baristas. Awesome indeed. I did buy some stuff there, including a mug for Mack, affectionately called the “hips” mug, because of its side flares. I picked up a Caramel Macchiato for myself, and can honestly say that it was the best I’ve ever had. Ever.

I went into a store that sells old magazine covers and replica propaganda posters from past armed conflicts. I bought 2 propaganda posters and a comic book Batman poster. Oh yes, I loves me my Batman. The rest of Pike Place was pretty solid as well, and I can definitely see myself spending some serious time (and coin) in that place next time I’m in Seattle.

Being in the US for the first time in a long time, I made a conscious decision to seek out both Macy's and Nordstrom. I came to the ultimate conclusion that (while Canadian department stores are no equivalent) Nordstrom is to Macy’s what Sears is to The Bay, even though I think it's meant to be opposite. One thing that Macy’s had that blew my mind was an iPod vending machine. You can buy an iPod in the same way you can get a Coke. Awesome indeed.

On Sunday, I actually made it out for the real reason I went to Seattle. I wanted to see Brett Favre (the football boyfriend) play in a live game. Honestly? Worst game I’ve ever seen. Ever. Not only did the Jets lose 13-3, but Favre was sacked about 5000 times and threw 0 touchdowns, as well as about 8 million interceptions. (Might have been more along the lines of 2 sacks, 0 TDs and 4 INTs, but who’s really counting?) I have honestly never been so disappointed with an egregious waste of my money in my life. However, Brett still sets my heart a-fluttering, and I’m glad I got to see him and his Tight End at least once before he retired. (And by Tight End I actually mean Chris Baker. Minds out of the gutter people.)

Before I close, I’d like to mention that Seattleites are weenies when it comes to the weather. On game day, I was wearing a long sleeved t-shirt, a short sleeved t-shirt, a hoodie and a fleece jacket (and, of course, pants and shoes), and was literally dying of heat stroke. The guys beside me? Decked out in brand spanking new North Face parkas, new winter boots (of the Columbia variety), toques, scarves, snowmobiling gloves, SKIPANTS and probably 5 pairs of long johns under their sweats in the skipants. Temperature? -2 Celsius. ‘Nuff said.

I’d tell you now about how my flight was delayed, and how I finished a wicked book while waiting for my 3.5 hour late flight, but I’ll save the book talk for another day, and let you get back to your day.

Would I go back to Seattle?

In a heartbeat. In the summer, mostly to avoid the questions of “you’re not from around here, are you?”

Notes for 06/23/2008

mig14 — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 09:49:00 GMT

So I'm going to get back on the bandwagon. I startde another blog, on WordPress so that I can get used to the format and stuff before Mack switches me over to WP for this. (Was that subtle? I'm not sure...)

Without further ado....

I got an email on Friday telling me that today I sign my permanent contract with EPSB. This basically means that I'll be employed by the district as long as I want to be, and I'm guaranteed a full time job every year. Woohoo!
I found out my timetable on Thursday. They're letting me teach Social 30. I get to talk WWII with kids. I'm so stinking excited it's not even funny.
The NHL Draft has come and gone. I was pretty excited to see Tyler Ennis go in the first round because back in the days of my IPT (Fall 2003) I taught him when he was in grade 9.
One of my favourite places to be is Saskatchewan Landing Provincial Park. I will link to a Flickr picture I took of the sunset there, but I can't get to Flickr from school...
Only 4 more days till the end of the school year. Then 4 days off, then summer school.

I think that's all for now. I will have more time, and I'll update more often. And maybe by then I'll have a new website.

Notes for 25/03/2008

mig14 — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:48:00 GMT

Wow. I've been a lazy lazy blogger. Sorry about that.

Oilers! What now?! If someone had told me that they'd be in the hunt for a playoff spot 3 weeks ago, I'd have said they were crazy. But a 12-3 record in the last 15 is pretty effing sweet.
I bought a print of Brett Favre's 200th career start. It's autographed. I almost cried when I saw it. I have to find a frame for it.
Birthday is in 2 and a half weeks. I don't know what I'm going to do. It may depend on the playoffs, but if you have suggestions, let me know. I was kind of thinking a nice-ish dinner since I'm going to be.....25! (Also...Brett Favre SI book is out next week. Hint hint.)
4 days till Spring Break.
Bought a new laptop on Saturday. I like it. It's got Vista. And an awesome screen.
Obama is on vacation. I wish. Must be nice to be able to get away from the most important race of his life for some R&R. Or, you know, to get away from your racist pastor.

