High-quality low-key end-of-the-week fun

This week I'm scrambling to finalize a manuscript for submission to European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (shout-out to whoever came up with their concise title!), but I still want to give an update regarding my weekend activities with Gäddan.

In short: we had food and drinks, and then more food and drinks. Then we had a few snacks before getting food and drinks. Then we had drinks. Add about two units of coffee in between every meal, and repeat.

I don't see any reasons for complaints, do you? Good times.

Okay, so we did a couple of other things too, but nothing was really scheduled—we just played it by ear and did whatever felt right at the moment. On Friday, Gäddan spent a good chunk of time at MOHAI while I was working, and then he walked over to me for a quick tour of the Hutch followed by beer hour with my colleagues. The evening was spent on Capitol Hill, with dinner and margaritas at Barrio, and then more drinks and chit-chat with Kiran and friends at Bait Shop.

Saturday started with a good-sized breakfast at Blue Star Cafe & Pub in Wallingford, then a stroll on 45th towards University District.

Pancakes and cappuccino!

Yes, that's a cappuccino. With a straw. Oh come on, this is America—don't act so surprised! Let it go, ok?

We checked out the pretty UW campus and then took the bus downtown to Pike Place Market, where one of us got a souvenir street sign saying "Pike Pl" (you can never guess who, or why!). Then stuff just kind of happened; we made an impromptu decision to go to Bainbridge Island and hopped on a boat. The winds were a little chilly, but the sun was shining and the snow-clad mountains of the Olympic Range showed off their impressive beauty on our way across the Sound. Lunch consisted of tiny cups of soup and generous chunks of delicious pie at the lovely Blackbird Bakery. Before leaving the island we popped in to Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, whose exhibitions perhaps were a little less outstanding, but definitely worth a quick visit (especially seeing as admission was free).

Back on the mainland we strolled around in the Pioneer Square area, ending up at Seattle Central Library. The Central Library is a really cool building, but even though I've attended a couple of seminars there, I haven't really explored it. Until now, that is—we went up all the escalators, checked out the viewpoints, and admired the extremely clever design. Conclusion: I really need to spend more time there! The neat thing about our library stop was that we managed to time it perfectly; the rain started pouring down a few minutes after we walked in, but the sun incidentally came back out a few minutes before we were leaving. The evening was spent at Cafe Mox in Ballard, eating, drinking, chatting, and playing Gloom with my librarian friend David (another David, not the Tico). Such a great day! Spontaneous, laid-back and simply super fun.

Sunday started in Fremont, with sturdy breakfast scrambles at good ol' Roxy's Diner and then browsing through the Sunday market and some of the local shops. After putting up with my ravings about the divine cappuccinos at Milstead & Co., Gäddan finally got to try one and seemed to agree that they are pretty darn good. A walk to Gas Works Park and some house boat-watching concluded the Fremont tour, and we took a little break for some packing and resting before heading off to Ballard for a proper send-off.

As it happens, Seattle Restaurant Week started this weekend, and we met up with a few friends for (surprise, surprise) dinner and drinks at Percy's & Co., which is a place I've wanted to check out since we found out that it was listed among "The 30 Hottest Cocktail Bars in America Right Now" on Eater. Fantastic kale salad, eclectic cocktails, and yummy peanut butter mousse provided a great backdrop to our laughs and general gossip.

A collection of healthy treats:

Awakened One (lemongrass-infused vodka, lillet blanc, fresh pineapple juice, lime, ginger, and cilantro); peanut butter mousse with chocolate ganache and graham cracker crust; coconut cream pie and cherry pie; banana-oatmeal waffle.

It was so much fun having Gäddan over, sharing laughs and conversations with my friends and colleagues. Together, we explored a whole bunch of new sights and locations, which just happens to be my favorite weekend activity. Thanks for dropping by, dear friend! I won't fit in my jeans for a week or two, but it was totally worth it.

Incoming: Esox lucius*

It's been a while since I had a Swedish visitor, but it's finally time again. Seattle, meet Gäddan - Gäddan, meet Seattle. I hope you'll like each other!

