snobbery and traveling

surprise birthday dinner for dear friend Reda K last night.
it's interesting how the seating lines are drawn...their college friends and us. Not my style but I get that it's not about being malicious...

it's just by this age we're all settled and there's no need to really make more friends, (it's hard enough to keep up/maintain the ones we already have! ha)

Speaking of friends - we sent out our invite for our vacation trip - 8 months advance notice!
We'll see who can/will make it out.
Not holding my breath for those that always travel to the same places or don't travel at all ... which is most of them.

I'm pretty sure a big reason they don't travel is they don't want to spend money to try something new!

Not tryin to be a snob or anything but how do people make memories by always doing the same things? Doesn't it all blend together?

We head to Minneapolis for a Ranger game this weekend. Only staying a day...we're guessing there's not much else to do out there? *snobbery again..yes I own it*

Almost finished reading Nalini Singh's Allegiance of Honor - i alternate from liking the brush up on the past characters to being irritated that I'm reading a catch up as though I'm a new reader.
She does weave a transition well though for sure....I'm just bothered that I paid full "hardback" $...i should've definitely waited for the "softback" issue. Oddly, the way she addresses the difficulty in bringing her world together resonates in real time.

And so,  the attacks in Turkey's airport - I've read Istanbul is a wonderful place to visit....
All I can do is hope there's a rally to help the people that need it. 
With something terrible happening every day it seems now, i'm inundated with constantly feeling like I should help -  for my own sanity though I'm waiting for North Texas Giving day and the November Giving Day 
(thanks to who(m)ever's idea that was) - i still might be not giving anything for the overwhelming-ness of it all.  
Still...it's never enough is it....

i don't like you! can we be friends?

Maybe adam hood tonight, not sure what else this weekend. I'm kinda feeling a do nothing but read and watch tv kinda week.

This heat is draining my energy.

I am reading Pride and Prejudice though (don't know why I've never fully read it?!)...so crushing on Mr. Darcy! Maybe I'll search out Keira Knightly's movie version and force Jamie to watch with me.... *sigh*

Speaking of the british....I'm not fully informed but I'm mostly picturing Britain saying "F you neighbors, I don't want to be part of your team, I don't want any more of you in my house and I don't need your shit,  I can make it on my own!"
but over the next two years they'll be sending an email that says

"Hey Germany, I still want to be friends though, how about some of your cars for ....?"

Then i just saw that google searches in the UK skyrocketed for "what is EU?" after polling had closed! Why wouldn't they go in to vote informed!!! It boggles the mind. ...

What I find amusing though is that Donald Trump is in Scotland and the people who he tried to bully out of their land are flying Mexican flags! HA! good on you Scots - don't take shit from anybody! ....everything I read about them makes me think I'll really love it when/if I ever go to visit. Too bad I got denied this year...$4k for a round trip flight though!!! no way jose!...or shall I say no way Jamie Fraser!!!! *ok..maybe some way for Jamie Fraser...heheeehee...*

spinnin' out of control

in a fit of rage, one of Jamie's college friends sent a long "F U/cutting ties" email to their Texas Tech group for not being good friends to him.

I'd chalk it up to midlife crisis (and this article rings true) but the email was beyond that,  it read as though he's spinning out of control.

I do know Jamie though.
He's kept friends since pre-school. Accusing him of not being a friend is blatantly false.

Seriously - I imagine that I'll have my 5 (?) friends at my funeral but
I'd need to rent out a hall to fit everyone that would want to go to his. I'd be Kramer in this scenario

Really seriously though, back to the college friend -
Don't know him all that well (they're not that close of friends), but one of the few memories I have of my wedding day is sobbing/walking down the aisle and catching a glimpse of him sobbing right along with me, on the way down.

What was he expecting I wonder?
I feel bad for him to be in that state of misery.

I doubt spewing that hateful email made him feel that much better though...

Moving on -
good weekend - Finished Ward's Immortal - one of those few times that I like the story more than the main characters? I can't make sense of it more then that. It felt rushed but I was ready for it to be finished.

We hung out with Jamie's parents Friday at the baseball game.
Then date night (6 hours flew by!) bar hopping around deep ellum (the revival!). Black Swan Saloon is definitely on-point.
Eleven Hundred Springs - my goodness these guys should be famous.
I don't understand!

the disdain for (and of) Mexico is interesting

So Donald Trump was in Dallas again yesterday. I continue to try to  keep an open mind, I know several people who are voting for him. And those people are good people.

I've just had issues with him since reading about his bullying "the lone holdouts" in Scotland years ago and really it's all gone downhill from there.

perceived misogyny and narcissism aside - the whole disdain for Mexicans is curious to me.
I wonder if he's even taken the time to get to know anyone of Mexican heritage? Cause if he really wants the majority of American ones (who can vote) to join his side...he's going about it wrong.

