St. Vincent & sand = NO FAIL

My raw "pasta" dinner was mostly successful, I suppose, though it wasn't quite enough and we ended up at Proletariat Pizza picking up half of their amazing Ham & Egg pie (my second visit that week AND the same exact pizza...lordy.) It was seriously indulgent enough to work in perfect harmony with the cheesecake and chocolate cake Sailor brought for dessert from Bakery Noveau (I have to say he's got pretty good taste.)

As I julienned the big pile of veggies we chatted, made plans for a joint roadtrip and he introduced me to the charming music of St. Vincent (he definitely has a knack for being able to suggest the perfect tunes for his friends.) After dinner and a bottle of wine to wash it down we headed to Alki in the middle of the night and proceeded to enjoy the bottle of port DP had stashed in his car while running around on the beach in the cold like a couple of foolish teenagers. If you haven't peed in the Puget Sound before then you're most assuredly missing out. When I awoke Sunday afternoon to my pile of sandy clothes and salt-crusted shoes, I couldn't help but grin and giggle. I have a feeling that by the time he goes back to LA I'm going to have half a dozen more stories of our antics and possibly half a functioning liver.

"Oh look, more sand!" - Sailor

Hello Halloween FAIL(?)

So, even after weeks of months of planning my possible costume for this weekend I actually ended up with no real plans to go "out" but instead of being upset, I'm a bit amused.

Technically, I did get invited out and of course there are half a dozen costume-y parties I could attend; I'm actually not really feeling it. Instead, I'll be having my friend Sailor over for dinner again - a gent who is apparently "not big on that dress up shit" and curious enough about a raw "pasta" recipe that I've been wanting to try out to pass up on an invitation to both of us from our old coworker to terrorize the bars downtown with him and his wife.

Though part of me feels that I technically "failed" at one of my favorite holidays, the other part is pretty confident that it'll be a lovely weekend even if I don't end up getting out into the costumed craziness that is sure to ensue tonight. It's been pretty freakin' dreary out and a night at home with a good meal, bottle of wine and interesting company isn't sounding too shabby at all.

In other news, this week has been delightful. I got to meet my pet-sitting wards Thursday night before Bikram and I have to admit that Honky and Orville are two sweet, adorable cats who I will be more than happy to take care of while my friends go out of town, despite the fact that Honky requires IV fluids every other day. I got a chance to try my hand at administering the fluids that same night and it really didn't freak me out as much as I had thought it might.

I also got in 2 Bikram classes in with no savasanas (another small class guilted me into pushing myself harder) AND The Madre found out her auditioning classes payed off when she got the part of Helga ten Dorp in a local production of the play "Deathtrap" - I'm so darn proud.

SAD.

It's not even really winter yet and it seems many I know lately are already fighting SAD (seasonal affective disorder) or just finding themselves depressed in general.

Whether it's due to the weather or not so ideal circumstances that may be happening for you lately, fellow blogger and awesome cartoonist Allie of Hyberbole and a Half makes it clear you're not alone (and will probably extract a least a giggle out of you) with her most recent post "Adventures in Depression."

"You're so fucking special."

There were 3 people including me in my Bikram class on Tuesday night.

I guess the 8:30 PM start time is a bit of a stretch for some, but I find myself looking forward to slipping into the studio 15 minutes early and allowing time to relish the heat and savasana before I put my body through it's paces. Afterwards I have just enough time to go home and shower, grab a snack and slide into bed with my book for a while before I drop off to sleep.

I really have a spectacularly cozy bed so that last part of the evening when my clean skin and buzzing muscle is cradled by soft sheets and the light pressure of my warm duvet it feels completely luscious. It's become a ritual that I would probably find hard to put aside for an earlier class, though clearly late sessions are not for everyone.

That being said, I am actually considering trying the 6:30 class tonight because I keep exchanging glances with a hot tattooed dude that always seems to be coming out of class as I'm going in...But, I digress.

With 3 students in class you basically guarantee you're going to get personal attention; alternatively, you feel like a total lazy schmo if you consider savasana (or what I like to call "laying the fuck down") so I made it through my first entire class without a single non sequence savasana. My teacher also boasted that I was on my 11th or 12th class when it was in fact my 6th, so I ended up feeling pretty darn special by the time I shuffled out of the studio.

very virgo metal monkey.

