Operation Stop Being A Whiny Git
I've been in a frequently horrible mood for several days now. So this afternoon, with a lull in my work schedule and an unusually bright January day, we decided to go do something out of the ordinary and see if it would help things feel less dire.
First, we went to the Volunteer Park Conservatory. It's tiny, but looking at all the plants was enjoyable and relaxing (I love their orchids, and the dwarf bananas are fruiting, and the HUGE prickly pears are awesome), and it was a nice place to be on a cold, bright winter afternoon.
After this we wandered around a bit until we found the Volunteer Park Cafe. I've been hearing good things about it since it opened, and they were borne out by our lunch. I had a phyllo tart with chevre, caramelized onions, roasted mushrooms, and roasted tomatoes, topped with arugula salad; the salad was quite heavily salted, which wasn't bad but was kind of odd, and I felt like the phyllo was too delicate to hold up to the heartiness of the other ingredients--I think a shortcrust dough might have been better. Those are minor quibbles, however, as the rest of it was excellent, especially the onions (perfectly sweet and tender) and the tomatoes (I had no idea tomatoes could taste like that, I'm going to start roasting my own). Kevin had the roast beef & caramelized onion panini, which he said was absolutely perfect, along with a glass of Terre Rouge Tête-â-Tête red wine that was all chewy dark cherries in the front, and tart cranberry with a touch of smoke on the finish. We'll definitely go back and try some other things on the menu.
After lunch we went to the hardware store to get some curtain rods (we tried to do this on Sunday but stupidly didn't measure and got the wrong sizes). After this, as we were coming back up 23rd, Kevin said he didn't want to go home just yet, so we turned right on Union and went over to Madrona--the specific thought was to go to Cupcake Royale, but once on 34th we decided we'd have a little wander through the commercial area.
We stopped in at Fetch, which calls itself a "pet grocery store," and were immediately mobbed by a Sheltie, a basset hound, and a Jack Russell (wearing an adorable tartan jacket!). I'm not exaggerating when I say "mobbed"; all three of these dogs went absolutely *nuts* over us, standing up on their hind legs to paw at us and nuzzling legs and hands and trying to climb on me when I crouched down to pet them. The Sheltie and the basset were called off by the shopkeeper, but the Jack Russell followed us around, periodically standing up again to get us to pet him and trying to sucker us into giving him treats out of the open containers in the back of the shop. We liked the shop a lot (particularly the vintage ceramic and resin animal figurines), but were disappointed that the pink skull & crossbones items didn't include a collar in Shylah's size (because Kevin would of course love to have his dog wear skulls, and Shylah would absolutely insist on pink, being the dainty princess that she is).
We took our leave of the doggies and continued down 34th to Cupcake Royale, where we both had chai, and I had a lavender-chocolate cupcake and he had a mocha cupcake, and we sat and enjoyed our snack and snarked about the art on the walls. Afterwards we walked back up the other side of 34th, peering in windows along the way, receiving a friendly wave from the lovely man in the hat and shoe-repair shop, and now I want to take all my shoes there to be shined simply because I thought he was wonderful. I suspect we'll be going back to that area anyway; there are enough interesting restaurants (along with the cupcakes) to warrant it.
After this we came home and put up the new curtain rods and two of the three sets of curtains. (I have the curtains for the kitchen window, we just haven't put them up yet.) The dining-room window (the one with the window seat) now has black sheers over it, and holy cow, what a difference they make that the seat cover and cushions there didn't quite achieve. It now looks like a cozy little nook instead of just a window, and the entire room looks more finished.
All in all, it was a very relaxed and enjoyable afternoon, and a great way to lift some of the gloom I've been laboring under.
I made balsamic-roasted shallots and steamed green beans with thyme for dinner, which was yummy.
Part of trying to feel better about things was putting some effort into my outfit.
--Dark claret red velvet top, a reproduction of a 1930s Edwardian-revival style: narrow band collar, fitted shape closing down the front with multiple button-and-loop closures and slight shirring at the waist, modified leg-o-mutton sleeves gathered at the shoulders, full from shoulder to elbow, tight from elbow to wrist with more button-and-loop closures.
--Bias-cut black velvet skirt, straight shape, ankle length.
--Black tights; black leather and suede Edwardian-influenced lace-up boots, calf high, slightly squared toes, low block heels.
--Hair in a knot at the back of my head with a black velvet and burgundy brocade rag tie.
--Rectangular drop earrings in sterling silver and faceted black onyx.
--Powder foundation; Aromaleigh Elemental Lustre shadow in "Torment" (goes on deep burgundy, resolves to a changing tone of metallic burgundy/mocha/silver) on lids; slightly shimmery parchment-colored shadow on browbones; matte black shadow as liner; black mascara; shimmery burgundy lipstick with a slight silver/gold undertone.
On a slightly different note, last night I dreamed that I was in possession of the best light strings ever: They had removable covers that were reproduced from vintage typefaces, dingbats, and clip art, and could be customized to spell out words/phrases or make little vignettes that would light up. The lucid part of my brain said, "Dammit, why don't these exist in the real world?"
