Quoth the Raven

Thank God for Mondays...

Maybe not every monday but this one is mighty fine with me. So you are probably thinking that I have made a typo and monday should really read friday? Well this weekend we made the move. Yep, we did it! We moved from Capital Hill and now reside in Ravenna, for how long who can say? After this moving experience I could stay in Ravenna for the rest of my life.

The move itself did not go as smoothly as I had hoped, which is why I am glad that it is Monday and I can sit at my desk, and relax....pure joy.  I had arranged for the moving company to arrive at noon. Perfect time? I thought so at the time, until I was informed that they were running late and would be arriving closer to 1pm. Still ok with me. Well 3pm rolls on and a couple of phone calls later, the movers arrive. By this time I am thinking we should just forget it and reschedule? On the other hand, how long can the move really take?  Last time we moved we used the same company, Action Moving Company, and they moved us in a record 5.5 hours. Way to go... but this time it took them 8.5 hours....what the hell! I might add that they are paid hourly which works out at quite alot at $85 per hour!

I really don't understand what took them so long? I mean we have an elevator in the building, they parked right out the front, the stuff that was packed was well organized. The only difference between this move and the previous one is that I had gotten serious about book collecting. In the material sense, this meant about 3 bookcases and an extra 100 books. Still not worth the extra time spent.

Just in case you didn't know already, moving is pretty stressing. It is right up there with marriage, divorce and dealing with death. Hey, interesting side note, death can be applied to all the above. Marriage is dying to self, and joining with another; divorce is dying to a part of yourself that you gave to another; and of course dying is exactly that. Which, I can only imagine must be quite stressing, until it happens and then there is not much to stress about? Unless your not the one dying. Interesting....

So with all this stressing going on I can't say it was a real fun time in our household. But by 11pm we were working as a team and trying to get the bed set up so we could crash for the evening. The poor little babies didn't know what was going on. We basically set them up in a room in the basement and let them go for it. I should add that these are ferret babies and not the human kind, I wouldn't want Child Protection knocking on my door only to find this out.

So to shorten a long and tedious story, that is made up of me carrying boxes upstairs and downstairs for 2 days, the place is finally looking pretty good. But it was still great coming to work today knowing that I can sit and do exactly nothing! (Ok so don't tell anyone else that this was my expectation for the day). I guess all is well that ends well.

This really is the last quiz!

I thought it would be fun to try the Country Quiz again...

You're Canada!

People make fun of you a lot, but they're stupid because you've
got a much better life than they do.  In fact, they're probably just jealous.
You believe in crazy things like human rights and health care and not
dying in the streets, and you end up securing these rights for yourself and
others.  If it weren't for your weird affection for ice hockey, you'd be
the perfect person.
Take
the Country Quiz

Last but not least...

Well this outcome seems obvious being that I was born in Australia. I'm sure my friends would agree that I have a wild side, maybe, just a little? I must admit that I have a huge respect for nature...hey 2 out 3 ain't bad.

You're Australia!

You're easy-going, relaxed, and yet somewhat tough and hardy all at the
same time.  You can appreciate culture, scuba diving, and even safaris.  This
makes you pretty interesting and intriguing to others, though also really unpredictable and
even wild.  Your knowledge of nature is unthinkable to most of those around you, even
though your respect for it is sometimes less than perfect.  People really like your
accent.
Take the Country Quiz

Next quiz please!

Ok so I am still riding that quizz bandwagon and loving it! After the 'Book Quiz' I decided to take the 'State Quiz'...

You're New Hampshire!

You're obsessed with independence, and may even be a libertarian. For
you, freedom means doing whatever you like without worrying about the petty concerns of
others. You're a big fan of throwing out slogans that threaten those who might infringe
on your freedom. And yes, everything is set in stone for you. You built your house on the
granite. Sadly, your greatest material inspiration recently fell down and can never be
rebuilt.


Take the State Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

I just knew there was something special about me?

I just love quizzes, any kind is fine with me, so when Joel sent me this quiz I just had to jump on the quiz bandwagon...this is what the book quiz had to say about me.

You're A Prayer for Owen Meany!

by John Irving

Despite humble and perhaps literally small beginnings, you inspire
faith in almost everyone you know. You are an agent of higher powers, and you manifest
this fact in mysterious and loud ways. A sense of destiny pervades your every waking
moment, and you prepare with great detail for destiny fulfilled. When you speak, IT SOUNDS LIKE THIS!


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Dear Reader

How are you this wonderful day?