I think that's all. I'll try to be less delinquent.

Happy Heart Day

mig14 — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 10:24:00 GMT

Because nothing says “Valentine” like a picture of a REAL heart....

No, no, I'm not that ridicuous. (Well, yes I am, but that's entirely irrelevant).

Riddle me this:

If you could do anything, be anywhere, with anyone on Valentine's Day, who/what/where?

Things of love: 2007-style

mig14 — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 01:23:00 GMT

Like Mack, I read MegFowler, and I started my list too, but he beat me to it. I am often intrigued by her lists, and where she gets the ideas for them. This one is no exception. Without further ado, here's my list of things that I loved from 2007.

Movie of Love: Transformers was pretty much the coolest. movie. ever.

Song of Love: It's a tie between two Bon Jovi songs. Born To Be My Baby and I'll Be There For You from their album New Jersey

Book of Love: I read so much that I don't even know how to pick one....I think though, that if I was forced into picking just one, I couldn't. I'd pick two. Shake Hands With The Devil, by Lt.-Gen (Ret) Romeo Dallaire for the beauty of the final sentences of his introduction -"This book is a cri de coeur for the slaughtered thousands, a tribute to the souls hacked apart by machetes because of their supposed difference from those who sought to hang on to power. . . . This book is the account of a few humans who were entrusted with the role of helping others taste the fruits of peace. Instead, we watched as the devil took control of paradise on earth and fed on the blood of the people we were supposed to protect." and for the message contained within.
I'd also choose Ken Follett's World Without End, because I had wanted it as SOON as I saw he had published a sequel to Pillars of the Earth, and it did not disappoint in any respect, except that I finished it so quickly.

Album of Love: Um. Wow. You'd think with all of the music I have that it'd be easy to pick. It's not Bon Jovi's newest (Lost Highway). I'd have to say Seth Lakeman's Freedom Fields. Check it out. It's on iTunes.

Place of Love: The farm, where the beer is always cold, and the rednecks are out in full force.

Month of Love: August because I went camping in Nordegg and I got my big girl job at McNally.

Best Day of Love: Boxing Day. Because it's my favourite day of the year every year.

Best Moment of Love: Hearing the opening chord of "Livin' On A Prayer" at the Saddledome on July 11. Which was of course surpassed when I got to hear "Bed of Roses" at Rexall last month.
And watching Brett Favre throw that ridiculous 82-yard TD pass in overtime against Denver, FTW. That was pretty cool too. And watching him break all those records this year, and lead the Pack to a 13-3 record for the first time in franchise history. And a home playoff game.

Word of Love: "Let me think...no"

Purchase of Love: The (still unnamed) Jeep.

City of Love: E-town in the summer. And Vancouver because it doesn't snow.

Food of Love: Mangoes. Pureed, in a smoothie with raspberries. Or, y'know, on their own.

Beverage of Love: Tazo Wild Sweet Orange Tea

Person of Love (someone who made a difference for you this year): George, for always believing in me no matter what, and Brad L (former student) for reminding me that I did choose the right profession.

Spot of Love (the best place to go to just be): Starbucks, especially for marking and people watching (and meeting Kara for coffee, and a bunch of other good stuff)

Clothing Item of Love: UnderArmor hoodie. Best. Idea. Ever.

Random Thing of Love (anything you want): iPod playlist called "Mellow". I listen to it every day in the car.

There you have it folks. My 2007 love-list extraordinaire. And like Mack, I found it to be very difficult too.

Post-Christmas Wrap Up

mig14 — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 20:13:00 GMT

Since I'm off work until January 7th, and I'm gettin EXTREMELY bored at home, I thought I'd write....

Anyways. I was going to talk about how nice it was to have family here for the holidays, andhow much fun it was to have time with my folks, but instead, I think I'd like to tell you about my presents... No. Really.

As most of you know, I'm a voracious reader (how do you like that ten dollar word?). Seriously, I read A LOT. I did a quick count of the books in my bookshelf the other day, and I think I hit about 500 before I stopped. I know there are more than that in my room, but I honestly didn't feel like counting them all.

