Ristorante Magnifico!

Mamma Melina Ristorante
On the corner of 50th Ave N and Roosevelt in the U-District
It's the one with the red awning.

For Ardon, one of the perks of working at the hotel is that he gets discounts and gift certificates from the restaurants that surround the hotel. The desk clerks keep the neighboring restaurants in business by referring guests to their restaurants to eat, and in return the restaurants treat the desk clerks with discounted meals and gift certificates.

Yesterday, Ardon received a gift certificate from a neighboring restaurant called Mamma Melina Ristorante, an Italian restaurant on 50th Ave N and Roosevelt in the University District. He nor I have ever eaten there before, so we were quite excited to try it out. To our surprise, it was a very quaint little restaurant. The tables were small and placed quite close together, and the eating area was just one open room. While the dining area was small, it had a good, intimate, cozy vibe, with the white table cloths, candles lit on each table, and some Italian instrumental music playing low in the background. As I scanned the room, I noticed that everyone had to lean closer to each other over the tables to converse. I have never been to Italy before, but I could imagine myself stepping outside of the ristorante and walking onto a cobblestone street in the middle of Rome. The vibe was awesome, and everyone was very friendly.

We were served focaccia bread, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar before ordering. The focaccia bread tasted really good. It was still warm, and so soft on the inside with a slight crunch on the outside. The food we ordered was very good as well. Ardon ordered the Salmon Farfalle (Bowtie pasta with salmon in white sauce) and I orded the Pollo al Marsala (chicken breast in a brown creamy sauce with onions and mushrooms, and a side of veggie and pasta). Both dishes were SOOOO good! It tasted very home made, like lots of love was put into each dish. We also ordered dessert, and ended our meal with a Tortino--a slice of warm apple and cranberry bread pudding topped with vanilla ice cream. YUM!

Ardon made sure to thank the manager, Antonio, for the gift certificate, the wonderful food and experience. Antonio insisted that the entire meal was on the house, rather than on the gift certificate. We really could not have thanked him enough.

I usually don't blog about food or restaurants, but I do love blogging about a great experience, and this is definitely one of them. If you're ever in need of a laid-back, intimate, friendly, delicious time, head over to Mamma Melina in the University District. I highly recommend it!

Here's the link to their website: http://www.mammamelina.com

Taking Shots

So, I've always loved photography. As a sophomore in high school, I took a photography class, and I've loved it ever since. Well, back in high school, I had a 35mm Canon camera that took rolls of film. I would have to go to the dark room (we called it the "bat cave") to try to develop the film, and I'd cross my fingers in hopes that the negatives would actually develop. Most of the time, only half of the negatives would develop, and the other half was just a black strip of plastic, so finding a good picture to print was slim pickins. Thank goodness for digital! Last month I invested in a good camera with a focusing lens and everything. All of the photography terminology came back to me as I read through the manual. . . Words like aperture, F-Stop, and shutter speed, reminded me of all the things I actually know about photography. I'm also starting to learn more about photoshop and how to enhance the images. I am hardly pro or expert, but I really have fun doing it.

So, I've been taking lots of pictures, mostly just around the house when I'm bored. Here are only some of the pictures that I've shot. I have plenty plenty plenty more. I haven't touched these with photoshop, so these are the images in their original form. Oh yeah, I also have a vase in which I'm always changing the flowers. The vase is probably my favorite model to shoot. You'll see some pics below.

Ardon so peacefully sleeping. The flash woke him up after this one.

The strings of the guitar hanging on my wall.

Salt and pepper.

The morning after a night out, I found my shoes in the window.

In the flower vase.

In the flower vase two.

In the vase three.

In the vase 4.

Mes Nouveaux Amis. My New Friends.

I know, I know. . . I haven't blogged in months and months and months. I've been slacking for sure. However, I had to write about this last weekend, because it was très magnifique.