Okay, yes - I read 3 different horoscopes every week. Mock me all you want; I know many, many, many people think astrology is completely silly. That's fine with me (see: "IDGAF...") Really. I still like you, though.

Sundays I get my weekly Astrocenter email, Tuesdays I get Rob Brezsny's Free Will Astrology link via his Facebook page (I swear, all the cool shit is on Facebook these days,) and on my fancy igoogle homepage I get a free daily horoscope that I check out before I start gchatting. Honestly, I've never paid too much attention to the one I see daily until recently.

It keeps urging me to be patient lately (thanks bunches, fellow Seattleite and Master Astrologer Rick Levine...) Here is my typical response (as The Madre can attest,) borrowed from The Missus at On Common Ground (and someecards:)

I like a little hustle and bustle and I do it all in 4 inch heels.

I'm beginning to think staying busy keeps me sane.

This week I'm testing that theory with a pizza date with a longtime friend, 2 nights of bikram, a beauty appointment, a pre-pet sitting meeting with a few local friends annnnd that's all before Friday. In the meantime, I'm trying to coordinate some kind of mini-vacation to Oregon or California before my coworker goes on maternity leave in December and I'm stuck in Seattle.

In other news, I should be receiving these boots this week (so hot, right? don't be jels) and after being told I smell "lovely" by everyone from bartenders and random people on the street to close friends I have decided to restock my special signature scent blend. It's like Christmas in October! Also, in hopes of maintaining my "excruciatingly hot" status (thanks, Sailor) I've been inspired to sign up for a month-long membership at Seattle Integrated Martial Arts.

I imagine by the end of this year my ass is going to be in spectacular shape and I'm going to be so zen I won't know what the hell to do with myself.

Dedications.

Gawd, I absolutely love someecards.

I submit for your approval three cards I would like to address to a few of the men in my life recently.

Going for 5!

This will be my 5th year raising funds for the Arthritis Foundation through the Seattle Jingle Bell Run and though I have participated on a Yelp team for a few of those years, this time I'm signed up as an individual once again.

I am starting early but I've set a smaller goal for myself ($300) after raising a few thousand dollars for the program over the past few years. Don't get me wrong, even if I didn't personally have arthritis I'd be supporting this cause as the numbers are staggering - did you know that one in five Americans is afflicted? That's more than 50 million Americans including over 300,000 children – costing the U.S economy over $128 billion annually as the number one cause of disability. Crazy, right? That's why 80% of the funds that are raised go to important research and program services.

If you'd like to help, please consider donating here: http://seattlejinglebellrun.kintera.org/alyson or registering to run with me here. Even if you aren't in the Seattle area, there should be a run/walk being hosted somewhere near you!

Have you ever seen a picture of your ex...

and/or their new significant other/dating prospects and felt REALLY FREAKING GOOD about moving on? It's a horribly satisfying feeling. I mean, it's happened to me practically a bajillion times since high school but it really doesn't ever get old.

My coworkers and close friends like to say it's because I have shit taste in men, which is obviously at least partially true. Of course, I'd like to think I'm aging like a fine wine and just getting better as the years go by (which is much easier when you've never had to stress over a bad marriage and kids.)

Anywhoo...I went running on Sunday for the first time in almost exactly six months and though I'm a little sore and realized my form sucks enough to cause ridiculous headaches (I don't know exactly what I'm doing with my shoulders, but it is clearly WRONG) it was a nice alternative to Bikram.

This weekend it appears I'll be lucky enough to get some face time with an old friend of mine; we worked together at my very first job in Seattle, way back in '98. I'm having him over for dinner and, finally, I'll have a reason to harvest some of my homegrown chives for my famous goat cheese and chive potato cakes! Sadly, my broccoli is very leafy and pretty but not really productive and my chard is still way too small, but I should be able to get a few cucumbers out of the bush if I want to somehow incorporate those into dinner. Soon enough my handsome friend will be back in LA working in cinematography and who really knows how many years it will be before I see him again (and if he'll even remember me when he gets all rich and famous, eh?)

Bikram yoga is hot.