Oh, and Seattle - it would be really awesome if you could do that weather thing you usually do when I have people over. You know, the whole spoiling us with sun and warmth and pretending like it never rains here. That would really be super sweet. (Really, really super Mega sweet!)

I'm sure we'll have a blast, however; rain or shine. Updates to come!

*Gädda = northern pike (Esox lucius). It makes total sense, I promise.

Double, triple, quadruple V

V for Vancouver and Victoria - for visa and victory. I'm back from my exile in Canada, and what a great intermission it was! The weather was perhaps not the jolliest during the Vancouver visit, but mum and I were quite content with the single somewhat sunny day that allowed us to explore the city by foot after my interview at the American consulate. The other days were of the more drizzly kind, forcing us to sit at various cafés, restaurants and bars in cozy Gastown, sipping on coffee, wine and cocktails, reading books, writing postcards and solving crossword puzzles. Life was hard, but we pulled through.

An inukshuk in the city's West End, off English Bay.

Steel and glass, glass and steel. (And boats.) Very Vancouver.

Next, we set sail for Victoria, British Columbia's lovely state capital on Vancouver Island, where the entire Frost family spent a couple of days last summer. This time, mum and I teamed up with my cousin, aunt and grandmother, and went sightseeing all over the place by means of feet, double-decker bus and rental car. Some attractions were revisited, others were new; high tea was ingested and vistas were viewed. A certain amount of confusion was ever-present and patiently endured (most of the time).

Colorful houseboats! Makes this Seattleite feel quite at home.

Butchart Gardens, again; almost as colorful in fall as in summer. The sweets equally filling.

The beautiful veranda where we indulged in the goodies; not too different from that of my parents' house, in hue and atmosphere.

  

Onwards! Through the greenery.

An enchanting cove, hidden behind the Japanese garden.

From Butchart we drove on to University of Victoria, where my cousin is currently studying. She showed us around campus, and the general impression was: lots of trees and lots of rather awkward deer.

Close to UVic is Mount Tolmie, an excellent spot for students to ”park”. Great view, nonetheless!

Disneyland? Nope, just the British Columbia Parliament Buildings twinkling prettily during my last morning walk.

This somewhat spontaneous vacation had to end eventually, and seeing as my passport had been successfully returned to me on Friday there were sadly no more excuses. I hopped on the Victoria Clipper back to the US this afternoon, while the rest of the gang will keep exploring the island for a few more days. I wish I could stay too, but alas! Work is calling.

Beware, however, because on Friday, mum and grandma will make Seattle shake...

O Canada!

After a couple of months of fruitless efforts to schedule an appointment at the US consulate in Vancouver to renew my visa, I suddenly got a break last Friday. Out of nowhere, a slot had opened up at 7 am on Tuesday morning. I dropped everything I had planned and immediately started making arrangements for a week-long stay in British Columbia, and thanks to helpful colleagues I managed to organize all my responsibilities to make it work (I hope so, at least). I definitely owe a favor or two, but it's certainly worth it to get my visa extended.

I've wanted to explore Vancouver basically since moving to Seattle, especially knowing that the train ride up is quite spectacular; mum and I are therefore rather excited about boarding the train early tomorrow morning. We'll spend a few days in the city and then head down to Victoria on Vancouver Island to see my cousin, who is doing an exchange year at the university there. What's even more exciting is that my aunt and grandmother will meet us there too. Fantastic!

The only thing that worries me is the actual interview at the consulate, but I've hopefully got all my papers in order so that I can get my passport back in time to head home to Seattle next Sunday. I ask you: cross your fingers and hold your thumbs... (It couldn't hurt, could it?)

See you on the other side!

(Image from www.canadaflagshop.com)

Hi mom!

Guess who's coming to town tomorrow? Mother Frost, that's who! If you don't know her, a quick Google search rendered the following images:

Mother Frost #1. A cheery lady! Not sure what's going on with the beater there, but I dig the headpiece. Swing it, momma!

Mother Frost #2. Um... Mom? I don't like tar. I'm not sure if... I mean... You know what, I think I'll just go now.

