Day 95 - Tuesday 31st March 2009

I feel better (finally) Sunny is getting worse (sadly)

Today is Twins day for spirit week. So my lovely wife wore her standard clothes including a nice Pirate t-shirt. We have two of these Skull & Crossbones shirts one ‘Female’ cut and one ‘Male’ so she took the other one in for her Twin to wear.

I had bought the male version some time last year, (Sunny already owned the female), however I acquired it when it was on sale and they only had Mediums left. Now I can usually fit into a medium male shirt, maybe a little too snuggly, but as I was intent on losing weight I thought it would be worth the $2-3 that it cost.

When we got it home and I tried it on, it soon became apparent that this was a skinny fit medium intended for teenager, and was maybe always going to be a little too snug to ever be appropriate for a guy travelling through the early years of his late 30s…

Sunny made it through to lunchtime before heading home to her sick bed.

Day 94 - Monday 30th March 2009

Felt poo at work, but good enough to stay all day. Sunny helped organize a “Spirit Week” at work to lift morale. (Spirit Week is apparently a common high school thing over here in America).

Even though she was in a less than ideal state she wanted to go in. She looked amusing as the first day of Spirit Week was a wear your Pajamas to Work day. So there she is with a head full of cold, red runny nose walking around in nice leopard print flannel PJs and a black dressing gown… Looking to the entire world like she was too sick to actually get dressed :-)

My wife is Ace…

Here is a picture of a massive bridge being floated across the sound

Day 93 - Sunday 29th March 2009

The morning was Sunny and nice (if a little cold), so we thought it would be a nice idea to get out and get some fresh air. We didn’t really have too much of a plan of where to go, so pointed ourselves towards Alki & West Seattle.

On the way the idea of North Bend became more appealing, pretty little town surrounded by greenery, a few antique shops, not a huge amount of walking but a lot of feeling as though we are away from the big city.

North Bend also happens to be the place which is known to millions of TV viewers as Twin Peaks.

It’s not very far away… 47 minutes by car

Halfway there (and as we gained altitude) it suddenly became apparent that over the hill the weather wasn’t quite the crisp clear sun that we had woken up to. In fact North Bend had received a coating of snow overnight.

Needless to say, two sick people looking for a little walk (wearing sandals) were not going to do much pleasant wandering on the slushy sidewalks. So we basically turned around and had a quick look around the outlet mall on the edge of town (bought nothing). Then headed back to Ballard, where the sun was still out, and had an afternoon of Hot-Tub and watching the fantastic 1974 version of Murder on the Orient Express (which we had picked up from the library on Wednesday).

Day 92 - Saturday 28th March 2009

We had tickets for Tricky at the Showbox tonight (with Steve and Judy). When Allisen texted to ask if I was looking forward to the show it prompted me to make the decision that the last thing that sounded like fun was an evening of beer and loud music in a crowded room full of people. Sadly while I am getting better, Sunny has finally picked up my sickness, and that sealed the deal.

We had a nice early night rather than going to see the guy who made one of my top ten Albums of all time (Maxinquaye)

Day 91 - Friday 27th March 2009

This sickness is getting less day by day, but still needs a nice big Alieve-D to get me through the day.

Day 90 - Wednesday 25th March 2009

Feel horrible… Stayed at home sick with a totally blocked head, I did get up at one point as UPS dropped off the box for me to send my xbox to be fixed. Even the idea of walking down to sip and ship felt like it would be too taxing.

The Cats seem to be able to sense my need of a nurse, and stayed close and affectionate all day.

When Sunny got home I did finally make it out of the house and she drove us down to drop of the xbox, visit the library and pick up a couple of cupcakes… (Yummy Irish Cream cake..)

Day 89 - Tuesday 24th March 2009

We went to lunch for Judy’s lunch, Jeremy sounded awful, with a head full of cold… After lunch both Judy and I started to feel very blocked up. :-(

Day 88 - Sunday 22nd March 2009

We woke up nice and early, I couldn't bear the thought of a long run, but a short wasn't such a dreadful prospect. I put it to Sunny we should do our standard 3 - 4 mile circuit and she agreed, we set off trotted around and completed the circuit in good time.