Anyways, when it comes time for a holiday, most people know that a good bet is a Chapters Gift Card, mostly because then they don't have to worry about getting a gift receipt for a book I most likely have already. My cousin Rob did it for me this year, and that's awesome. Then I can "go mark at Starbucks" and actually find a book and not worry about how much it costs.

My parents, however, listen well when we talk about books, and tend to do well on the book-buying front. I LOVE historical fiction, and one of the books I had been looking forward is the sequel to "The Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett. The sequel is called "World Without End" and is WONDERFUL. It's only about 1000 pages, and I read it in less than 2 days. It's fantastic. I would recommend them to anyone. I'd recap them here, but then I'd need to spend 2 days reading the first one again. So here's an online review of the first and the second. Go buy these books. You won't be disappointed.

Notes for 12/12/2007

mig14 — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 09:30:00 GMT

I realized yesterday that I wasted post #400 on a Bon Jovi set list, and then I didn't acknowledge it in post #401, so here it is! I have 400 posts. At one point in time, I was WAY behind Brock and Inge....now I am almost on top!

Bon Jovi TONIGHT! I can't type properly I'm so excited! If he really does play Bed of Roses, I'll DIE!!! On a Bed of Roses, perhaps?
Oilers = teh awesome lately! Sam Gagner, FTW!
Christmas is almost here. I'm not feeling the usual stress. Perhaps because there's so much to do between now and then.
BON JOVI!
Packers are 11-2. I can't quite believe it. In the last 2 seasons combined, they won 12 games. I like the way it was.

That is all. I'll put pictures up of the concert ASAP. Like,.....tonight. From my phone.

Notes for 11/23/2007

mig14 — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 10:30:00 GMT

I've been totally remiss in posting. I swear it's because I've been busy and this is the longest week I've EVER had in my life. EVER.

Without further ado...

Packers. 10-1. Is it safe to say they're actually good? (Super excited about the matchup against Dallas next week too! Go Pack Go!
Oilers hurt me. Boo.
I want an iPod Touch. I think I might wait til the spring though, because I'm sure they'll come out with a new one with more memory than 16GB
I can't wait for Christmas holidays to start. Only 4 more work weeks till that happens. YAY!
Swim Team City Finals are on Wednesday. It'll be so nice when it's all over. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids, but it'll be great to have my after school time back.
I'm the coolest teacher ever. Unprofessional, blah blah blah, ask me about it.
New favourite TV show is Bones. I wrote about it a while back, and I still think it's hilarious. On Tuesday, the moment that fans have been waiting for is coming. And it's going to look like this.

That is all.

Everyone Loves A Parade?

mig14 — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 23:47:00 GMT

What is it about parades that makes people come out IN DROVES to watch?

Today was the Capital Ex Parade in Edmonton; this event, which was formerly known as the Klondike Days Parade, always takes place on the third Thursday of July, coinciding with the start of the Ex (fair? festival? microcosm of capitalism?) Anyway, given my current jobless status, I decided to take in today's festivities for the first time since I was 17. And perhaps the second since I was 12.

The only thing better about it being called Capital Ex rather than Klondike Days is that I don't have to see/hear/think about Klondike Kate or any of that not-so-cool Klondike themed stuff.

I did the smart thing and took my chair with me so I had something to sit on other than the ground, hopefully preventing snotty kids from touching me. It didn't work. I set myself up rather nicely after getting a coffee (first one in 5 days), and read for a while until about 2 minutes before the parade was scheduled to begin. Not because I was waiting with bated breath for the parade, but because I was waiting for the CF-18 fighters to fly overhead.

At the very imprecise time of 10:06, the planes flew over (cause me to almost fall out of my chair with glee) and the parade began. It was pretty standard, as far as parades go, with floats from Capital Ex, various companies inside the city, the Oilers, the Eskimos, and Calgary Stampede (of all things), the police, fire and ambulance types, and, of course, the Army. (You know how I am about Army...Once I saw the tank, I could have gone home happy.)

I'm sure you're all EXTRAORDINARILY interested in what I'm saying. I know I am. My REAL point here though is this: Parades = crazy and socially inept people. I know it's a gross generalization, but I saw more people who could be classified as 'unhinged' today than I've seen in a LONG time. I'm not talking about people with special needs, such as the large adult group home contingent that was near me. I'm talking Overheard in New York hobo crazy. And I mean it. I don't even want to repeat some of what I heard, but suffice to say it belongs on that website. As for socially inept? I actually had to say to a guy when I was standing at the end of the parade "I'm not moving away so you can move closer, I'm moving away from you because you're creeping me out." NO concept of personal space or boundaries. NONE!