Ardon works at the University Inn right off campus of the University of Washington. Many of his work stories include interesting guests from all around the world, whether they're visiting campus as incoming Freshmen, or need accomodations while they visit from overseas. Last week, his guests included a group of African ballet dancers from France who conducted workshops and performed at Meany Hall all week. They were all members of Compagnie la Calebasse in Paris. Ardon kept telling me how cool they all are, and how much fun they are to have as guests at the hotel because they brought a great energy. He made friends with them over the week, and they gave Ardon 2 free tickets to see their show. So, he and I went not knowing what to expect to see, and the show was amazing. After the performance, they invited us to join them backstage, and I got to meet them. I was quite excited because it was a great opportunity to brush up on my French skills! The following night, we took them out into the city to DANCE, and we all had such a great time together. They returned to Paris on Sunday, and I miss them already. They are such wonderful, beautiful people who are truly great company, and they all have such intriguing life stories. I can't even begin to describe how talented and wonderful they all are because it wouldn't do them any justice. I'm so blessed to have crossed paths with an amazing group of gentlemen. Ardon and I just keep talking about how we miss them, and how we need to go to Paris to see them again. If you ever hear about Compagnie la Calebasse, I encourage you to go watch the show. . . Or better yet, watch the show and meet them. You'll never forget it.

Backstage after the show with Ardon and Serge (in orange).
Serge is a principal dancer in the company. He grew up in Africa and has travelled the world through dance. I don't remember the names of the other guys, but they were all so much fun.

Tony and Ardon. Tony performed all week with a broken wrist.

Merlin, Ardon, Serge, and me
Merlin is the founder of the company and the choreographer of the program. He is incredibly talented. His vision as a choreographer and artist is on a whole other level. He and Serge grew up in the same village in Africa and are now very successful dancers.

Bile (Bee-lay)
He was quite excited to see that I love Paris too, and he had to pose with le Tour d'Eiffel. Man, he was such a great character.

The Incredible Couch. Merry Christmas to Me!

At long last, my new furniture has arrived! After a week long delay due to the snow storm and terrible road conditions, the furniture made its way. My new dining table came right before Christmas and my new couch came yesterday! I'm so excited. My house is finally feeling more like a home. Now, I know the couch is quite large. I became aware of this as the delivery men were putting it together, and I ALMOST thought it might be too big for my place. . . until I sat in it. It's soooo comfortable, and I can't let it go. Al and Shawna stayed the night last night, and all 3 of us slept on the couch, WITH ROOM TO SPARE!

I LOVE MY HOME! Come over and hang out!

My new couch and dining table.
(Excuse the extra clutter.)

The view of the living room from the front door.
It really is a massive sectional, and I adore it.

Tin picked out the throw pillows. They look great.
I'm still waiting for my new ottoman, so those two end table won't be staying.

Shawna and Al waking up from a comfy slumber in the new couch.
They give the new couch 10 thousand thumbs up. They say it's a keeper for sure.

The Snow Brings City Lights and New Recipes

For the last couple of days, Seattle has been covered in ice. Automobiles have been skidding through intersections, people have been falling on the sidewalks, small businesses around South Lake Union are closing at earlier hours, and many folks have decided to just stay home. Auntie Lita and Mel are in town for the holidays, and I couldn't even drive down to my parents' house and see them! To add to the horrible outdoor conditions, it began to snow yet again today in the early afternoon. And the snow still falls as I blog at 10pm. Looking out my window over 9th Ave, I see that what was a super slick road this morning is now a crunchy white path.

As Ardon and I just sat at home, we watched the snow fall and fall and fall and fall. We were getting cabin fever, and we weren't going to let the snow get in the way of fun. We thought it would be fun to bundle up, grab the cameras and face what news reporters are calling the December Freeze. So, that is exactly what we did, and it was all so beautiful. The snow was falling, the ground was covered in white and hardly uninterrupted by tire tracks, the streets were lined with lighted trees, and it really felt like Ardon and I were the only people left in Seattle. Sometimes you couldn't even tell where the sidewalk ended and the road began because the snow had piled on so thick. After about a half hour of walking around the area in the frigid cold, we headed home. If we had stayed out any longer, our noses would have frozen off of our faces. We had pretty much frozen our bodies out there, and we instantly began to thaw as soon as we entered the warm condo. It was a perfect moment for comfort food, so I got out some recipes and filled the condo with sweet and savory aromas. So, while the snow storm put the city's hustle and bustle to a screeching hault, I managed to have a lovely day.