Almost as soon as we had finished it started to rain (but not before I'd trimmed back the Raspberry bushes). We spoke to Mum and Dad (Happy UK mother's day Mum..) I tidied while Sunny went through he annual tax fun for the rest of the morning. We then spent the rest of the day happily lounging around on the couch with either Reno 911 or Buffy Season 1 playing in the background... (Sunny had never watched Buffy and after seeing Twilight I was inspired to go through the whole Buffy saga from beginning to end again..)

Day 80 - Saturday 21st March 2009

And the inevitable happens.... After just under two years, (as I bought the xbox 360 Elite on the day it was released, April 29th 2007) I get my Red Ring of Death... :-(

Luckily there is a three year warranty, but the customer service was just as irritating as I had been led to believe. (I did try to do the online request for repair, but somehow my xbox was registered and registered to me, but not displaying in my online account, forcing me to call and speak to an actual person) Spelling and respelling my name, explaining that even though I registered at a different address that I now live somewhere else, and sending the return box to the registration address would be useless, trying to work out why the machine that I registered was showing as registered and registered to me, but not actually visible when I logged into my account online (I had to give up on that and phone back and speak to a few people to get that resolved..) etc etc.

Still, I now have my packing box on the way to me, and hopefully the return process with be no more irritating than a couple of trips to the UPS office..

Day 79 - Friday March 20th 2009

First day of Spring, my Arse... Was sitting in a meeting looking out of the 27th floor window over the sound, and thinking that we would defiantly be running outside (I hate running on a treadmill in the gym), it was lovely somewhat clear sunny day. The meeting took 90 minutes and in the course of 90 mins the weather had changed from the nice to torrential rain and thunder, which then passed to a mostly clear (but threatening) sky and strong winds... We ran on a treadmill in the gym...

Day 78 - Thursday March 19th 2009

Today was a grumpy day... At least I managed to talk us out of going for a run, and went to the pub instead...

Day 77 - Wednesday March 18th 2009

I was listening to Julie and Julia on the way home, and decided that it would be nice to visit Carmelita's on Greenwood (especially as Wednesday is half price on all of their wine selection). I waited for Sunny to get home, and told her to get changed out of her work clothes and that we were going for a walk.

We Meandered around until we reached Phinney Ridge (where Sunny thought we would be hitting La Chupacabra, and was slightly dismayed when we walked past). Then down to Carmelita's, where not only was the wine half price but they have a 3 for 30 special running in March so starter, main and dessert are $30. We started by sharing standard (and fantastic Antipasti platter) then I had the special which was stinging nettle ravioli in a lemon sauce topped with shaved fennel and Sunny had a squash flatbread pizza. To end we had (again our standard) chocolate Muck Muck to share. Yum yum yum yum....

Then headed on back home to another couple of glasses of wine, a hot tub and a listen to a BBC Radio 4 afternoon play...

A great Wednesday night.

(And sorry to Alan that even though I had sort of arranged for him to pop around for a few games of Scene-it, which had totally slipped my mind as I was hatching the Carmelita's plan)

Day 76 - Tuesday March 17th 2009

We watched Milk tonight, it was a fantastic movie, and makes me really sad that this country has a very recent history of passing anti-discrimination laws and then repealing them following public votes.

(I am reasonably new to the country and so believe that it is somewhat valid to be finding out about recent history through hollywood)

I used to believe the referendums were the simple/fair way to make descisions in a democracy, but with the proposition 8 situation (and seeing, through Milk, that the recent Prop 8 debacle is nothing new) I can't help thinking that the majority can not be trusted to make descisions about the how the minorities live, especially when that 'living' does not grant them the same basic rights and protections that the members of the majority take for granted.

Day 75 - Monday March 16th 2009

I can't say that I am enjoying work at the moment, we are in the process of converting and closing down; so it is not expected that anyone will be in the most positive of mindsets, but sadly I am allowing my lack of enjoyment spill over into worrying outside of work too.

Need to work on my positive mental attitude as Linford would say...

:-)

Day 74 - Sunday March 15th 2009

Got up with Sunny as she and a couple of friends we supposed to be doing the St Paddy's Day Dash, the fact that I woke up at 5 due to the heavy rain wasn't a good start for them; by the time that the friends at 7.30 it was also snowing with the rain.

