Pre-Birthday Dinner at Queen City Grill

We had a gift certificate to use up, so headed to Queen City Grill last night for a birthday-eve dinner celebration. Having only eaten here once before for a work function (and not having to foot the bill), I wasn't quite sure what the expect. However, I was plensently surprised by a reasonably priced menu, delicious food and half bottles of L'Ecole No. 41 Merlot! Yum.

Three cheese plate. Suggestion: let the waiter pick the three cheeses. They know what's best!

Alaskan Halibut with organic spring vegetable ragout and olive oil poached potatoes all lightly covered with a delicious white balsamic white wine sauce.

And me thoroughly enjoying it all!

Adventures in Ebay - Moscow? Really?

If you know me at all, you know I am easily excited by very small, unimportant things (note: this is good and bad depending on what I'm excited about). My newest source of excitement up until ohhhh....24 minutes ago was my first ever experience selling on Ebay. I got an amazing Michael Kors soft wool coat for CHEAP at my favorite store (hint: the initials are VV), but when I got it home, it just didn't fit me quite right.

So, instead of redonating (I KNOW), I decided to make a little money by selling in on Ebay. I mean, come on, it's a beautiful Michael Kors wool coat in perfect condition. Being my first time selling on ebay, I'm pretty sure I checked the status of my sell about three times a day (that may be an understatment).

So, it gets to the last two minutes of the bidding. I'm refreshing the page every two seconds while Jon heckles me in the background. Finally, it ends and I have made some money on my purchase. SCORE! I click on the winner and this is what I get:

Um, WHAT? I'm pretty sure...oh wait, yes, I'm positive...I specifically said I would only ship to buyer in the U.S. Then some person comes along from Moscow, wins the bid on my first ebay item and totally crushes the fun. I have since sent a message to this buyer explaining that it will be more than $10 for shipping (more like $70) to ship to Moscow and if he/she not OK with that, well they can just find a beautiful Michael Kors coat somewhere else.

UPDATE: The coat is on it's way to Russia! The buyer paid and everything is good. Plus, I made $30. Whoot!

Waiting Patiently for the Rain Season

To buy or not to buy these beautiful Hunter glossy beige rain boots...

This is my current dilemma.

Do You Like Food? Become Part of the Seattle TasteCasting Team

So I just saw an amazing post over at TheSeattleTraveler.com that I have to share. Apparently TasteCasting, a gathering of socially networked people also in love with food, is forming a team here in Seattle. Awesome! Here's what Mary Jo Manzanares, editor of TheSeattleTraveler.com had to say:

Here’s how it works: Restaurants, bars, diners, bakeries, or any other food and beverage establishment, invite TasteCasting members to attend a tasting at their venue. It may be a way to research new menu items, it may be to showcase a new chef, or it may be a way to juice up business and get people in the door. Whatever the reason, you are invited to be a part of it.

What is expected of attendees: In return for a free tasting, we want you to constructive feedback and suggestions with your host, as well as broadcast your experienced to your friends and follows via Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, a blog post, or any of publication or social media where you are active. You can share everything from the food specific (ingredients, tastes, menu) to the overall impressions (ambiance, venue, service, overall experience, etc).

Looks like Mary Jo is involved with the formation of the Seattle team, so send her an email if you're interested. Thankfully, it doesn't look like you don’t have to be a food writer to be a part of the fun. You just need to involved in social media, enjoy food, and be willing to share your experiences. Make sure to check out the TasteCasting website to find out more about the organization.

I just applied to be on the team, so keep your fingers crossed for me!

Fremont Sunday Market - Perfect Place for Random Stuff

I love the Fremont Sunday Market because of the randomness it brings to my life. Unlike many other markets in the Seattle area, this is not a 'farmers market.' It's more of a flea market featuring everything from locally-made jewelry to flea find to vintage watch parts (random, I know, but they actually make for really cute earrings and bracelets). I spent two hours of my Sunday just wandering about and admiring all that is Seattle.

Blue Angels in Seattle for Sea Fair Weekend

Blue Angels performed today over Lake Union in conjunction with Sea Fair weekend. As we didn't want to fight the crowd, both on land and in the water, Jen and I set up shop on her roof in Lower Queen Anne to watch the show. They are so amazing and SO LOUD!

My parents own a condo in Gulf Shores, Alabama, which is just 30 minutes from Pensacola, Florida where the Blue Angels are based. I have some fond memories of hearing these amazing planes roar across the Gulf and today brought back great memories.

Seattle Named Best City to Find Single Guys - Really?

As a girl from the Midwest, I was surprised by how difficult it was meet people in Seattle. There's a certain standoffishness to almost everyone, as everyone seems to be worried about what others will think. Thankfully, it's not just me that has faced this problem, as this phenomenon has already been coined as the "Seattle Freeze." Don't get me wrong, I have plenty of friends here who I love, but it took a while!

That's why when Marie Claire named Seattle as the #1 city for single ladies to find guys, I was surprised to say the least. I have a few single friends in the city who I know are thinking WHAT?! WHERE ARE THEY HIDING? Either way, here's what Marie Claire said about Seattle's single men scene:

"Hunting guys here isn't easy, thanks to persistently dank weather and the Vulcan-like standoffishness typical of Emerald City's comp-sci hordes. (Hundreds of tech firms, including Microsoft, are based in the area.) Locals boast that it's a haven for green-minded lefties who get as big a thrill rappelling the Cascades as they do "coding the architecture" (don't ask us what that means)."

Ok, I don't even know what "coding the architecture" means and I live here. Now I have to admit, even the geekiest of Seattle men are most likely outdoorsy as well. It's kind of hard not to be in the Pacific Northwest, so I guess that's a plus. Luckily, I have my own geek/outdoorsy man who is also from the Midwest. I was blessed to avoid the whole Seattle single scene all together.

Seattle beat out Denver, San Jose, San Diego and Austin. Nearby Portland, Ore. ranked a distant tenth. Check out the online article to see what Marie Claire says the other cities have to over.

I'd still like to know who did the research...and how they came to this conclusion.