My husband can teach him how to be welcomed in with us American (of Mexico) people and it's basically this

(not unlike Irish and Scottish culture...) if you're cool, they're cool

you like to drink? You like to eat? You can talk for hours about sports, beer and crazy women? You're well aware there'll be insults/criticism/drama/drunken-ness and roll with it? You appreciate the art of bullshit/exaggeration and give it back? You take care of your family and are man enough to handle (and appreciate) your girls crazy?

YOU PASSED THE TEST. You're welcomed!

I mean shit...
just eat Mexican food...it's LOVE...in food!!

I don't know how anybody, who's actually been introduced to the culture/people, not come away  with a good impression (for the most part) of people who work hard and love and live brightly.

His disdain for my heritage just makes me disdain him on principle - and that's not me...I really try to not judge people I don't know - and so that bothers me even more....
ugh...whatever.

Moving on - I'm reading Super Freakonomics - very interesting.
Holding off buying the $15 new Nalini Singh and Ward's 'Beast' (....for a while anyway.)

We're going to the Roughrider game in this miserable heat tonight,

THEN going to do a date night tomorrow to go see 1100 Springs!!! It's been ages! I'm going through band withdrawal....

travel recap (Pacific Northwest) and who/what the Puck?!

Back from the pacific northwest! My "so I can remind myself" thoughts below.
PORTLAND
Transportation
the friend M's took the $3 max ride from the airport which seemed like a no-brainer. The husband wasn't having the 40 min ride though - i compromised and we uber'd from the airport $26ish? not bad. Uber avail quickly/everywhere. Trains are efficient. We walked a lot too.
Hotel
The Mark Spencer Hotel  great location BUT our room had a broken air conditioner, the bed had a mattress protector made of thick plastic, and people slammed their doors that shook the room all through the night. Def a not good hotel experience. The M's said their room was ok.
Food/Drink
Clyde Common - cocktails eh ok
Food Cart Tour -  with Brent. A good choice. Informative. I wanted to try a lot more carts but we definitely did get full on the tour.
Deschutes - a beer/food place suggested by Brent, packed, We shared starters...all good.
Blue Star Donuts - don't open til 7!? did nothing for me. I'm officially a voo-doo donut girl. Jamie loved the biscuit one though.
Rae's Lakeview Lounge - yep a winner all around - shared a thunder bowl - fresh good food in what felt like a neighborhood bar/restaurant.
Veritable Quandry - Great space/light. And besides the cocktail I wasn't all that impressed. Everyone else liked the food though. It closes in September.
Multnomah Library bar - i didn't go. Jamie said he regreted going, it was a beating and the most exhausting experience to sit down to get a cocktail.
Imperial - cocktail was ok
On Deck - very touristy - one of the few places that had our baseball game though (tried Blitz and it had closed)
Henry's Tavern - bar anywhere usa - eh.
Ruby Jewel vs. Salt and Straw for ice cream - Both were (not amazing) but pretty good, I leaned toward Ruby Jewel...everyone else liked Salt and Straw better.
Other stuff
Portland City Grill - up on the 30th floor - yep definitely a great place for the city view, drinks were good too. Think even better that we went at like 3 on a Wednesday.
Mary's Place - heard about it from several sources.... knew it was topless going in. *it was there so, why not right?*
HAD NO IDEA IT WAS NUDE!

I definitely saw a lot more than i was expecting. Small place. We had a beer and left.

"Hike" - Lower Macleay trail to the stone house(witches castle),wildwood Trail to Holman Lane -  Found a (thankfully) short but scenic 2 mile "hike" that sounded good. And it was. We took the train to 23/Marshall and walked to the Lower Macleay trail (stairs down on the right) entrance (bathrooms avail!). Paved-ish trail along a creek to the stone house (stupid people tagged it). Took a sharp right from there on to the wildwood trail that leads to Holeman Lane trail that gets you back into the neighborhoods. We then walked to Lakeview Lounge for lunch. Very much enjoyed it.
Powell's Bookstore - i loved. but i love books so....could've probably been there all day
Amtrak to Seattle - nice, easy ride! Glad we upgraded to first class.

Overall - loved Portland - would totally move there - a great Big Small city feel with personality and wonderful food.

SEATTLE
a couple factors worked against us here to color the situation:
We got there on a Friday at the start of summer. AND Jamie got (food?) sick.
Thoughts overview:
Pike's Market - it was freaking madness - potential here to be a highlight but I'll never know...I was done with it after 20 yards. 1:30 on a Friday is NOT the time to go.  I did snag some cherries though. They were good.
Matt's in the Market - things looked up with finding this kinda hidden place, we (barely) snagged a table and looked over the masses in the market for lunch- really good food here!
Rob Roy bar - wonderful neighborhood-ish cocktail bar
GoodBar - stopped on the way to the ball park. eh- ok i guess?
Safeco Field - def in top 5 of my favorite ballparks - roof closed but it still had an open feel. They did a good job. Nice ball park. We tried the garlic fries (good), and sushi (good!), jamie had the fried clams (?). Karaoke fireworks after the game was a blast.
We stayed at courtyard marriott - no complaints.
Jamie slept and didn't/couldn't recover til around 3pm - nothing we could do about it.
Seattle Central Library - nice building, good library
Tat's Sandwiches - good, no complaints
Fuel Bar - good feel bar - saw the US soccer game
Shawn O'Malleys - surprisingly good Irish food here!
Overall - Seattle just felt like a big city. While I would've liked to have seen the outer limits I don't feel like I missed anything interesting in the city. Sunset colors over looking the water were pretty. SeaTac is definitely what they say - if you don't have pre-check definitely get there early.


