Sunday Catch Up

It is cold and foggy today. Seems more like March than August. But that's good because I've been watching a strange documentary about Japanese host and hostess club called The Great Happiness Space. It follows an Osaka host club and it's lady patrons. Oddly enough, the hostess club is in the same district where I stayed back in May. It's called Minami, in case you speak Japanese well enough to find these places.

Here are some photos to refresh your memory:
This is Minami in the daytime, when everyone who actually lives there is hungover.




Also here are some photos from my latest trip in Vancouver. They're kind of boring because really I was just there to hang out and be silly. But still Vancouver is a beautiful city.




This one is taken from the outdoor cafe at the Vancouver Gallery. They had a great exhibit featuring artists from impressionism all the way to surrealism. My favorite was the huge hallway of Rodin sculptures. I always tear up at the Age of Bronze.




I'm a sucker for the color of leaves in the sunlight. I'm going to save this photo for the next time I want to dye my hair red.

And let me introduce you to a movie star of tomorrow, my pal Lucy:








and one last little thing.
I was lounging in the backyard of one of Gabrielle's neighbors when a tiny little pinecone landed on my knee.
I wanted to take it home with me, but really what the hell am I going to do with one teeny pinecone, so I took a photo of it instead.





So what did we learn on our trip to Vancouver?
#1: Beer and wine do not mix

GG

Round Em Up

Why can't I actually get off my butt and blog daily? That way I wouldn't have to write such a large post.

Let's see if I can simply summarize:

1) book progress is going well. I have 8 projects swatched and ready to write. Then I just have to knit the large-size versions, find an awesome way to present the remaining projects and write the book proposal. It's all in the head, someone's just got to stop getting distracted and actually DO THE WORK.

2) It's hard to do the work when you're traveling every other weekend, but that's the choice I make.

3) Last week I was in Missouri for my grandfather's funeral. Every time I mention it, people get very sympathetic and offer condolences, which is strange to me because I didn't feel so terrible about grandpa's death. The funeral was as nice as funerals can be. There was a little teariness, but it's hard to feel sad when you know that grandpa lived a full life, he was a believer of Christ and heaven he has possibly found his maker, and he went as peacefully as possible and had accepted his fate and wanted to go.

The only part that really bugged me was that his funeral was on my birthday, but that in itself was a gift. My birthday ended up being celebrated multiple times over the course of the week and I got to spend it with my family. It made for a bittersweet day and my favorite moments in life are those that are both happy and sad, as if those days are the most balanced, having experiened the full spectrum of emotion.

4) I'm in LA this weekend, once again taking advantage of a cushy hotel. Last night we drank a heap of wine and shockingly enough I'm not hungover.

5) Did I mention that I got a job? It's part time, with the possibility for more time when I need it. I'm answering phones. That's it. They just want me to answer the phone. Some people would be bored by this, but I might, just might be able to knit on the job...

GG

First Stop in Tokyo

In May, when I go to Tokyo, this will be one of the first places I visit:

http://www.cabel.name/2007/02/japan-story-gyoza-stadium.html

Gyoza City???

In Recovery

Must. Get. Rest.

No. More. Yarn.

I'm yarned out. I just got back from TNNA, the wholesale needlearts tradeshow, where I worked the booth for the Fabulous Yarn Company. Unlike my previous foray I spent the most of the time setting up and working the booth, which was great. However it required a lot more energy and hard work and I'm exhausted and need to recharge. But it was great to get to know my employers and coworkers better. And I got to visit some fabulous restaurants and cafes. It was a mini work break.

This was my first time to San Diego and it is a beautiful city. So well spaced out in relation to the ocean. It felt so light and airy -quite welcoming. The restaurants are just as charming.

Across from the convention center is Tin Fish, a seafood restaurant with some tasty crab cakes. The fish tacos were huge and yummy -the American version of the real thing. Usually when I order from a taqueria you get two small tacos, Tin Fish's is more likea Fish Burrito. The staff was friendly even if the atmosphere was a bit lacking. More like seafood restaurant meets airport bar, but considering it's proximity to both a ball park and a convention center it still exceeds expectations.

We stayed at the Horton Grand Hotel, an old haunted Victorian Hotel where Wyatt Earp once stayed. The accomodations were comfortable and cute. It reminded me of where Mr. G and I got married.

After setting up the show we went for dinner at the Dublin Square which is one of the best Irish Pubs outside of Ireland that I have ever been to. It was cozy having a dinner next to the fireplace on two couches and a coffee table. The music was loud enough to be recognizable and provided good conversation. I was still a little full from the seafood so I kept dinner light with a bowl of tomato basil soup and a dinner salad, which were both yummy and flavorful. Everyone shared their dinners so I also got a taste of the Guinness braised beef, which melted in my mouth with a taste of gorgonzola cheese.

mmmm. Gorgonzola.

And the fish and chips were crispy and we didn't have to ask for the malt vinegar.

The next morning the hotel clerk directed me to Cafe 222 for breakfast, which is just down the street from the Horton. The staff were super friendly, evenmoreso than at Tin Fish. They commented on my hat and scarf and even better they were quick to refill my coffee. The decor was supercute. Check out the photos

I like the lighting


check out the cups and saucers!


I ordered the Eggs Italia, very satisfying. Toasted foccacia with herbed scrambled eggs and creme fraiche and spicey home potatoes. Wish I could get that a little closer to home.


The complimented hat and scarf. Pardon the expression. It was cold.


A little more of the atmosphere.


San Diego is a rockin' place. Don't tell anyone but I like it almost as much as I like San Francisco. Maybe even more. The restaurants are remarkably more welcoming.

But I need to rest.

and maybe knit.

GG