Welcome, mamma! Seattle is anxious to see you again.

Baseball for beginners

Instead of suffering from aftereffects of the previous night's spontaneous partying, Ralph and I woke up early and walked across the street from my apartment to the Barrel Thief for a decadent Sunday waffle breakfast. Well, to be honest they didn't open until 10 am, so I went out in the morning sun to fill yet another bucket with blackberries while Ralph slumbered a little longer. (Side note: I might have a bit of a problem with my compulsory blackberry picking, but the season is approaching its end so I'll hopefully be able to stay out of the brambles soon - until next year, that is...).

The main event of the day was a première for both of us: baseball! This all-American game really hasn't been on my radar until now, but as a Fred Hutch employee I was offered discounted tickets and thought that Ralph's visit might be the perfect excuse to give it a go. We quickly browsed through the main rules and extensive terminology whilst nomming on our waffle sandwiches, concluding that this was slightly (just slightly) more complicated than Swedish brännboll.

That Sunday, Seattle Mariners were taking on the The Chicago White Sox at Safeco Field; a game that they ended up winning, quite easily it seemed, with 4 points against 2. Coincidentally, Scott and Shani had also bought tickets to the game and happened to be sitting more or less directly behind us (!) with little Cian. This turned out to be extremely fortunate for Ralph and me, as we would have been scratching our heads wondering what in the world was going on quite a few times otherwise. The Frayos explained what was happening on the field, what the stats meant, when we should yell ”Charge!”, the reason behind people's apparent obsession with peanuts and Cracker Jacks, and why everyone seemed so excited when the closing pitcher entered the field. The game itself was fairly slow, allowing plenty of time for grade A people watching and general chitchatting.

Our verdict: a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon with good friends!

After that, we hopped on a bus to Ballard to engage in one of my favorite Sunday activities: fika and board gaming. We got a table at Café Mox and stayed until Ralph was tired of getting his butt kicked. A lovely day to be me.

Rollin rollin rollin

Wait, what happened to last week!? I'm way behind on the Ralph report, that's for sure... I'll just have to keep it short and snappy.

Saturday, two weeks ago: We went to roller derby! Then we had drinks and fun.

Hm. Okay. Maybe that was a little on the short side. Let's try again.

Saturday, two weeks ago: Ralph and I strolled off to Key Arena to watch two roller derby bouts. Sadly, our local teams lost both, but we had a swell time nonetheless. Rain of Terror (Rat City Rollergirls' non-WFTDA sanctioned travel team) were quite easily defeated by Bruising Altitude (174-248), but Rat City All-Stars put up a good fight against Minnesota Rollergirls (127-145).

Famished and thirsty after yelling and cheering for three hours, a quick decision was made to head towards the neaby 5-Point Café, one of Seattle's oldest diners. This unique little dive bar opened its doors in 1929 and is one of those places you either love or hate (at least judging by their reviews on yelp). In my opinion, you just have to take it for what it is; don't be a jerk and you'll have a great time. We ordered some tasty grub from a heavily bearded man in a dirty, washed-out tank top and decided that this was no night for artisan beer or fine wine; no, we aimed straight for the well drinks. If you're unfamiliar with the concept, well drinks are what you get if you walk up to a bar and ask for unspecified booze and soda. They're cheap, usually quite nasty, and are known to generate massive hangovers. Still, this was the path we chose.

Below is a compound pictogram describing my cranberry vodka drink. Note how the precise placement of the straw makes the first sip contain a perfect amount of cranberry juice; after that, not so much.

These guys are s.t.r.o.n.g. (And we had a few.)

Next, we wiggled our way back to Fremont, making a few stops on the promenade; first at the nearest 24-hour liquor store to obtain some high-end ultra delicious hand-made craft... er... alcopops as refreshment on our journey, and then by one of Lake Union's docks to enjoy said drinks while watching the stars and the water. And laughing quite a bit.

