For the past few months, I’ve been going to capoeira class here in Seattle. The class is being started up by a guy who recently moved here from Wisconsin, and is affiliated with my capoeira school in SF. So I was excited to find out he was starting up an Omulu branch here, but also wondering how much I wanted to commit to it.

The classes started out in Belltown, which wasn’t a far drive from our apartment in the Central District. Then he moved the class to a community center in Queen Anne, which meant a farther drive–and also meant going through a busier part of town. Driving from the CD took awhile, which meant going to class from Rainier Beach would take even longer.

The past few times that I have gone, it has taken me anywhere from 30-45 minutes. Today, it took me more than an HOUR. It only took me about 15 minutes to get from my garage to the exit, but once I got to the exit, I sat on the exit lane on the freeway for about 25 minutes. The freeway exit happens to be one of the worst ones within downtown Seattle. Once I got off the freeway, it took me another 20 minutes or so just to get to the community center.

As I walked up the stairs to the classroom, I listened for the familiar sounds of the capoeira music. Nothing. No…please let them just be stretching. I walked to the classroom. The lights were off. ARGH. DOUBLE ARGH. I called the instructor. “Oh…I forgot to tell you I’m out of town. I meant to email you, but I had such a busy morning, and my flight was at 2:30. I’m sorry…but next week, we’ll be there, and there will be two more students.”

I had to bite my tongue not to sound too frustrated. I wasn’t about to get mad at someone I barely knew, and then have to face him the following week. “It took me an hour to get here, and I just thought maybe you guys left because you thought I wasn’t coming,” I told him. I didn’t care that he had a busy morning, as I’m sure he knew he was leaving town in advance. I had just been stuck in traffic for more than an hour for NOTHING. I got off the phone as quickly as possible.

The classes have been pretty sporadic over the past few weeks due to the holidays and busy schedules. Plus, our class of 15+ in Belltown shrunk down to five when it moved to Queen Anne. Then after the new year, it shrunk even more to three–me, the instructor, and his girlfriend. In the past, when he canceled class, he would call or e-mail me, so I assumed it would be the case every time.

It’s frustrating to me, though, because every week, I really have to force myself to go to class. It wasn’t like breakdancing, which was about five minutes from my apartment and SO MUCH FUN. I looked forward to it every single week. Capoeira is fun when I’m there, but it just takes so long to get there. It’s not even far. It’s just the traffic that makes the trip frustrating. But a huge part of me feels almost obligated to go because of my history with the Omulu school. I know I really don’t have obligations, but I really empathize with the instructor who is eager to build up a capoeira school in Seattle.

Anyway, I called Matt and just growled over the phone. “Go get a boba,” he instructed. That’s definitely a cure-all for me. :) So I took advantage of being in the city, stopped by REI, and then made it to Gossip for boba before it closed. By the time I got home, I was ready to relax with my boba, and all was well once again.

On Sunday, Matt and I went to University Presbyterian Church to hear Dr. John Perkins speak, rather than going to our regular church. We had heard Dr. Perkins speak at World Vision’s chapel and was eager to hear him again. We made arrangements to meet up with the Greenes, who also were going to UPC that day.

On the way to church, Matt and I were talking about our small group and a possible ministry that we are considering. There has been a lot on my mind about both items, and I was relieved to find out Matt also was on the same page about them. We agreed that we should talk to more people about both things, and there was one couple in particular from church that we’d be able to talk to about both the small group situation and the ministry. We had only met them once and talked to them briefly. We’ll look for them next Sunday, we decided.

We arrived at church, sat down, and the service started. A few minutes into the service, the pastor asked us to stand up and greet people around us. We shook a few hands, turned around to look for more people, and there–just two pews in front of us–was the couple that we had just been talking about on the way to church. They had come to hear Dr. Perkins speak, too! Totally a God thing.

After service, we briefly told them what was on our mind and said how odd it was that we were just thinking about them. We didn’t get to talk very long, but at least we made that connection, which will hopefully open up more doors to talk in the future.