I also dreamed that bittergourd was modeling clothes for Target. Make of that what you will.
First, we went to the Volunteer Park Conservatory. It's tiny, but looking at all the plants was enjoyable and relaxing (I love their orchids, and the dwarf bananas are fruiting, and the HUGE prickly pears are awesome), and it was a nice place to be on a cold, bright winter afternoon.
After this we wandered around a bit until we found the Volunteer Park Cafe. I've been hearing good things about it since it opened, and they were borne out by our lunch. I had a phyllo tart with chevre, caramelized onions, roasted mushrooms, and roasted tomatoes, topped with arugula salad; the salad was quite heavily salted, which wasn't bad but was kind of odd, and I felt like the phyllo was too delicate to hold up to the heartiness of the other ingredients--I think a shortcrust dough might have been better. Those are minor quibbles, however, as the rest of it was excellent, especially the onions (perfectly sweet and tender) and the tomatoes (I had no idea tomatoes could taste like that, I'm going to start roasting my own). Kevin had the roast beef & caramelized onion panini, which he said was absolutely perfect, along with a glass of Terre Rouge Tête-â-Tête red wine that was all chewy dark cherries in the front, and tart cranberry with a touch of smoke on the finish. We'll definitely go back and try some other things on the menu.
After lunch we went to the hardware store to get some curtain rods (we tried to do this on Sunday but stupidly didn't measure and got the wrong sizes). After this, as we were coming back up 23rd, Kevin said he didn't want to go home just yet, so we turned right on Union and went over to Madrona--the specific thought was to go to Cupcake Royale, but once on 34th we decided we'd have a little wander through the commercial area.
We stopped in at Fetch, which calls itself a "pet grocery store," and were immediately mobbed by a Sheltie, a basset hound, and a Jack Russell (wearing an adorable tartan jacket!). I'm not exaggerating when I say "mobbed"; all three of these dogs went absolutely *nuts* over us, standing up on their hind legs to paw at us and nuzzling legs and hands and trying to climb on me when I crouched down to pet them. The Sheltie and the basset were called off by the shopkeeper, but the Jack Russell followed us around, periodically standing up again to get us to pet him and trying to sucker us into giving him treats out of the open containers in the back of the shop. We liked the shop a lot (particularly the vintage ceramic and resin animal figurines), but were disappointed that the pink skull & crossbones items didn't include a collar in Shylah's size (because Kevin would of course love to have his dog wear skulls, and Shylah would absolutely insist on pink, being the dainty princess that she is).
We took our leave of the doggies and continued down 34th to Cupcake Royale, where we both had chai, and I had a lavender-chocolate cupcake and he had a mocha cupcake, and we sat and enjoyed our snack and snarked about the art on the walls. Afterwards we walked back up the other side of 34th, peering in windows along the way, receiving a friendly wave from the lovely man in the hat and shoe-repair shop, and now I want to take all my shoes there to be shined simply because I thought he was wonderful. I suspect we'll be going back to that area anyway; there are enough interesting restaurants (along with the cupcakes) to warrant it.
After this we came home and put up the new curtain rods and two of the three sets of curtains. (I have the curtains for the kitchen window, we just haven't put them up yet.) The dining-room window (the one with the window seat) now has black sheers over it, and holy cow, what a difference they make that the seat cover and cushions there didn't quite achieve. It now looks like a cozy little nook instead of just a window, and the entire room looks more finished.
All in all, it was a very relaxed and enjoyable afternoon, and a great way to lift some of the gloom I've been laboring under.
I made balsamic-roasted shallots and steamed green beans with thyme for dinner, which was yummy.
Part of trying to feel better about things was putting some effort into my outfit.
--Dark claret red velvet top, a reproduction of a 1930s Edwardian-revival style: narrow band collar, fitted shape closing down the front with multiple button-and-loop closures and slight shirring at the waist, modified leg-o-mutton sleeves gathered at the shoulders, full from shoulder to elbow, tight from elbow to wrist with more button-and-loop closures.
--Bias-cut black velvet skirt, straight shape, ankle length.
--Black tights; black leather and suede Edwardian-influenced lace-up boots, calf high, slightly squared toes, low block heels.
--Hair in a knot at the back of my head with a black velvet and burgundy brocade rag tie.
--Rectangular drop earrings in sterling silver and faceted black onyx.
--Powder foundation; Aromaleigh Elemental Lustre shadow in "Torment" (goes on deep burgundy, resolves to a changing tone of metallic burgundy/mocha/silver) on lids; slightly shimmery parchment-colored shadow on browbones; matte black shadow as liner; black mascara; shimmery burgundy lipstick with a slight silver/gold undertone.
On a slightly different note, last night I dreamed that I was in possession of the best light strings ever: They had removable covers that were reproduced from vintage typefaces, dingbats, and clip art, and could be customized to spell out words/phrases or make little vignettes that would light up. The lucid part of my brain said, "Dammit, why don't these exist in the real world?"
I also dreamed that bittergourd was modeling clothes for Target. Make of that what you will.