I do love parades, but man....I guess maybe it's not so much the parade as the fact it was free. And free stuff draws a crowd.

Someday I'll be Saturday Night...or at least Sunday morning

mig14 — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 01:28:00 GMT

As you all know, I went to the Bon Jovi concert in Calgary last night with Kate, Mallory and Anna. I have never enjoyed a concert as much as I did last night (and I've been to some wicked concerts in the past...) Rather than a simple review, here's what happened on what is (so far) the best. day. ever.

Apparently we could have left at 10:30 because everyone was ready to go. None of us slept past 8 because we were so stinking excited. This was, after all...the man of ALL our dreams. After picking Anna up, meeting Kate at my house and gathering Mallory, we were off....to Tim Horton's. In South Common. For lunch. Kate documented pretty much the entire day (link at the end), so we'll remember it all.

After making it all the way to Red Deer without any violence in the backseat, we stopped at the Sawmill. Donut Mill. On (In? At?) Gasoline Alley, where they had the GREATEST donut ever. A Rolo donut, with Caramel Whipped Cream in the middle. I'm sure you're all SUPER interested in my drive down to Red Deer (and Calgary). Definitely got lost in Calgary, whatever, we got there.

Hotel was alright; SO not worth the $200 they charged us, but it was a place to stay with a DIRECT route to Stampede Park (aka no cabbies fooling us with long, convoluted rides home! I'm a thinker, but not a navigator.) Not going to lie, we most definitely would have slept in the car if we had to, because NOTHING was stopping us from seeing this show. Yadda yadda, get changed, cab to the Saddledome, random pictures of Stampede grounds (foot long hot dogs! long and loaded!), and we stopped at the beer gardens. Now, I like beer, and I like beer gardens. I don't, however, like Bud, and that's all we had. Yum. However, we took some pictures of ourselves with our tickets, before we even got in. We were so stinking excited that we decided to tell people we were from Mundare so that we wouldn't drag Edmonton's name through the mud. And it became a GREAT joke ("That's how we do it in Mundare", "In Mundare, our Denny's serves perogies"). Good times indeed. We bought shirts. For way too much money. But oh-so-fun. Mine says "You want to make a memory?" My answer is "Yes please, as often as possible."

ANYWAY, we were there for a concert. And man oh man was it awesome! Set list is as follows:
Livin On A Prayer
You Give Love A Bad Name
Lost Highway
Whole Lot Of Leavin'
Runaway
Born To Be My Baby
It's My Life
(You Want To) Make A Memory
(Happy Birthday Richie)
I Love This Town
We Got It Goin' On
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Sleep When I'm Dead
Bad Medicine
(Shout)

Encore #1
The Last Night
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night

Encore #2
(Hallelujah) - this was one of the most beautiful arrangements of this song I've ever heard. And I almost cried. It was wonderful.
On Any Other Day
Wanted Dead Or Alive

While I was disappointed that they didn't play "Always" or "Bed of Roses" I was thrilled with the set list. I can't imagine what it must be like to start your show with one of your biggest hits and have the crowd ALL sing with you. It was great. Let me tell you all that Jon Bon Jovi hasn't lost any of his appeal, no way, not at all. Not only is he stunningly attractive (can I get some of that?), he can still sing, and does it well. I've been a huge fan of these guys for a long time, and so when I heard they were coming, I was obviously not going to miss out. If you ever get the chance, go see them. It will be an experience you won't forget.

After the show, we decided to go to The Roadhouse, where Mallory met up with the boys she was sitting beside and got herself pregnant, all in one night (with our shirts under her shirt...don't worry). Hijinks and hilarity ensued, and we may or may not have gotten drunk. In any case, we ended up at Denny's, and had the best mozza sticks ever (that disappeared in about a minute). Anna was really excited about the food, see? Many laughs and Mundare jokes later, we went back to the hotel. More hilarity ensued, though I think the night was better than the morning. You be the judge.

There ends my recap of my road trip to Bon Jovi. And I'd do it all again in a heartbeat. (I also heard from a semi-reliable source that they're coming back in January. I'm so in....)