It’s times like this that remind me that when we start to fret over some things, God knows, and shows us that we don’t need to worry at all. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6-7)

A buddy of mine, Erik Candiani (hubby of my long-time friend, Tami) is vying for one of 16 spots on the upcoming reality show, On the Lot. In the show, aspiring filmmakers will compete for a $1 million deal with DreamWorks. Erik submitted a clip, which will be viewed by people worldwide before the powers that be decide if he should be on the show. Check it out and leave a comment, since the judges will be taking viewers’ comments into consideration. Let’s get Erik on the show!

As I’ve been answering the standard “What are you guys doing for Valentine’s day?” questions, I realize that as much as I always roll my eyes over this occasion, I really DO want to do something special. Yet, I have stipulations. For fear of thinking myself too girly or high maintenance, my rules are:

1. No roses, but I do like other flowers like dahlias, gerbera daisies, tulips, and irises (That reminds me that I had hoped Matt would buy me a bouquet of green flowers for St. Patrick’s day last year. He didn’t, but he said he actually thought about it, but just forgot.)

2. No jewelry

3. No fuzzy teddy bears holding boxes of chocolates (although I do love desserts!)

Basically, if Matt were to give me something, I know that he would get me something based on who I am. He knows all my rules, so he wouldn’t get me any of the above-listed items. I have, however, outright told him that going out for boba on V-day would be a great way to express his love. :) His response: “Who said we’re doing anything?! I thought we agreed long ago that we don’t celebrate these sort of things and that we don’t buy each other gifts!” He says it jokingly, but he’s right.

We did come to that agreement as soon as we started dating, although we’ve bent the rules a few times. And in all honesty, it’s not a big deal whether or not we do anything, because we have special nights out during random times of the year, too…but I wouldn’t mind a card, either–or I’ll make it easy–even a postcard with a handwritten note on the back. :) But after almost five years of being together, I know getting a card from him would be a miracle. That reminds me that I haven’t made him a card this year. Oops.

I don’t think he has anything planned, nor do I, but I think if I plead enough, I’ll be getting boba!! I should remind him that he’s lucky to have a low-maintenance gal like me, so really, he should be getting me TWO bobas! :)

So happy Valentine’s day to everyone out there, single or hitched. Even if you aren’t doing anything special today, just remember: V-day candy goes on sale tomorrow!

Here’s a Valentine that Dorc e-mailed to me!

Sunny with scattered showers was the forecast for this weekend. I crossed my fingers and hoped for more sun than showers, since I wanted to get outside after being cooped up in a cube all week, with no view of a window.

My weekend started out with a few hours at Discovery Park. (We took Dorc there during her visit and picked blackberries.) I had signed up to participate in REI’s service project to clean up the plot of land they adopted. This weekend’s goal was to pull out invasive plants (ivy, blackberry bushes, etc.) and plant native shrubs that were more beneficial to the wildlife.

I was a little apprehensive about going and not knowing anyone else, but I reminded myself that this wasn’t the first time I had ventured off to do something on my own–and I didn’t have too many horrible experiences. Makeba was going to join me after her morning obligation, but the project ended early since there were so many volunteers. It would have been fun with her there, but I managed to find some temporary buddies while there. :) I latched onto a group of women from a company called F5 (no relation to the Chinese boy band/tv stars, F4. haha…) and another woman from REI, and we got right to work. We dug out little islands for clusters of winterberry shrubs, tried not to hurt the worms that we were disturbing, and finished planting 20 shrubs by the time we were told to clean up.

During the self-imposed lunch break, I ate with a woman named Tesha (sp?), who had just moved to Seattle a year ago. She and her husband were looking for a house and were actually planning on checking out the Rainier Beach area. Everyone she had talked to about the area told her it wasn’t a good one, yet none of them had ever lived here. I was happy to tell her about my experience so far and reassure her that I didn’t feel the area was as dangerous as people made it out to be. Plus, it really depends on your street and your neighbors. She also said that, coming from the New York area, neighborhoods that people said were “bad” in Seattle were nothing like “bad” neighborhoods in New York.