Best part: neither of us were even the slightest bit hungover the next morning. I'm hypothesizing that the sweet nastiness of the alcopops neutralized the hard-hitting power of the well drinks, but I'm not sure if I dare to try a replicate. It might be pushing my luck.

A Cinderella story

Ralph didn't have too many must-see or must-do items on his Seattle itinerary, but there was one activity that he much wanted to engage in: kayaking. I'm no kayakist but agreed to take a day off from work and join him for a salty day in Elliott Bay. Being a novice, only beginners' kayaks were available for me, but Ralph assured the somewhat brusque (some would say mildly hostile) shop girl that he was fully trained in handling the sleeker, albeit less stable, regular vessels. Did he know what to do if he capsized? Of course, no problemo! Easy-peasy.

We said tally ho to the snippy lady and embarked on our adventure, eagerly paddling away from the water taxi stop, rounding Duwamish Head, splashing away in the beaming sun for about an hour and a half alongside the beach to the Alki Point Light, where we turned and started heading back. Ralph gave me a few pointers here and there on how to operate the paddle more efficiently, in addition to goofing around and sillying about as I was learning how to best use my arms and torso in some sort of ordered motion. I'm quite generous, so I'd say that I did okay.

Naturally, Ralph could have out-paddled me with both hands tied behind his back, but we had lots of fun and even spotted a couple of swimming sea lions as I was energetically flapping myself forward.

Then all of a sudden I heard a big splash behind me, followed by a somewhat confused ”Vad var det som hände!?”. I turned and saw Ralph in the water beside his kayak, looking very wet and very surprised. Reassured by his knowing words at the rental store, I just sat there, giggling and waiting for him to effortlessly crawl up and into his boat again. But as it turned out, he hadn't actually practiced getting into a capsized vessel; he just knew how to do it in theory. Ah... Ok.

I paddled back to him, trying to stabilize his kayak as he was empirically testing the hypothesis, and after about ten minutes of him flopping around trying to re-embark, first from the wrong way, then from the right, almost tipping me over into the freezing water as well, he finally succeeded. By that time, we realized that we had drifted quite far off from shore, but our spirits were nevertheless high and I felt encouraged by the fact that we handled the situation so coolly.

Then I noticed that he was no longer wearing his sunglasses. Then he noticed that he no longer had two shoes.

Back at the kayak shop the terse girl smirked at us as we returned the gear, Ralph soaked, carrying his only shoe in his hand. I tried to figure out how to get him home to Fremont, through downtown, on the bus, barefoot. As a last resort, I went back to the shop to ask the not too friendly renter if she possibly knew of any places that sold footwear nearby, since we were in a bit of a pickle. She looked at me, smiled, and said that she may have something in the back that someone had forgotten. I heard her rummaging about behind the door, and she then emerged carrying a pair of bright pink rubber slippers.

She held them out, chuckled a little and said that they might be slightly too big but we could take them if we wanted to. I gave her my warmest, earnest thanks, and returned to Ralph who was sitting on the grass, sulking over his loss. And like the fairytale prince I presented the magical shoes to him, who in a Cinderella-esque fashion gently let his feet enter into the rubbery domain.

They. Fit. Perfectly.

All is well that ends well; the shoes found a new home, Ralph got a new look, and I got the best cry-laugh I've had in a long time.

Epilogue: the pink slippers accompanied Ralph back to Sweden, and have now begun their new life in the Old World. Sources say that they are getting along very well with Jimi, another Seattle emigrant who joined the travellers on their adventurous journey.

(Photo courtesy of Ralph.)

Ice ice Kerstin

Just to tease Kerstin: yeah, we went to Molly Moon's... Ralph suffered a sundae-induced sugar overdose, but I was in heaven.

The fav spot is still Sirena Gelato in Fremont, though. Their gelato is unbelievably flavorful and creamy, without being overly sweet.

Go there. Die happy.

The best medicine

Sometimes I worry that I don't laugh enough these days. My Seattle life is at times very serious; my mind occupied with tasks and responsibilities. The past week has been a brilliant break from gravity, promoted by a visit from a wacky comrade we like to call Ralph. Being around this guy means recurring stomach aches from giggling and a constant daft grin on one's face. Good times, simply put.