First session of Bikram: "Ohmigod, what are you doing? Are you crazy? An hour and a half of this? Just lay down, jeezus. I feel gross and out of shape."

Second session of Bikram: "Wellll, I don't think this is helping with my cold, but hey - I can actually do that pose! Oof, okay, maybe I should lay down for this one. Ahh, look at the first-timers...It ain't easy, is it, bitches? Okay, maybe I'm not so gross and out of shape."

Third session of Bikram: "Alright, it doesn't seem as ridiculously hot...Oh really, Miss Instructor, you want me to do what? Oh. Wow. I can do it. Weird. Oh my goodness, I barely laid down at all - I rock! Peep those muscles - I'm looking good!"

After my third class, the instructor (I had a different teacher for the first 2 classes) asked me if I had gone to another studio and when I told her that I had only done mat work at home with DVDs she complimented me by saying I did very well for someone with only 3 classes under their belt and had demonstrated a really good practice. I was pretty damn proud of myself.

Already it seems when I can't make it to 2 classes a week I start to get the "itch" and start trying to figure out where I can squeeze it into my schedule. I've got another class tonight....I may just be addicted.

"Thy ass doth shakith - Ninja Ian"

On Monday my favorite Ian (I know quite a few; this one is usually called "curly-haired") took me to a Chromeo show and we boogied the evening away. For those of you unfamiliar with the addictive dance grooves of this fun Canadian duo, I submit the following:

And maybe a little bit of this:

Needless to say, I'm getting old and going out on a "school night" left me too freakin' tired to attempt Bikram yoga on Tuesday. By the time my Thursday class rolls around I'm going to be itching for the heat.

For months and months I've followed The Missus' adventures in Bikram at On Common Ground but I never imagined I would get hooked so quickly. More on that coming very soon...

Becoming what you are (cont'd)

I'm not the kind of girl who...

...spends $100 (or more) on a pair of jeans

...is impressed by how many hours a guy spends at the gym each week or how much he spent on his fancy car or the expensive clubs he goes to

...is too chicken to ask a dude out

...lowers her standards just to be in a relationship

...bases her self-worth by what other people think of her

...starves herself to get skinny

...reads Cosmo or Marie Claire or Vogue

...pretends to care about sports

...lets the pain and disappointment in her past affect the happiness of her future

...messes around with or even pursues a dude who has a "lady friend" or "might try to work things out with their ex"

I am a chick with...

...a keen eye for bargains

...a slightly masculine attitude about relationships

...a decent head on her shoulders

...a vigorous reading habit

...mad cooking skills

...the knowledge of how to give a decent lap dance and/or sweet talk someone in Turkish

...a boat-load of respect and love for my friends and family

...a deep desire to continuously learn and grow as a human being

...a well-rounded sense of humor

...and, clearly, a healthy self-image

One of my favorite parts of Fall...

...is Halloween.

I have a costume arsenal in my closet, though it is nothing compared to my bff Dubs' collection - she's, like, a drag queen stuck in a gorgeous chick's body.

I love dressing up. I love costumes, I love food and cooking, I love giving gifts - Fall is definitely my season.

For the past few months I've been pretty set on being an emo scene kid this October (defined by Urban Dictionary as :

scene kid = boy/girl. usually seen wearing neon colors w/ black. leopard and/or zebra print obsessed. hair colored at least 2 different colors and cut at different angles. male scene kids usually try to attain over 500 friends on myspace and post pictures up of themselves making out with other boys. female

scene kids just ADORE neon colored eye shadow and wear one thousand layers of eyeliner. hair of both sexes is usually parted to the side.

All I need to do is track down a tight band tee and some coon-tail extensions and I'm pretty much ready to go.

Then I saw this costume (which would actually be super-simple to make and is cute, but non-slutty:)

A Cookie Monster costume! Look at that adorable headband!! Honestly though, I don't know that I will have the time or motivation to make a costume in the next three weeks. I've got Bikram again tonight and multiple plans this weekend (which is my ultimate goal since I'm focusing on making new friends and meeting new people after I realized cute, available boys are not going to just pop up on my doorstep) so I am severely tempted to go the easy route.

What are you going to be for Halloween this year?