tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21634336156829972962024-02-18T18:06:11.004-08:00Next Stop: SeattleThis is meant to keep record of my adventures moving and settling into a new city. Inspired by my friend Paula's blog about her move to Denmark, I want to share my feelings, impressions and anecdotes about living in a new place with friends and family.Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10322644705488240851noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163433615682997296.post-54605521137652231872009-12-04T13:45:00.001-08:002009-12-04T14:57:43.004-08:00"Art as Therapy"This month, the Triangle Art Gallery features an exhibit called "Art as Therapy". I helped organize the opening reception last night and was really happy to see how many people came to show their support. The show features work from Seattle-area teens that have been guided through therapeutic art practice at local Neighborcare Health centers. These brave kids have been grappling with difficult Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10322644705488240851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163433615682997296.post-3619180031151950272009-11-26T17:43:00.000-08:002009-11-28T10:52:26.100-08:00Turkey DayToday is American Thanksgiving -one of this country's most beloved holidays. Most Americans enjoy a 4-day weekend and make big efforts (traveling across the country sometimes) to share the occasion with friends and family. Canadians also celebrate Thanksgiving (albeit in mid-October) but while the traditions are almost identical (big family feast of turkey, potatoes, gravy, squash, cranberries, Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10322644705488240851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163433615682997296.post-18065296652093115252009-11-23T09:58:00.001-08:002009-11-26T19:03:55.132-08:00Bikini Baristaspic from Seattle TimesMallar and I are rarely in a car. We mostly walk, bike and/or bus most places. In the event that we do need to drive, however, we will reserve a Zip car. Zip car is a car-sharing service that allows you to use a car without the hassle of owning it (or paying for gas or insurance). It's actually a rather genius system. Anyway, as we were on a little road trip this weekend in Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10322644705488240851noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163433615682997296.post-78416512591849782452009-11-10T10:37:00.000-08:002009-11-10T11:08:22.894-08:00The Local BookstoreBailey Coy Books, one of my favorite neighborhood bookstores, is in the process of liquidating stock in preparation for its final closing. I went in last week to pick up a few discounted items. I felt a bit like a scavenger doing it especially given my buzzard like behavior of circling and circling around the shop to find the good "remains". They were even selling window display decorations. So Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10322644705488240851noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163433615682997296.post-34054638565193917712009-11-06T14:41:00.000-08:002009-11-06T15:14:34.613-08:00This I BelieveI have one more week left in my essay writing course and while I have enjoyed the classes immensely, I have found the writing process challenging. As I sit down to write about meaningful episodes in my life, (with style and universal appeal) -I realize that I have been working through a fair number of dramatic issues and events over the last couple of years. Sometimes I feel like the stories are Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10322644705488240851noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163433615682997296.post-70137254162616813262009-11-03T09:40:00.000-08:002009-11-03T14:39:33.896-08:00Halloween in my HoodIn the days leading up to Halloween, Mallar and I began to notice that a number of our neighbours were erecting monstrous ghouls (grim reepers, skeletons, furries!?) and setting up other impressive engineering feats in preparation for the big night. As we inquired more about the extraordinary effort being put forth in our particular block (notorious for its displays, apparently) we were told thatRachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10322644705488240851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163433615682997296.post-27201441959140797682009-10-14T08:28:00.001-07:002009-10-14T09:11:13.510-07:00Thriller!Last night I attended my final Michael Jackson dance class for the crowd-pleasing Thriller choreography. The 4-week course also covered Beat It, The Way You Make Me Feel, and Bad. The MJ class is another one of Century Ballroom's offerings (I took the Beyoncé Single Ladies class with them as well). I have to say that I love the idea of tribute-style dance classes. I only wish that Century Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10322644705488240851noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163433615682997296.post-45217280938447934682009-10-12T12:28:00.000-07:002009-10-12T13:18:53.238-07:00Reflections on "Columbus Day"Today is "Columbus Day" -an American federal holiday marking Christopher Columbus' arrival in the New World over 500 years ago. It is a strange commemoration in many ways as some Americans celebrate it as an anniversary of the European "discovery" of America and others lament it as the onset of a period of exploitation, slavery and outright genocide of the indigenous peoples (who of