9th Ave directly in front of the condo.
Ardon stood in the middle of the road and jumped for the camera.
Usually at 5pm on a Saturday, this would be a much busier road.

The snow, lit by the street lamp, falling on Ardon.

Westlake Ave. Not a car in the road--a complete rarity. The lights were pretty.

The Space Needle from 9th Ave and Harrison.

After coming home, I baked some of my special Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies.

And I cooked Tinola for the very first time!
It was a success. The warm soupy broth with the chicken, baby bokchoy, and papaya over warm rice was so good on a cold day. It's truly my idea of comfort food.

Seattle Snow: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

The snow accumulation on my deck measured about an inch and a half at around noon. And the snow is still falling, but even harder now! If downtown is this bad, I could only imagine how much worse it is in the surrounding areas.

9th and Harrison.
Cars have been skidding through this intersection all morning. This guy's tires spun a little after the light turned green.

The parking lot across the street. Notice the Audi having a bit of fun as he exits the lot.

The tracks that the Audi left in the parking lot. Donut galore.

The Good (Actually, the GREAT):
My work load this week has been. . .

• Monday - 2 hour delay

• Tuesday - 2 hour delay

• Wednesday - School Closed. A flake of snow did not even fall, and I got a lot of my Christmas shopping done--finally.
  

• Thursday (Today) - School Closed. I get to catch up on the deep cleaning of my condo that I've been meaning to get done.

• Tomorrow - Who knows? I'm keeping my fingers crossed for closures, and then Winter Break starts! I don't have to go back until January 5th.
  

I love my job this week!!!

The Bad: Roads are really awful today and I can't finish my shopping. The furniture that I'm expecting to be delivered to my condo are no longer going to come due to the bad road conditions. So, here I live in a rather empty home, which will remain empty until the weather improves. This is unfortunate because the relatives are coming to visit this weekend and there is nowhere to sit or nothing to show. Welcome to my home with some area rug, a TV, and a Christmas tree!

The Ugly: West Seattle is ugly right now. The snow is thicker than downtown and the roads are turning into ice skating rinks. I would say that of all Seattle, West Seattle has been hit the hardest by the storm so far. Because of this, I can't get to school to feed my poor fish! This could get really ugly.

Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other is GOLD!

Our new Golden Chinese Algae Eater. The children named him Junior.

While Sharmin will forever be remembered as the OGAE (Original Gangster Algae Eater) of the tank, we must welcome our new addition to the crew. After a devastating loss, and a thick accumulation of algae, another family from our classroom gave us a wonderful new friend to help keep the tank nice and clean.

Each day after the loss of Sharmin, the tank got a little greener. After about a week, one of my students's moms approached me one morning and said, "I think I'm gonna go to PetCo down the street and get us something to clean up all that algae." I thought that was a swell idea. That afternoon, when she came to pick up her child, she had a new algae eater in tow. Looking at in the plastic baggie, it looked TINY compared to the hefty Sharmin, so I wasn't even sure if it was even an algae eater. Furthermore, I wasn't sure if it was going to survive in a tank with Sparkles, who can be quite aggressive at times.

I gathered the children together to introduce them to the new alleged algae eater. I warned them about what could happen, and to not be surprised if we find him floating or if we don't see any remains at all when we come in the next morning. We also needed to decide on a name for the new fish. After gathering all their ideas and voting on one name, we ended up with the name JUNIOR, as suggested by my student Lance. Junior actually kind of looks like Sparkles' mini-me, so I think the name suits him well.

It's been a little over a week, and he's still alive and really sucking down that algae! Our tank is getting clearer and clearer by the day, which is quite impressive considering how small he is! He and Sparkles are getting acquainted beautifully. The children love to watch them chase each other around in the tank, or they love to look for Junior because he's so small.

I'm glad that the children and Sparkles are enjoying Junior. All is well in the world again.