Snow Day Part 2

The sky is clear and beautiful, which means the temperature has plummeted. The snow has turned into ice...

The roads are full of abandoned cars that slid off the roads. On the news they showed several jackknifed trucks, and one poor car that lost control and plowed into a state troopers car. Its bad enough to slide off the raod, worse still when you slide into a cop.

I'm going in late today (if at all) because the roads are icy everywhere. It is really hilly where I work, and I have to drive down a pretty steep slope to get to the office. I can just picture my car sliding straight down and over the edge. Unfortuantely my boss is taking a bunch of drawings to Nicaragua on thursday, and I have a lot of work to do before they are ready. I feel guilty sitting at home gazing out the window. It is so beautiful outside, sunny and clear. It doesn't seem right that it is actually dangerous to drive.

Snow Day

Yes, it does snow in seattle. This is the second time since I moved here that it has snowed like this. My first year at UW they cancelled classes because of snow. It isn't that bad this time, maybe an inch or two yesterday but the roads were clear in the morning. It started snowing this evening, and I should have left work right away. West Seattle is higher and more exposed, so the snow was pretty bad out there. Driving across the bridge was freaky. I'm not sure how high it is, thousands of feet I'm sure. At least it feels that way when you can see the wind because of snow. Makes me wish I had better tires in the car and that the 4WD worked.

A day of decadence

Yesterday was a fantastic day of decadence that I can ill afford but felt justified in splurging for. After a nice long lay in, I shuffled around the house for a while then bundled up (the temperature is dropping, its snowing at the moment and is supposed to freeze tomorrow) and hoped on a bus downtown. I had avoided shopping on the day after Thanksgiving, but I was interested in seeing what it was like downtown. Turns out the crowds were not too crazy, but had I been on a serious shopping trip it would have driven me mad. Still, I love living in a city with a real downtown, where the sidewalks are full of people and you can pop into a variety of shops. I limited my downtown shopping to the KCTS store (the local PBS station) for a Christmas present for Dad. After that I headed to Belltown, a neighborhood just south of downtown.

Not having shared my bed with anyone for several years (the last being Tre, who was always welcome until the nose licking became intolerable) I hadn’t felt the need to impress with my bedding. After three years of neglecting the state of my bedsheets, I was finally convinced to buy a new set when the pillowcase seam came undone in my hands. It may not seem like such a decandant thing, but new sheets are luxurious in my mind. I chose a handsome deep red with directional striped, very classy.




Continuing the day of decadence, I strolled over to Le Pichet, the French café that I’ve mentioned in the past. I love Le Pichet, but I only go there on occasion, sometimes to meet a friend, occasionally alone. This time I had a book with me and found a seat at the counter. I had the Oeufs plats, jambon et fromage, with a glass of Cote du Rhone, and finished with a frothy cappuccino. Then I went across the street to browse in the architecture bookstore. What an enjoyable outing. Nothing on it’s own was remarkable, more the combination and intention. Eating lunch in a restaurant is not remarkable in itself, nor is buying sheets. The act of setting out on a weekend afternoon to stroll through the shops, pop into a charming bistro for lunch and a glass of wine while reading, then a bit more browsing, it makes for a charming day memorable not so much for its uniqueness but for its idyllic simplicity.

Hollandaise

For some reason I was inspired to try my hand at mking a Hollandaise. It started last night with an innocent trip to the grocery store. I picked up some english muffins, and then it hit me, its been a while since I've had Eggs Benedict. Since my Breakfast Club went defunct due to the other three members leaving Seattle (two out of the country, one to Philly which may as well be). During the heyday it was a safe bet that I would have a benedict at least once a month....

So I can report that I was pleasantly surprised by the results. The sauce didn't break, in fact the consistancy was near to perfect. The flavor left something to be desired. It didn't have the piquant edge I like, probably because I didn't use enough lemon juice and didn't have any papricka. So I cheated and tried to save it with a bit of chili pepper and tarragon (which technically makes it more of a bernaise) but I added them at the end,s o they didn't really have a chance to really meld with the sauce. Still, for a first attempt, I count it a success. Unfortuantely I can't say the same for the poached eggs, a technique I am far from mastering.

discalaimer: the image isn't from my attempt, just a picture to start your mouth watering.

This one had several questions to answer, so it must be true. Plus I shoot sticky webs from my wrists, so I got that going...



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CA visit

My Holiday return to Fresno is immanent, and every time I think about visiting I have grand plans to see buildings that I should have seen ages ago (the Eames and Shindler houses, the Dominus Winery, etc.) but haven't. This time I am determined to see the new De Young museum in San Francisco.
the height of the tower was controversial, people were afraid it would be an eyesore in Golden Gate park.

The architects, Herzog and de Meuron, use perforated or printed skins on many of their buildings, usually creating fantastic effects. The question is when does this detract from the art. From what I can see the galleries seem to be fairly traditional.


If anyone is interested in a day trip to the museum let me know (I'm looking at you Ed)

I will be in town from Dec 21 to Dec 29, and as usual looking for a couch to crash on a couple nights.

Sorry, I had to pass this on...

So I know I'm trying not to get into the attack Haggard mob, but...this article from the stranger about Haggard's church being the gayest place on earth, as evidenced by the building itself was funny.

I'm old!

Last night was a cruel reminder that I am getting old.

I went to dinner and a show with some friends, Bonnie Prince Billy, aka Will Oldham. The show started at 9:30, with two openers, which means he didn't go on until 11, which means he played untill past midnight, which means I wasn't home untill 1 ish. I was exhausted. The show was ok, but I all I could think was "one more song then I'm going to bed" I had to struggle not to yawn the whole time.

On the plus side, I met a cute girl, friend of a friend. I'm sure that nothing will come of it, but it's noteworthy regardless.


Heather posted about a church they went to for a wedding. The architect, Bernard Maybeck, was a fore-runner of arts and crafts on the west coast. We studied another of his churches, First Church of Christ in Berkeley. Maybeck designed this with Julia Morgan, the architect of Hearst Castle.