Dec. 1: We drove across the 520 bridge to Seattle - the view of the mountain (Rainier) was incredible! I dropped Amy off at the University of Washington for her to meet with a professor and attend a seminar. I drove around Fremont reveling in the familiarity and mourning the changes. I headed up to Wallingford to the liquor store to pick up some supplies for tonight. On the way I dropped by my friend Gail's house and left a note (well my card with my cell number on it)While I was parked I took the handle off the car door and fixed it - the passenger side door opens again. While I was in the mood I also hit a hardware store and had some spare keys made and hid one on the car. In the Wallingford Center I found a cocktail shaker for Steve and Michele - something their bar sadly lacked. I had a bite to eat at Dick's, then picked Amy up. We headed for Fremont's Trolleyman pub. Gail called as we were getting there, so she came down and met us and we hung out for a bit. Amy and I drove downtown to the Nightlight to meet Amy's friend Nicky for a beer. Nicky ended up coming back to Steve and Michele's with us for the party. The party was nice. Mellow, but lots of old work friends (many of them with new or new-ish babies), lots of beer and margaritas, and we finished up the night at four AM in the hot tub.
Dec. 2: Woke up at noon feeling surprisingly good. Upstairs found Steve, Michele, Ryan, and Nicky looking like they'd just gotten up as well. I took everyone to the Woodinville Redhook brewery for lunch. Amy and I went into Seattle to hit the amusement park like REI supper store. The drive across the lake was incredible - both Rainier and Mount Baker were out in all their glory plus the Cascade and Olympic ranges - I'd truly forgotten how beautiful Seattle is. Spent a couple hours in REI and even bought a few things before heading over to Fremont. Hit Bitter Co (one of my favorite stores), then started running out of steam. Stopped at Borders bookstore, and for Mexican take out on our way back to Steve and Michele's. Spent the rest of the night with "Something About Mary" on their DVD player...
Dec. 3: Amy and I predictable slept in. We got up and dropped by Tim and Amy's on our way in to Seattle. They were in, so by the time we'd had a chance to get caught up and meet their daughter Emily (almost a year old now) it was two o'clock. Grabbed a quick bite at a Tulley's, then drove across I-90 to Seattle. I took Amy to my favorite book store - Elliot Bay Books in Pioneer Square. We then tried to hit the Fremont Sunday Market, but by the time we got there they were mostly packed up. Amy and I went to the Red Door for a beer then met Nicky at the Triangle for a yummy dinner. We decided to go to the Rainbow Tavern for a beer (and to see if Tom Robbins was hanging out - he wasn't), and a quick many beers and games of pool later our early night was a late one.
Dec. 4: It was kind of a sad morning. Amy had to pack. We went and had a huge lunch, then I drove her to the airport. After she boarded the plane I headed into Seattle to try and do some Christmas shopping. I ended up in the U. District, but got distracted by fixing my car's door so I didn't end up buying any gifts. I did fix the door, and get a lot of strange looks as I was tearing the door apart on University Ave. I had dinner with Deirdre (my cousin), Charlie (her husband), and Ava (their daughter). It was my first introduction to Ava and she was very cute with her rosy cheeks (she's six months old).
Dec. 5: Spent the morning getting my journal updated and on the web and answering email. In Bellevue I made a optometrists appointment and had lunch. I still had several hours until I had to head out to meet Marcie, David, Allegra, and Tim for dinner so I decided to see a movie. I went down to Factoria where Unbreakable was playing at the right time. The movie was really nothing I expected but I think I liked it. The very end was a bit much though... I went out to Snoqualmie to had dinner at Allegra and Tim's house. There's a new Snoqualmie exit (and road) that wasn't there last time so I got a bit lost when I got off at the wrong exit. At the house I got to meet Alec Tim and Allegra's five month old - both Marcie and Tim got photographic evidence of me holding Alec - with out either of us looking too distressed! After Alec went to bed the rest of us had a great dinner and talked until after ten when I drove back to Steve and Michele's.
Dec. 6: In the morning worked on email, my journal, and researched flights on the web. I think it might be possible to use the round-the-world fare I bought from Australia to get back to Bangkok, and from there I should be able to get to India (or ?) reasonably. I met Steve, Bryan, and a couple people from their work for lunch. After lunch Steve and I went to the Microsoft company museum and then the store. In the late afternoon I went to see the movie Bounce - definitely a chick flick, but still pretty good. After the movie I decided to head in to Seattle since I was supposed to meet friends for dinner later. I found an under-utilized Starbucks in South Seattle and sat down with a cup of coffee and read. My dinner appointment was cancelled, so I sat around reading until traffic was over then headed back to the east side. I stopped at Safeway for Chinese takeaway, then headed back to Steve and Michele's. I got home just in time to say goodnight to Ryan. Steve, Michele, and I sat around talking then watched some recorded TV. When Michele went to bed Steve and I sat up watching the DVD of Gladiator and drinking beer. After the movie we sat around talking (past, present, future, and general good and bad ideas) until four.