Finished - The Darkest Torment - I actually reviewed this one - "I'm trying to recall why I'm just kinda "eh" about it. I read it. It flowed. I was entertained! But... I guess all I can say is that I wasn't completely absorbed like with Burning Dawn (or the earlier Lord books). I'd put this one down and came back to it in intervals. Again, I continue to hang on for Cameo and William with this series. And Puck! ooooo who the heckfire is Puck!!!!"



Beautiful Boss - good quick read/find - I barely recall this pair, they read young/new in dealing with each other.  is it weird that I would've been ok with them cutting out a sexy time scene for more details into the wedding?

And I'm just gonna say this quickly - this weekend saw another mass shooting. I'm not wholly informed on all that happened (or how/why) but I've been around guns my whole life. Assault rifles should not be an option and especially to someone who's been questioned by the FBI. I don't understand...

up and down to Pacific Northwest!

Plano closed down 15th street and gave a 5 course meal to 100ish? people
(including the red haired girl of Housewives of "Dallas" - she's itty bitty btw.)
It's kinda strange... I've barely watched it when Jamie has it on but I see this complete stranger and I can recall her and her husband having a marital argument that was (but wasn't) private. Isn't that so weird!!! I kinda wanted to ask her how much of how they portray her personality is true. I figured it would be offensive though...
Anyway it was fun - good idea, good meal...I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked it.

Finished The Elegance of the Hedgehog - it got my attention initially but I struggled with it. The constant scorn  and over the top  philosophics (is that a word?) oy.
Seriously..some things just are! Just leave it at that. not everything needs to be thought too hard over.

Overall though - a decent story with some good points.

Speaking of thinking something over though:
Looks like Hillary's clinched today - I think I'm like everyone else and just kinda hunkering down with the presidential election stuff cause we're tired about hearing about it.  I don't even want to really talk about it here. But for future reference -
 Trump...the things he says. all i can do is shake my head.
...but still,  something's not clicking with Hillary
so I'm leaning toward Gary Johnson, I like some of the concepts of libertarianism - fiscally conservative, socially liberal. yeah.
The thing is, I'm concerned if enough people split from Hillary to actually get Trump elected as majority....the thought brings chills.

Moving on, I have my 4 week eye check up - it's weird - it's acted up a lot in the last couple of days. I wonder how long it really does take to totally heal from having a cinch put on your eyeball? OH AND we got the bill ...my insurance boldly stated that they paid 91% of it. And still after everything I think it'll be close to $2k out of pocket for us.  I'm stunned. I can't fathom how people with kids, and major major medical dilemmas and living pay check to pay check can possibly keep up. Even with people that have the means - I've heard of two stories recently where they refuse to call an ambulance or go to the hospital cause it costs too much and they die. This is ridiculous.

we leave for Portland/Seattle this week! so excited

She was striking - like a Viking in the night

we walked into a bar across from the ballpark last night and the girls working there are wearing thong underwear as their "uniform".
I get a girls gotta make money (and really they gave me a good pour (thank you))
I was just a little shocked. I like to look at pretty things too...but their nalgas were really out! on purpose!
I mean even I had a hard time not staring...those boys in there didn't stand a chance.

Guess it'd been a while since I'd been to that kinda place?
I think it was a little much...those guys in there probably don't agree with me that being just a little more covered up is sexier.

oh well.

i had a chuckle too -  after walking out from those "visuals" Jamie tells me that I'm so pretty -  when i'm totally covered up, wearing a ball cap, looking out of my coke bottle glasses (they finally came in!) with a still-looking-allergied, surgery eye. ha!

Almost finished with reading Shiloh Walker's - Wrecked - friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes but here's another one with so much time wasted. And i don't really recognize her writing style from the paranormal series (candy houses? shit i forgot what the series is called.) I mean I guess it carried - but she really knows how to write fight/battle scenes, bummer this contemporary stuff can't hold it.

Maybe see Micky&MC tonight up in McKinney ugh? Then the DT Plano dinner thing with the M's tomorrow night. I have a feeling it might be a little over-rated...but hey don't know till you try.

It's a reckless - kinda day
She was striking like a Viking in the night
Held herself together in the heat of the fight
Took me prisoner, captive till the morning light
When I woke she was nowhere in sight