Here’s a picture of Tesha pouring mulch around the newly planted shrubs:

At night, we hung out with Makeba and Aaron again! We went to the Wellington on Rainier Avenue and had a yummy dinner there. The restaurant serves Southern food, and is your epitome of a cozy, family environment. There was a guy playing the keyboard and singing familiar tunes like, “It had to be you,” and walking around singing to customers. I have not been to one restaurant in the Columbia City area that I have not liked. They are all so good. I also like that part of Rainier Avenue because it’s lined with cute little restaurants and stores. I also was glad to hang out with the Greenes again (and surprised they’re not sick of us yet, especially since I see Keba everyday at work!).

Here’s a picture of the restaurant (Geraldine’s) where we ate when we first went out with Keba and Aaron (across from the Wellington):

We ended up watching “The World’s Fastest Indian” after dinner…the movie is about neither people from India or Native Americans (which would be a horrible title if it were!). The “Indian” is actually an old motorcycle, and the movie is about a New Zealander named Burt Munro who fixed up his Indian and set land speed records. I wasn’t excited about the movie at first, but I ended up really liking it. Munro, played by Sir Anthony Hopkins, is a charming, old fella who gets along with everyone he meets. Even the aggressive young motorcycle gang that challenges Munro to a race at the beginning of the movie ends up giving him money for his trip to the United States. One of my favorite lines: “Even dirty men need love.”

Today’s dose of the outdoors was a walk to Kubota Gardens, probably about 3/4 of a mile from our house. It’s all downhill going there, which means uphill coming back. I was surprised to see a view of Seattle and of Lake Washington as we were walking down Renton Avenue toward the gardens. It was actually quite nice. The garden was beautiful, too, although I suspect it’s a lot more beautiful in the spring when flowers are blooming. There are some open lawn areas, as well as trails through bushes and trees. We took some pictures there and explored, but the rain started to come down, cutting our visit short. We had to walk back in the rain (more like sprinkles), which reminded me of the scene from “So I married an axe murderer” where Charlie and Harriett walk home after eating dinner at Fog City Diner. :) I love the rain!

Here’s a dried flower on a tree in Kubota Gardens (more pics in the gallery):

So I got out in the outdoors twice this weekend. Not bad! On top of that, I baked bread from scratch! Yummy! And another random note: Matt and I were watching TV earlier tonight, and while flipping through channels (which is what happens when Matt gets a hold of the remote), we saw a familiar face on the Apprentice! One of the guys from Matt’s basketball team through the Michael Chang league is on the show! Purty cool…so we ended up watching the rest of the episode, and fortunately, Matt’s teammate was not fired. :)

And that concludes my weekend update!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MELANIE!! (I don’t know if she even reads this blog, but I wanted to give a shout out to my fellow Harry Pothead and ANTM fanatic!)

This weekend, I set out to discover how much I was truly saving by buying bulk items at Costco. We usually go grocery shopping at Safeway, but Matt really wants to try to buy as much stuff at Costco as possible, especially stuff that we use all the time. So after going to Costco on Friday night, I made a table of the items that we bought and noted the Costco price vs. the Safeway price (listed on the website). Here are some of the results:

Eggo waffles (which Matt eats everyday!)
COSTCO: $6.62 for 60
SAFEWAY: $5.05 for 24

Odwalla OJ
COSTCO: $6.39 for 128 fl. oz.
SAFEWAY: $7.49 for 64 fl. oz.

Honey Nut Cheerios
COSTCO: $6.03 for 3 lb.
SAFEWAY: $3.68+/lb.

Swanson chicken broth
COSTCO: $6.99 for 12 cans (58 cents each)
SAFEWAY: 60 cents each

S&W diced tomatoes
COSTCO: $6.49 for 8 cans (81 cents each)
SAFEWAY: $1.45 per can

Mac and cheese
COSTCO: $7.84 for 15 boxes (52 cents each)
SAFEWAY: $1.89+ per box

Beef loin tri tip steak
COSTCO: $4.99/lb.
SAFEWAY: $5.99-$6.49/lb.

Ling-ling potstickers
COSTCO: $8.99/67.2 oz.
SAFEWAY: $9.99/56 oz.

Trident gum
COSTCO: $6.68 for 12 (56 cents each)
SAFEWAY: 99 cents each

Herbal Essences Body Envy shampoo
COSTCO: $6.99 for 40 fl. oz.
SAFEWAY: $6.99 for 23.7 fl. oz.