This week was no exception, and my snicker reservoirs are absolutely, positively, undeniably refilled (and overflowing). Besides just goofing around, we've kayaked, run, gone to museums and movies, watched roller deby and baseball, tried new restaurants (and old), lost shoes and found new ones, had waffles and well drinks, not to mention lots and lots of gelato. Somehow, I managed to do all this and work. (Don't ask me how.)

I'll post a few pictures and stories soon. They'll include pink rubber slippers and this guy.

Safe travels home, Ralphie-boy!

Between work and sleep: fun!

While you're out there, doing what you're doing, I'm spending some quality time with this fair lady:

Short but sweet; she's leaving me already tomorrow morning, after merely three days in the city. (Sob!)

On the upside, I'm getting another visitor on Monday. (Chuckle!)

Tonight's the night, however; the girl is going out with a bang. Capitol Hill, here we come!

Summer fun and a new hangout

Another sunny Saturday, another restful weekend. Time flies, but I'm trying to make the most of these lovely summer days; before I know it it'll be fall again. My last in this city? Let's not think about that right now.

Patrik and I had a great time during his visit, watching World Cup soccer, going to the movies, running, eating lots ice cream/gelato/frozen custard, celebrating 4th of July, nomming on great food, shopping, exploring Capitol Hill and Ballard, playing boardgames, watching boats go by and just generally chitchatting about everything and nothing. A really, really fun week!

Patrik, David and Amelia rockin' the red, white and blue for 4th of July.

Ice cream! One of the many frozen treats this week.

Browsing in the blazing sun at Fremont Sunday Market. Too hot for shopping, though.

As I'm writing this I'm sitting at Yellow Dot Cafe in Fremont, watching the Brazil-Netherlands bronze game. This place has become a favorite during the World Cup, offering not only comfy seats, friendly staff/clientele and good coffee, but also a fabulous big screen tv on which I have watched seemingly countless games by now. Ok, I can probably count to <10 but you get the picture; in less than a month I've become a regular here, and I like it. However, there are many lovely cafés in the area so I'll probably branch out more again after the WC ends tomorrow. But first I have the exciting final between Germany (yaay!) and Argentina (booo!) to look forward to; a game I will watch with excellent long-distance company back in Sweden. I owe my friend Gäddan a lot for keeping me company through WhatsApp and providing live updates when I've been unable to watch games because of work or other colliding engagements. Thank you ever so much, Gäddan! It wouldn't have been the same without you.

Ahead of me now are a couple of more low-key weeks, until the end of July/beginning of August when I get two back-to-back visits from Swedish comrades. But first, a little bit of work perhaps?

Sizzling sun, snowy slopes

The trend is approaching statistical significance; whenever I have people over from Sweden the Emerald City pampers us with gorgeous weather. Patrik arrived on Tuesday and Seattle responded with a new heat record of 34 C/94 F. Jeez! I'm not complaining or anything, but really..?

(Okay, I am sort of complaining; It was very hot.)

Today the temperature was more agreeable as Amelia joined Patrik and me for a roadtrip to Mount Rainier National Park, where the plan was to hike along the Wonderland Trail from the Fryingpan Creek bridge to Panhandle Gap. Fully equipped with burritos, cookies, energy bars, trail mix, Rainier cherries, sunscreen, bug spray, fist aid kits, spare clothing, and tons of water, we eventually had to admit defeat and turn back close to Summerland. Why? Because of snow. The running shoes we were all wearing just weren't fit for climbing the steep hillside, skidding in the slushy snow. Getting up there safely: maybe. Going down: not so much.

Still, the 12 km round trip provided plenty of amazing views and we had a wonderful time in the national park, as well as on the way there and back.

I absolutely definitely totally need to do this again. Thumbs up!

Happy, sunny, smily days

What am I so cheery about? Well, let me sum it up:

• Summer is here
• World Cup is awesome
• Work is fun

 Nothing to complain about, in other words. Oh, and of course:

•  Patrik is coming today

Wohoo!