Invitation to Cle Elum

Trevor's invited our usual Daily-alum friends to spend a weekend at his parents' new house near Cle Elum. I think Cle Elum is that Safeway on the way to the Gorge. On a map, it is a very tiny grid on a very long stretch of highway. It's not exactly a dream vacation in Disneyworld or Paris, but it's also not a ground-floor apartment in Wallingford. I don't think I've left Seattle for months, except one night in Suquamish, and I am desperate to go somewhere. I miss packing, and the scheduled, orderly feeling of being out-of-town. I don't get to plan daily itineraries when we're sitting at home.

Of course, Brian is conveniently working that Sunday, but hopefully he can get Friday off so we can go for two days. If not, I may become obsessed with planning imaginary vacations online.

Trevor also says we can bring Buster, and his parents may stop by with a Labradoodle. Which is one of Buster's favorite breeds. Labradoodle.

Though they were within walking distance of work, I first heard of Fran's salted caramels on NPR - where else? I wasn't sure if they sounded gimmicky or legitimately gourmet, but who really cares if they're delicious? I eventually bought a small package as a present for who-remembers-anymore, and ate them half-at-a-time over the course of a week or so. Supreme deliciousness confirmed.

And now, I think, vague gimmickiness has given way to full Seattle food trend. New ice cream shop Molly Moon's in Wallingford: salted caramel ice cream. New Belltown seafood restaurant Banzino: salted caramel semifreddo (which apparently means semi-frozen, as in half-frozen custard or ice-cream cake).

It could be wonderful to experience this combination as a river of sugary decadence running through the city -- salted caramel barbecue sauce, salted caramel frappuccino -- but my inkling is this flavor is best in moderation. Though the basic pairing of sugar and salt is no shock (hello Chex mix and honey-roasted nuts), this particular execution is almost overwhelming-- hence the rare experience of those four candies lasting a full week.

It's already one of the most beautiful days of the year!

I woke up a bit after 6, gave Buster a fresh haircut for springtime, and we went to Gasworks.

It was early enough to be mostly vacant; a single runner sitting on a bench, a young woman reading, two sets of boys engaged in some sort of fighting practice in a paved corner of the park. We ran through the wet grass and sniffed the flowers and ate a pocketful of dog treats. We stood on the edge of the bricked look-out space, traced the curve of the city with appreciative and authoritative gaze, and felt that this was out city, our landscape, out park. The waters ripple for us, the trees bloom and the gleaming towers erect themselves because we are here to watch.

At home, while I made checked my email, Buster stood on the coffee table for a minute, surveying the living room.

Success at Vain yesterday!

In the excitement of walking downtown during the middle of the work day, I passed a lot full of trailers that apparently belong to a Jennifer Aniston movie being filmed at the Market. According to the Seattle Times, the movie's "about a self-help guru who comes to Seattle for a workshop and meets a florist played by Aniston." Oooh. Well. I'm sure her hair will look nice.

Maybe as nice as mine!

Melissa's recommendation for Jennifer C at Vain was excellent. The lady was friendly and far less fake than the haircolors going on at that place (apparently spring is the time for neon for Seattle's hipsters). She asked plenty of questions so there was no confusion over what I wanted. Despite Melissa's horror stories of waiting forever multiple times a the salon, my appointment started right on time.

My only real issue is a reoccurring one: how much to tip. If I'm already paying $160 for two hours of (albeit very good) service, and I'm fairly confidant most of that money is going to the stylist, do I really need to tip 20%? I hope not, because I never do. But even 10% boosts my bill almost $20! By the time I'm signing for the total, I could have funded another 6 years of bottle-black dye from Bartells. But every other moment except this, I'm glad I got past that flat black curtain of boring.

Uff. Such a tough life.

Pants rants.

Sarah: oooh i went to the opera last night

me: yeah ...

Sarah: saw pagliacci

me: ooh?

Sarah: so GOOD

me: how was it?

Sarah: dramatic

emotional

i liked it

4:56 PM me: we went to the symphony today

it was video game scores.

i fell asleep for a few minutes

5:05 PM Sarah: omg, for real

video games?

5:06 PM me: yeah

so it was basically like movie scores.

5:09 PM Sarah: hmmm

was it good?

what was the crowd like?

5:10 PM me: some of it. it was like 2 hours and they covered maybe 10 or 12 games, so it was lots of short bits. kind of obvious-sounding music, nothing mindblowing.

The crowd was ridiculous!

holy crap.

5:11 PM just the clothing -- nerds in suits, a couple girls in full-length gowns (at 1 pm), a high school kid wearing a furry hats with ears and everything, and then some bad harajuku knock-off girls, then someone wearing a black veil and fur cloak ...

5:12 PM plus normal parents and kids, and 20-something men.

Sarah: wow, just as I was hoping

I was mad last night

there were A LOT of people wearing jeans

me: oooh

yeah.

Sarah: and I just got so annoyed w/ seattle

5:13 PM it's like can't you even dress up for a FRIDAY night at the OPERA

me: in know. it doesn't even need to be super fancy, just put on some slacks or something.

What did you wear?

5:14 PM Sarah: a knee length black skirt, pin striped v neck shirt

and a nice coat

5:15 PM lysondra wore black pants

a nice shirt and a nice coat

i would have been ok w/ people wearing khakis

even

but jeans is just too much

me: it always seems so awkward, even for the nicely dressed people, to have no standard dress code.

5:16 PM no one really looks quite right

5:17 PM Sarah:i know, it just bothers me

i just think the opera is something that is formal

especially an evening show

i'm glad to get out of seattle

Lyso told me that she went to this gala one time

5:18 PM for some organization

and it was fancy

and there was someone there wearing birkenstocks

me: woah.

yeah ...

5:19 PM it's not like nice clothing it any less comfortable.

Sarah: jeans can be kind of uncomfortable

me: yeah.

5:20 PM Sarah: But i'm also annoyed by girls in prom dresses

me: yes.

someone needs to come in and give seattle a talking-to.