You may be wondering why it has taken me so long to write? You may have even thought that you had offended me in some way? Maybe that would explain my long absence, my continuing moments of silence. Oh, it has been far from silent in my world. We are in the process of moving from our apartment into a house. It is a most exciting journey, as this will be the first house we have lived in in 9 years.  But it is also a little challenging, I have spent every waking hour packing...ok, so you caught me in a lie, it feels like I have spent all my time packing, but I have done a couple of hours every evening. Friday is the big day so I will be sure to let you know how it all comes together.

Oh dear Reader, please forgive my silence, forgive me for not communicating my feelings earlier. A true friend would not let such a vast amount of time pass before making a connection.

There is really no excuse that would justify my absence.  I could say that I have been busy; but too busy to speak with you, to tell you about all that is going on in my life? Too busy too find out a little about yourself? Really, there is no justifiable excuse that I can think off.

So where do we go from here?  Please just forgive me and I solemnly promise to write more frequently from now on......

Welcome to Teatro Zinzanni.....

No, this is not me and my husband having a wonderful evening at Teatro Zinzanni! This is my husband, who played the role of Romio, with a larger-than-life, Juliet! You would think that we were out celebrating his birthday and not mine? Actually, I would much rather watch the show from the sidelines than be a part of it. Joel admits he was slightly embarrassed but I know he loved it! Wouldn't you want to be wooed by Juliet?

'La la lalala la...la.....Dream a little dream with me' oops sorry I was carried away thinking about the show. Dinner & Dreams was the theme for the night, and what a night it was. It will certainly be remembered for a very,very long time. It was absolutely spectacular.....with the performers, the music, the five course meal, everything was done to perfection. It was really amazing how smoothly everything came together, they actually incorporate the serving of the meals into the show. The actual meal/show lasted just over 3 hours, which may sound like a long time, but once you enter the arena you are transported to another era. It is as if time itself stands still. We were seated with 4 other couples and really had a ball!

The guest for this series was Thelma Houston. You must remember Thelma? 70's, disco, sang the hit 'Don't leave me this way'. Wow! She was totally awesome! She sang with such ease.....

I don't really want to say anymore, I don't want to ruin it for those who haven't seen the show. Just think Cirque du Soleil combined with a really nice European restaurant.

Lest We Forget.....

They say that "time heals all wounds?" How much time needs to pass before you get over the loss of a husband, a wife, your mother or father, a sister or a brother. I really don't think that there is much truth in this quote. Maybe I should create a new quote, one that has more truth within it? I think a more plausible quote would be "Time lessens the pain of a wound" or 'The passing of time may lessen the sting of death" or even "The hands of time do nothing more than force you to do something, anything, just do something, keep moving, keep remembering the good moments, dwell on those memories that even the act of death cannot steal". Yes, I think that is a far better quote to live by.

How can I let this day pass without one mention of that dreadful event that has come to symbolize "September 11". A day when one comes to realise that this world is not the safe place that was felt before that day came to be. An act occurred that rocked the foundation of this country. Fear gripped this nation, to such a degree that lives were changed forever. Thousands of lives were lost, everything seemed to come to a stand still.

I still remember the day as if it was yesterday. I start work at 7am, which is where I was when I heard the news. It was very surreal, we turned on the television, but it just didn't seem real. I recalled that old movie  'war of the worlds' and was waiting for someone to say that this was just a movie. This wasn't really happening. But that didn't happen.

I think the only good that came from this moment in time, not unlike any event like this, is that it brought people together. People gave their money, their time, their lives for other people.

But it has not ended there, I look at the papers today and read about the crisis in Iraq. How many lives from both soldiers and civilians have been lost. What about the abuse of Iraqi detainees? I view the actions of these upstanding American soldiers and am totally appalled. There is no excuse for treating people in this manner, whether they have committed criminal acts or not. There is a criminal justice system in place to hand out sentences, it is not for soldiers to punish. It causes me to wonder about the mental state of some of our high ranking officials. What type of person can make another human being pose in various de-humanizing ways? Of course, these are just our soldiers trying to interogate prisoners? Not good enough, and I hope the appropriate actions will be taken.

But for those who lost loved ones on September 11, I send you my condolences.

Late Night Nibbles

Well I have noticed that some weeks I have plenty to say, and other weeks nothing. And other times I have alot to chat about, but no time to put words on paper. So a couple of weeks ago we celebrated my husband, Joel's, birthday by dining at Serafina. What a wonderful place to dine, aswell as people watch. I didn't know Seattle had a hip crowd, but it does and this is definitely where the hip hang out.