course, were Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10322644705488240851noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163433615682997296.post-68800753400633619822009-10-08T22:13:00.000-07:002009-10-08T22:50:39.811-07:00Writing Courses at the Hugo HouseToday I attended the first class of a 6-week course called, Pilfering Our Way Through the Great Personal Essays. The course is one of many writing courses offered at the Richard Hugo House, a Seattle literary arts center that supports writers of all ages and backgrounds. There were 9 women in my class this morning, with varied levels of writing experience. Some have been crafting personal essays Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10322644705488240851noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163433615682997296.post-48124917881822998072009-09-30T14:15:00.000-07:002009-10-13T10:15:18.289-07:0010 signs that I am still CanadianMy dear friend, the "Talented Foreigner" challenged me to come up with this list. Whereas her list was written as a Singaporean in Denmark, I guess my list is as a Canadian in America. It would probably have been juicier a year ago as a Canadian in Denmark but here goes:1. Needless ApologiesEven though there is often nothing to be "sorry" for, I often find myself reflexively apologizing for Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10322644705488240851noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163433615682997296.post-37830153391329638942009-09-11T18:25:00.000-07:002009-09-11T18:48:48.808-07:00Gotta have SoulLast night, Mallar and I went to "Soul Nite" at the Northwest Film Forum. The event is described on their website as follows: "...unforgettable voices, funky grooves, magic moves and smooth styles of 60s and 70s SOUL MUSIC! Curator Peter Lucas culls classic and rare performance footage and hosts electrifying, all-star Soul shows on the big screen (and cranked up loud!) We also have djs spinning Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10322644705488240851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163433615682997296.post-77620416766167836222009-08-18T09:45:00.000-07:002009-08-18T10:38:46.142-07:00Bainbridge IslandMallar celebrated his 32nd birthday on Sunday and in honour of the occasion we thought we'd go on a cycling excursion in the great outdoors. We have been trying to explore the region a little more and so it was a good opportunity to embark on a day trip to Bainbridge Island.Bainbridge Island is just a 30 minute ferry ride away, across Puget Sound and just west of Seattle. It was really cheap and Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10322644705488240851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163433615682997296.post-29391767423832040172009-08-18T09:06:00.001-07:002009-08-18T09:37:33.424-07:00AMC 2-for-1There is something very satisfying about getting two movies for the price of one and I just discovered that the downtown AMC in Seattle is an ideal place to pull off this guilty pleasure. Mallar and I caught 500 Days of Summer and Paper Heart on Saturday afternoon.Both films are sweet and light-hearted romantic comedies -nothing award-winning but both still quite enjoyable and well-done for the Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10322644705488240851noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163433615682997296.post-50734626356130130732009-08-14T16:15:00.000-07:002009-08-14T16:31:13.129-07:00Long OverdueLately, I've been trying to finally get to all those things I felt I didn't have time for when I was frantically writing my thesis. On Wednesday, I rendez-voused with two women (GNA and Nina) from my scholars meetup group, had a really nice chat with them, then accompanied GNA to the Value Village to see if we could find any good second-hand board games. I admit we also scanned the racks of crazyRachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10322644705488240851noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163433615682997296.post-88711899371165005212009-08-12T11:20:00.000-07:002009-08-12T11:30:42.668-07:00yet another moveIt's just a small move this time. We are going to relocate just two blocks away from where we live now. Our apartment was alright but it's been up for sale these last months and we got a little tired of the attendant hassles. It was also rather over-priced for what it was.Instead we are moving into the first floor of a beautiful old house (built in 1906). I am really excited about it. It is a Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10322644705488240851noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163433615682997296.post-90644989943612378772009-08-11T17:03:00.000-07:002009-08-11T19:43:10.818-07:00Long-weekend in VancouverThis past weekend, Mallar and I drove up to Vancouver, Canada. It was my first time really seeing the city, my previous experience with Vancouver being confined to the airport. In Denmark, a lot of the people we met seemed to associate Canada with Vancouver and it was funny explaining to them that 1) yes, I was Canadian but no, I had never been to that city and 2) that Vancouver was just about asRachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10322644705488240851noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163433615682997296.post-87212641479791146942009-08-03T15:53:00.000-07:002009-08-03T16:15:56.501-07:00Thesis Submitted.Phew. It's in. Finally.The title: Liverpool ’08: The “Edgy City”Examining the role of cultural discourses in the production of