Gotta have Soul

Last 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 soul records in the cinema between sets and drinks available too. Clapping and dancing in the aisles is encouraged!".

Last night featured the likes of Sam and Dave, Lee Dorsey, Marvin Gaye, the Supremes and Otis Redding (who's birthday was celebrated at the event with free cake!). The audience wasn't quite dancing in the aisles but I was sure bopping joyously in my seat and there was a lot of hooting and hollering from the crowd during the screening. It was hilarious to see the hairstyles and outfits of the 1960s appearances -and the choreography! The music, though, the music was/is just brilliant! What voices... and stage presence...
Much of the audience stuck around afterward to dance. The DJ had a great collection of get-up-off-your-seat soul/motown classics.

Bainbridge Island

Mallar 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 easy to do on our bikes.
The ferry ride itself was actually pretty exciting as there are great views of the cityscape and Mt. Rainier as you cross the Sound.


We arrived just around lunch time so we decided to fuel up at Harbour Public House restaurant. We shared a very tasty fish and chips plate and tried two of the local microbrews they had on tap. Had we gone on a Saturday I think we would have loaded up at the farmers' market and picnicked somewhere but I was very happy with the resto (good food, friendly staff, nice scenery).

We covered a good 3/4 of the island on bike in an effort to get to the Bainbridge Island Winery for a wine-tasting. Some of the routes we took were rather hilly but it felt good to push ourselves. I especially liked stopping every once and awhile to pick wild blackberries off the side of the bike path. Yummy...

We also stopped for a rest at Point White Dock and caught a few rays. It was a really gorgeous day and I think I might have gone for a swim if we had come prepared (although I did wade in up to my thighs to retrieve a little boy's toy that was floating away from him at the shore).

The water looked very clear and inviting. I'm not sure how clean it is -I guess next time we will ask.

AMC 2-for-1

There 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 genre. They are much quirkier and more interesting than the formulaic Matthew McConaughey/Kate Hudson style romantic comedy.

I have, however, been longing to see a really thick and thought-provoking movie lately. My friend Paula just wrote a blog about Lars von Trier's AntiChrist (which is only being released here in October) but it has renewed my interest in the kind of puzzling, difficult and haunting films that Trier is famous for making.


His movie Dogville is, to this day, the movie that has had the most significant emotional impact on me. After a preliminary web search on Lars von Trier, I think I might take the time to rent some of his earlier films. He is a fascinating director and because he rarely defends/explains his controversial creative choices -it is really interesting to analyze and deconstruct his films.

Long Overdue

Lately, 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 crazy tchotkes too. Sometimes other people's junk is just fascinating. There always seems to be a disproportionate amount of items with kitten motifs...
After parting ways with GNA, I sauntered through Cal Anderson park (see below) and sat down and read a novel for awhile.
I finished White Tiger and Never Let Me Go earlier in the week and now I'm onto Transmission, a Paula suggestion from some time ago that I picked up at a secondhand book shop for cheap. It's my favorite of the three, laugh-out-loud funny in some parts and really well-written.

yet another move

It'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 really well-maintained place that feels really cozy and homey. There is a front sun room and a small yard and huge outdoor deck (perfect for BBQs and such). The kitchen is large and open and there is lots of natural light -windows everywhere. It is almost too good to be true.


We start our move in two weeks. I hope the brown grass will be a little greener then. The heatwave turned Seattle into the Serengeti.

Long-weekend in Vancouver

This 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 as far from Montreal as Denmark was from Montreal.
So finally, the Montrealer visits the West Coast and tries to unpack some of her East Coast prejudices about the "tree-hugging potheads" of B.C. ; )


We were a little unlucky with the weather but still took advantage of the access to nature right in the middle of the city. On our first day, we rented bikes and toured Stanley Park, stopping to check out the awesome totem poles, and eat a few cherries (fresh from the Okanagan Valley) at Third Beach. We met up with our friend Adjmal (who had been working there for the summer) and Mallar's long-time friend, Andrea (who has lived in Vancouver for 8 years).


We also went to the food market at Granville Island to buy some fresh salmon. Granville Island used to be an industrial manufacturing area but is now a major tourist destination with shops, art and craft studios, a marina, theatre, etc. We didn't stay long because of our bike rentals but I think Mallar and I would definitely return to explore some of the pottery shops.

We also rendez-voused with my aunt Cathy and uncle Dan on the trip as they were in town visiting the same weekend. They were staying in a condo right in the heart of the city and close to their son, Thomas. I was very happy to see my cousin Thomas (it had been almost 5 years) and meet his fiancée and her two daughters for the first time.

I didn't run into all that many scruffy tree-huggers in the end. In the city, we encountered mostly intense designer fitness yuppies. By this I mean, 20, 30 and 40 something cyclists and joggers in very spiffy workout gear. I was actually kind of relieved to return to the more unkempt city of Seattle. It's a little weird to feel under-dressed next to people in their workout clothes.

Thesis Submitted.

Phew. It's in. Finally.

The title: Liverpool ’08: The “Edgy City”
Examining the role of cultural discourses in the production of space


My 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 going through a heatwave. It was getting to be so unbearably hot and uncomfortable that I actually paid to stay in an air-conditioned hotel for two nights. It was a bold move but well worth it given the improved productivity level and peace and quiet. Also coinciding with my thesis deadline were military training exercises by the Blue Angels. The decibel level of these jets flying overhead was another contributing factor to my hotel stay. It felt as though I was in a city under attack last week (or with the extreme heat and military complex -maybe Texas).

It is sad not to be able to celebrate with my peers in Denmark this week. I have felt so removed from the thesis-camaraderie all semester. Thankfully, I had an incredibly supportive husband at my side. I know that he, too, is very relieved that this month is over.

As for the big question -what next? I do not know. It feels strange to be in limbo like this. I don't think I have ever been in a situation where I didn't know what was next on the horizon. I thought I'd be elated to be done with the thesis but right now I just feel a little unsettled. Either I have not completely let go of the idea that I'm on a deadline or I feel worried about finding a new outlet for productive energies. hmm...