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Had a blast in Seattle today. :)
Just being with everyone is dang cool. Spiffy. More than spiffy. Splufty.
Was a little disappointed, though, that my memories of Seattle from my last trip (a little over 10 years ago) don't match up with the current city. I only counted 15 coffee shops on the way in to the city. It got harder after that, because I had to make sure that I didn't count any twice, but I counted 15 more as we toured around and then went home. So, went through a fair chunk of Seattle today, and only saw 30 coffee shops. And most of them were from one of three chains. Starbuck's (of course), Seattle's Best Coffee, and Tully's. Most of the smaller ones seem to be dying out.
Anyway...
Took a Duck Tour. That was really fun. The guide was just silly and fun and stuff, and had great music programmed in. We were just laughing and singing and having a really good time. And I made a baby laugh by making faces at him, which is always cool. Oh, and the driver turned around to talk to me because he has alopecia, too. Not often I meet a fellow... not sufferer, exactly, but you know what I mean.
Then it was just bumming around the market and poking into shops and hanging out and taking random pictures.
Went up to the top of the Space Needle, got some beautiful views. Took more pictures.
Oh, and I've managed to do something I was never really very good at before. I'm pretty shy and withdrawn in person. I mean, I'll act bouncy and goofy and stuff without any qualms, but that's just being me. Joining into conversations can be hard, though I haven't really been worrying about that too much. But another major thing is looking people in the eye. It can be hard for me, but I told myself to do it and I am so glad I did.
Everyone in the group has these cool and unique eyes. (Hopefully, they won't mind me saying so and won't be giving me odd looks or something...) It's not something you can really appreciate unless you're there, face to face. Pictures never capture eyes right. So...
Anna's eyes are a deep, startling blue. Amazing color, really. You ever see that contact lens commercial with Lynda Carter, where the camera zooms superclose on her face and she talks about her "baby blues"? And you look at her eyes, and they're this really amazing deep blue? Or, SG-1 fans, Amanda Tapping has similar eyes. Anna's are like that, but richer.
Kaylle's are, by contrast, an almost translucent sea green. Fascinating. I've heard eyes like that described, but never actually seen them before. I think maybe I finally understand what Buttercup was talking about when she was describing Wesley. "With eyes like the sea after a storm..."
Doranwen's are bicolor. There's an inner brown ring and an outer blue-green. They're not really hazel. There are two distinct layers. And the pattern changes (I think it's when her pupils dilate). It can be two rings, fading into one another, or you can get deeper colors with the brown spiking into the outer ring like a starburst.
Last but certainly not least, Sara's are a color I've never seen anywhere. They seem to be a kind of golden brown or something. But, when the light hits them just right, they catch the sun and turn bright, almost glowing, gold. It's really cool.
So... that was my day. Coffee shops and eyes, with some sightseeing thrown in for good measure. And, of course, good company.
Oh, and I made a souvenier purchase. Stopped in... a tea shop! That's right, tea. Not coffee. Tea. In Seattle. How could I pass it up? They were really serious about it, too. There was this long bar with wooden chairs, and you sit down, and they pour you cup after cup of hot, freshly made tea. For free. Because, of course, they want you to find something you'll like so you'll buy some to take home. I tried several grades of oolong. Starting with "monkey pick," which has a cool name but a weak flavor. The guy claimed that it's called that because they train monkeys to get the leaves, since the best leaves grow on the sides of steep cliffs. I'm pretty sure I heard the same story from the guy in the tea shop in Atlanta (I bought a small bag of gunpowder from him - gunpowder being a mid-to-high grade of oolong). Oh, and I felt pretty cool just because when he asked if I'd like to try some oolong, I remembered enough to ask "what grade"? I don't think he expected that of a young-looking guy with a napsack and a comic book t-shirt.
They had some really good tea. Including this super high grade of oolong that you can feel lingering on your tongue, filling your mouth, long after you've had it. I had a tasting cup full, followed by tastes of several other teas. Then we got back in the car, drove over to the Space Needle, parked, etc. And I could still feel it. He didn't want to sell me that because it's super expensive ($200/lb... though actually they had some other teas that were even more expensive, too), but I bought a couple ounces of a lower grade oolong, some jasmine, and some rose tea. (Made from actual rose buds. It's so weird. And cool. It tastes like rose. Think of what a rose smells like*, then imagine turning that into a flavor.) Not much of any of it, since it is seriously expensive. Just a couple ounces. But when it was all packed up and paid for, he gave me a free sample of the super high grade stuff! Almost an ounce, I think, by the time he finished packing the sample envelope chock full.
*A red rose. A very fragrant red one. That rich, earthy, and slightly sweet "rose" smell. Not the light and almost sugary (pastry-like) sweet of some yellow roses.
So... I'll come back from Seattle with a bag full of tea. What can I say? I'm different, and proud of it. *G*
Okay, I should finish this up, take care of my camera, and get to sleep. Have to be up tomorrow to spend more time with the gang! (Watch as they all end up mysteriously wearing sunglasses, even though we're planning to spend the day indoors...)
Edit:
Pictures taken today: 104
Yes, I overshoot. I figure with digital cameras, I can keep trying, then delete the ones that don't come out right or whatever. I'll have to go through them later. But gee, no wonder my camera's battery warning light started flashing...
Just being with everyone is dang cool. Spiffy. More than spiffy. Splufty.