The menu is HUGE! It took me awhile to decide what to eat as there are so many wonderful dishes to choose from. I decided to go for the grilled Ahi Tuna with a salad of radicchio, basil and endive with minted cous cous, and a relish of vine ripened tomatoes, cucumber and red onions. Ummmm scrumptious! I did have to ask for the tuna to be cooked just a little more. But the server, Eden, was more than willing to do anything to make our dining experience perfect. She was really fantastic, she was attentive without hovering around the table all night, and added just the right amount of conversation. I must add, that the tuna was cooked to perfection but I have a thing about food that still looks like the animal it came from. Yes, I am abit squeamish about eating meat/fish/chicken that still looks like such, which is why my main diet consists of chicken fillet. I did try going vegetarian for awhile, the fad lasted about 18 months and it was great. I have never looked, or felt healthier, but I did get a little bored with the food I could eat. Admittedly, it may have helped if I actually experimented with different recipes. I did cook one seriously vegetarian dish in that time and it took me about 90 minutes! I guess the fact that I had an eating disorder at the time made it easy for me to just limit my food intake?

Anyway, back to Serafina - it was an absolutely wonderful restaurant with the most intimate atmosphere. The perfect place to take that special someone in your life. (And no, I don't get a discount for recommending the restaurant!) We will definitely be going back. And the cocktails were to die for, and maybe I would have died if I hadn't watched my step while leaving the restaurant. Yep, those dreaded 4" heels again! Plus the floor has some differing levels which may be hard to notice when your tired, or have had one to many cocktails, or a bottle of wine, or all of the above. Maybe I need to start drinking more so my system can handle more alcohol? Or stop drinking altogether? Or maybe I should just throw out those dreaded 4" heels!! We'll see......but for now, ciao baby.

You gotti see 'Growing up Gotti"

Let me introduce you to the Gotti's. Victoria Gotti; daughter of John Gotti, executive editor at large at Star magazine, author of the novels, 'The Senator's Daughter', 'I'll Be Watching You' and 'Superstar',
mother of three boys, Carmine, Frank and John (she sure does have her hands full!).

I have to say that I have never been interested in anything to do with 'the mob'. I don't watch television shows about them, or films about them. And although friends rant and rave about how great the sopranos are, I really have no interest in watching the show. So you are asking, dear reader, 'why am i doing talking about Growing Up Gotti, as it is a reality show about a mob family. Well, I may not be interested in the mob, but I am interested in people.

Victoria is a wonderful woman. She may, as first impressions go, look like an older version of Pamela Anderson (Pamela is also a very involved mother, just as a side note). But when she dresses up for a special occasion, she is truly glamorous!

I love strong women. And Victoria Gotti is definitely a strong woman. Did you watch the episode last week when she hired an assistant? Bad, bad choice...I knew it was not going to work from the get go. My husband was tired of hearing me scream at the television 'they are all loser, pick me!'. I would love to do that job! How hard can it be?? Well, I understand she could be very demanding, but she needs to be. She is a professional woman managing a career, being a single mum and trying to control three boys! You try it!

So if I have just given you the impression I am a struggling single mum trying to make a living, I'm not. But does it count that I was a live in nanny for about 18 months.....talk about hard work, the parents owned a restaurant so they were rarely home, and I spent every waking hour with 3 children (3,6 & 9 yrs old). It was difficult trying to work out where the job ends and my life begins. But knowing that I coped in that job role, I just know I could work for Victoria. I have also been doing reception/admin roles for a number of years so I definitely have the credentials to be a wonderful assistant to Ms. Grotti, opps Ms Gotti (oh and I will be sure to get her name right, for some reason I keep calling them the Grotti family, instead of the Gotti's! Don't worry I have done a spell check).

And maybe she would expect alot but I am sure she pays well! I have worked for much less and had to deal with painful bosses in the past. I already know how to keep the boys in line, give them all a box of hair gel and send them to their rooms. Presto! Such tranquility.

The main reason I love this family so much is that they remind me of my own family. No, my family are not associated with the mob! And they aren't even italian. I really meant to say that they remind me of my immediate family. Ok, so my family are irish and all my relatives are irish. But I think my (irish) aunt wished she was italian? When she wasn't enjoying the company of the irish, she was hanging out with italians. We actually spent a great deal of time with italian families, that my aunt introduced us to. They are wonderful, vibrant people who exhibit a great love for life, and the odd bottle of wine or four. We had a ball!! I must admit that there was alot of yelling, not in an angry manner. It was inevitable that when everyone got together it would get really loud, much like special occasions with my husbands family (or any occasion). It was wonderful!

Lets make a toast to another series of the Gotti's. May your family live long, and peaceful lives, yeh lots of peaceful would be nice.