Race was chosen to be abandoned and breakfast at Vera's was chosed to be enjoyed...

Day 73 - Saturday March 14th 2009

Rainy day in Seattle convinced us that we should go to the cinema to see Neil Gaiman's Coraline in 3D; it was thoughtful, beautiful and creepy and well worth a watch (and the 3d was used wonderfully to enhance and in no way distract).

Day 72 - Friday March 13th 2009

We've not watched any of our netflix or blockbuster discs this week.

We had Repo: the Genetic Opera from Blockbuster, and I was just about to return it in exchange for a game. After getting coated up and about to leave the house I reconsidered and convinced Sunny that we should give it ten minutes, if we weren't instantly enjoying it then it would be returned unwatched.

We loved it, it got watched twice over the weekend...

Kooky and silly without being comedy or trying to be 'funny'. It used (and revelled in) all of the ridiculous plot devices which make opera, or any of the good old melodramas throughout history, into the convoluted cooking of pots of villainy/deceit that they are.

Day 71 - Thursday March 12th 2009

Seattle is Cold at the moment, confusingly so, looking out of the window of my office the sky is blue the sun is bright and warm, but stepping outside... Cold...

Day 70 - Wednesday March 11th 2009

The sun rises on another beautiful Seattle day, I'm going to miss the views I get from all four sides of this office building.

Day 69 - Tuesday March 10th 2009

Posting in retrospect, but not quite remembering anything significant that happened on this day, a pic on my blackberry tells me that I was at my desk at some point...

Day 68 - Monday March 9th 2009

Snowed quite a lot today, but nothing stuck; a few of us spent quite a while at the our office window watching the snow fall and rise. Being 27 floors up and looking up to the sky (on Paul Uemura's suggestion) revealed the flakes dancing as they swirled in delecate patterns full of twists and turns with almost as much rising a falling.

A blackberry camera didn't really capture any of the 'up' shots (flakes of white against a bright white cloud which was barely hiding the sun, and all through re-enforced office windows..) but here's view down onto the 16th floor garden deck and the city below...

Day 67 - Sunday March 8th 2009

Played video games for too long today (and yesterday for that matter) We're feeling the cold after a few days of sun; I got to the last part of Killzone 2 today, then got superfustrated with the final battle as 10 minutes of Helgast onslaught ended time after time with me being killed by an RPG (to then repeat the same boring 10 minutes and trying a different tactic to avoid the RPG and failing).

One of my biggest dislikes in certain games is the final boss having to be something climatcitc and therefore long boring overblown and requiring repeated attempts to overcome. (And how if you try the same thing the next day the thing you were struggling with doesn't seem so hard..)

I have to give the game back to Jeremy tomorrow, and I am too fustrated to bother trying to finish it.

Day 66 - Saturday March 7th 2009

The foul weather means that Sunny spent much of the day stitching (or planning her stitching), while I either raced around Paradise City or cleared the earth of the Helghast troops (actually I seem to be clearing their own planet, which seems a little wrong to me. I guess I should have played Killzone one to know why whether it is morally acceptable that Killzone 2 appears to start with an invasion of the enemies home).

Day 62 - Tuesday March 3rd 2009

Several perfectly quiet trips though the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean with people who were enjoying the rides rounded off this trip to Disneyland perfectly. We headed out to the Airport in the hot afternoon sun and landed a few hours later in the cold Seattle night.

Here's us in front of the Haunted Mansion

Day 61 - Monday March 2nd 2009

More sunshining californian magic and Disney magic and napping in the afternoon after a swim magic, (and a bit of caroselling too..)

Day 60 - Sunday March 1st 2009

Happy Birthday to Me!!!!

Started the day with a quick run around autiopia in the beautiful morning sun, then dipped into the Blue Bayou for a great meal next to the water (totally feeling the illusion of a dark evening in the quiet swamp area of Priates, but knowing it's actually noon on a hot sunny day). Spent the day in the parks, lying next to the pool and napping in the afternoon, then ending the day with a midnight run on Autopia...

Great way to spend a birthday, thanks Sunny... x