Was a little disappointed, though, that my memories of Seattle from my last trip (a little over 10 years ago) don't match up with the current city. I only counted 15 coffee shops on the way in to the city. It got harder after that, because I had to make sure that I didn't count any twice, but I counted 15 more as we toured around and then went home. So, went through a fair chunk of Seattle today, and only saw 30 coffee shops. And most of them were from one of three chains. Starbuck's (of course), Seattle's Best Coffee, and Tully's. Most of the smaller ones seem to be dying out.
Anyway...
Took a Duck Tour. That was really fun. The guide was just silly and fun and stuff, and had great music programmed in. We were just laughing and singing and having a really good time. And I made a baby laugh by making faces at him, which is always cool. Oh, and the driver turned around to talk to me because he has alopecia, too. Not often I meet a fellow... not sufferer, exactly, but you know what I mean.
Then it was just bumming around the market and poking into shops and hanging out and taking random pictures.
Went up to the top of the Space Needle, got some beautiful views. Took more pictures.
Oh, and I've managed to do something I was never really very good at before. I'm pretty shy and withdrawn in person. I mean, I'll act bouncy and goofy and stuff without any qualms, but that's just being me. Joining into conversations can be hard, though I haven't really been worrying about that too much. But another major thing is looking people in the eye. It can be hard for me, but I told myself to do it and I am so glad I did.
Everyone in the group has these cool and unique eyes. (Hopefully, they won't mind me saying so and won't be giving me odd looks or something...) It's not something you can really appreciate unless you're there, face to face. Pictures never capture eyes right. So...
Anna's eyes are a deep, startling blue. Amazing color, really. You ever see that contact lens commercial with Lynda Carter, where the camera zooms superclose on her face and she talks about her "baby blues"? And you look at her eyes, and they're this really amazing deep blue? Or, SG-1 fans, Amanda Tapping has similar eyes. Anna's are like that, but richer.
Kaylle's are, by contrast, an almost translucent sea green. Fascinating. I've heard eyes like that described, but never actually seen them before. I think maybe I finally understand what Buttercup was talking about when she was describing Wesley. "With eyes like the sea after a storm..."
Doranwen's are bicolor. There's an inner brown ring and an outer blue-green. They're not really hazel. There are two distinct layers. And the pattern changes (I think it's when her pupils dilate). It can be two rings, fading into one another, or you can get deeper colors with the brown spiking into the outer ring like a starburst.
Last but certainly not least, Sara's are a color I've never seen anywhere. They seem to be a kind of golden brown or something. But, when the light hits them just right, they catch the sun and turn bright, almost glowing, gold. It's really cool.
So... that was my day. Coffee shops and eyes, with some sightseeing thrown in for good measure. And, of course, good company.
Oh, and I made a souvenier purchase. Stopped in... a tea shop! That's right, tea. Not coffee. Tea. In Seattle. How could I pass it up? They were really serious about it, too. There was this long bar with wooden chairs, and you sit down, and they pour you cup after cup of hot, freshly made tea. For free. Because, of course, they want you to find something you'll like so you'll buy some to take home. I tried several grades of oolong. Starting with "monkey pick," which has a cool name but a weak flavor. The guy claimed that it's called that because they train monkeys to get the leaves, since the best leaves grow on the sides of steep cliffs. I'm pretty sure I heard the same story from the guy in the tea shop in Atlanta (I bought a small bag of gunpowder from him - gunpowder being a mid-to-high grade of oolong). Oh, and I felt pretty cool just because when he asked if I'd like to try some oolong, I remembered enough to ask "what grade"? I don't think he expected that of a young-looking guy with a napsack and a comic book t-shirt.
They had some really good tea. Including this super high grade of oolong that you can feel lingering on your tongue, filling your mouth, long after you've had it. I had a tasting cup full, followed by tastes of several other teas. Then we got back in the car, drove over to the Space Needle, parked, etc. And I could still feel it. He didn't want to sell me that because it's super expensive ($200/lb... though actually they had some other teas that were even more expensive, too), but I bought a couple ounces of a lower grade oolong, some jasmine, and some rose tea. (Made from actual rose buds. It's so weird. And cool. It tastes like rose. Think of what a rose smells like*, then imagine turning that into a flavor.) Not much of any of it, since it is seriously expensive. Just a couple ounces. But when it was all packed up and paid for, he gave me a free sample of the super high grade stuff! Almost an ounce, I think, by the time he finished packing the sample envelope chock full.
*A red rose. A very fragrant red one. That rich, earthy, and slightly sweet "rose" smell. Not the light and almost sugary (pastry-like) sweet of some yellow roses.
So... I'll come back from Seattle with a bag full of tea. What can I say? I'm different, and proud of it. *G*
Okay, I should finish this up, take care of my camera, and get to sleep. Have to be up tomorrow to spend more time with the gang! (Watch as they all end up mysteriously wearing sunglasses, even though we're planning to spend the day indoors...)
Edit:
Pictures taken today: 104
Yes, I overshoot. I figure with digital cameras, I can keep trying, then delete the ones that don't come out right or whatever. I'll have to go through them later. But gee, no wonder my camera's battery warning light started flashing...
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From:
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One chain that I know of is The Republic Of Tea. You can explore their website, order from them online, and email them for a list of tea shops carrying their products in your area. The place in Atlanta (Elephant Tea Co., IIRC) carried their stuff, but I don't see them in the phone book anymore.
The one in Seattle was purely Chinese. Good if you want some high-grade oolong and jasmine and such, but they don't carry any of the western flavored teas (mint, vanilla spice, cinnamon, irish breakfast, etc).
Anyway, yeah... looking into friends' eyes is fun (