spaceMy European Studies Master's Thesis was officially submitted this morning (thanks in no small part to Paula).It was a crazy last few weeks of writing and revising and cutting (snip, snip, snip). This last week has been especially challenging because Seattle was goingRachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10322644705488240851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163433615682997296.post-70394284531638897412009-06-29T13:11:00.000-07:002009-06-29T13:48:48.779-07:00Busy TimesJune is almost over and I am anxiously heading into the final countdown with respect to my thesis.I am wrapping up this extraordinarily busy month in the small town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario (I am here to celebrate my grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary).In the last 4 weeks I have flown into Canada to see family twice (for various high-priority reasons) and traveled to San Francisco as Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10322644705488240851noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163433615682997296.post-762577625433936882009-06-02T10:42:00.000-07:002009-06-02T10:58:53.359-07:00Sunshine HostingThis past week we had a visit from our friend, Adjmal. He flew in from Denmark and after an over 3 hour interrogation by good-ole Homeland Security he was let into our fine city of Seattle.The weather was perfect for the duration of his stay with us and we managed to fit in many activities in and around our work weeks. Highlights include: biking, hiking and kayaking, eating and drinking (of Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10322644705488240851noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163433615682997296.post-53892149326983465912009-05-27T13:12:00.000-07:002009-05-27T13:21:26.919-07:00Must Focus on ThesisIt is a real challenge to get down to work in this city -especially as the season of sunshine is upon us.I am not sure where to work these days to avoid distraction. The Seattle Public Library downtown is, in itself, a wonderful distraction. Designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and opened in 2004 -this central branch is plain trippy. See the pictures below:Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10322644705488240851noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163433615682997296.post-37847717928956856692009-05-18T14:53:00.000-07:002009-05-18T15:34:08.164-07:00Creative FitnessMuch of this blog has been about eating and drinking. It's true. I make no apologies. And I will likely write a whole lot more about Seattle restaurants and bars (as it is a real pleasure to explore this city with my taste buds). But lest you think that all I do is consume calories, I will highlight some of what I do to burn calories.Firstly, I joined the Seattle YMCA. I like the vibe at the Y. IRachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10322644705488240851noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163433615682997296.post-55781318777225633642009-05-18T13:31:00.001-07:002009-05-18T14:31:44.246-07:00Patrick WatsonOn Tuesday of last week, Montreal-native, Patrick Watson played at the recently re-opened Crocodile. The Crocodile is a an iconic club here in Seattle. It's a small venue (opened in 1991) but it is a true local music scene hot-spot as it has launched the career of many bands (from Pearl Jam and Nirvana, to Death Cab for Cutie and Modest Mouse). It closed suddenly in 2007 but reopened in March of Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10322644705488240851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163433615682997296.post-58951950622990125932009-05-11T09:30:00.000-07:002009-05-11T10:35:44.101-07:00Saturdays are for SidetrackingMallar and I were originally going to go for a long hike on Saturday. Seemed like a great idea -physical activity, nice weather, good site, etc. However, when we discovered that our friend, Zack (the trail expert), couldn't make it we decided we would try to get a little work done instead.Mallar had a few things to get done at his office in Fremont, so we biked the gorgeous route over to "the Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10322644705488240851noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163433615682997296.post-57982510010714065152009-05-10T19:11:00.000-07:002009-05-10T19:41:33.101-07:00Wild GingerIn honor of the three years Mallar and I have been together as a couple, we decided to treat ourselves to a night out at a reputable Seattle restaurant called, Wild Ginger. Wild Ginger is a James Beard Award winning restaurant and has been featured in top ten lists in magazines such as Gourmet and Bon Appetit. Apparently Wild Ginger is also noted in the Zagat Guide's "Best Restaurants of the Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10322644705488240851noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163433615682997296.post-17682925490866993922009-05-06T09:42:00.000-07:002009-05-06T14:40:33.998-07:00King's HardwareKing's Hardware is a great place for beer and burgers in Ballard. King's Western-themed decor (complete with taxidermy on the walls) is kitschy cool and reminiscent of another Linda Derschang fav closer to home, called Smith (more on Smith another time). King's was once (you guessed it) a local hardware store and has been converted into a great space to imbibe alcohol and eat greasy food. We did Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10322644705488240851noreply@blogger.com1