Scotch Brite sponges
COSTCO: $9.59 for 15 (64 cents each)
SAFEWAY: $3.49 for 3

Sure, you end up spending more at one time at Costco, but I like not having to restock on a certain item for a long, long time. And as long as we do use/eat that certain item often, it’s a much better deal to go with Costco. (And who doesn’t like the $1.50 hot dog/drink combo and free samples?!)

The Seattle Times published an article about a cafe in Kirkland does not list any prices on their menu, nor does Terra Bite Lounge even hint at suggesting prices. They just put a metal box out on the counter and leave it up to the customer to drop in $1, $3, $5–or even nothing–for their purchase. In the article, the owner of Terra Bite is quoted saying that people are essentially good, but can be influenced by their environment. If people see good, they’ll be good. So far, according to the article, Terra Bite averages 80 customers per day, earning about $3 per transaction.

The reporter interviewed customers with positive comments who shared that they believe in what Terra Bite is doing, and would be willing to pay more–or at least what they would normally pay at Starbucks. On the other hand, I read comments on someone’s website about how this is an opportunity to abuse the honor system and receive free goodies. Some of the people who posted on the website even said they were going to bring all their friends there and take advantage of it. How true are those comments? Who knows. Sometimes people just like to be obnoxious when they can hide behind a keyboard and a screen name.

But I do believe that people who believe this is honorable and positive will be the ones visiting Terra Bite and putting in what they feel is a fair amount to cover their purchases. I wouldn’t say that people are “essentially good,” but I do believe that people WANT to do good, and are fueled by others who promote positive actions. In the nine months that I’ve lived here, I observed that Seattlelites are more conscious about pitching in and doing their part (for the most part). People seem more inclined to drop money into tip jars (from what I’ve noticed), and I have met so many people my age (outside of World Vision) who are involved in nonprofits or participate in some arena of social justice.

I do hope Terra Bite survives, as I know there are cynics out there who don’t believe in positive results of good intentions. I hope we can all prove them wrong.

Kris’s water broke this morning!!!!! How exciting and scary! Please pray for a smooth delivery and for any anxieties to be calmed. I know they are eager to find out if they’re having a boy or a girl–and I’m so excited to see pictures!

The timing is perfect, since I just sent off my little buddy, Hurley (on the left), to the Kimballs in Hawaii. His friend, Libby (right), is living with the Candianis in Sacramento.

UPDATE: As of 8 a.m. on Feb. 8, Kris and Ryan are proud parents of Benjamin Wesley! YIPPEE! Congrats!!

“Human love constructs its own image of the other person, of what he is and what he should become. Spiritual love recognizes the true image of the other person which he has received from Jesus Christ.” –Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer

[Beware–long post!] 

One of my struggles is being comfortable with who I am–around anyone. I can bust out with raunchy fart stories or break out into little jigs around some friends, but around others, I’m more reserved and come across as being totally sweet and quiet. With some, I can wear my frumpiest sweatshirt and not worry about how my hair looks, while with others, I’ll wonder if they will think my clothes are cheap or outdated. As one friend put it, “I feel like I cater to what I think the other person wants me to be.”

Why do we (mostly girls) feel this way, and why can’t we get past it? Especially when making new friends in Seattle, I cling to the friends with whom I can feel totally myself. I make more of an effort to hang out with friends with whom I can wear whatever, where with other friends, I might just call them to hang out after I’ve done laundry and have a greater selection in my wardrobe (not really). But you get the point. The thing is, these people who I don’t feel totally myself around are STILL nice people. They’ve never done anything to make me feel like they’re too good for my friendship. In fact, they’ve gone out of their way to develop a friendship with me. But when I notice differences in our personalities, I am concerned that they will look down on me because I: a). don’t dress as well; b). can’t cook as well; c). am not as outgoing and witty; d). all of the above. As I write this, I realize just how foolish it all sounds. Who ever mandated that we all need to only hang out with people who are exactly like us? If I survey my long-standing group of friends, I know there are many, many differences among us all.

On Saturday, I hung out all day with my friend, Keba, while her husband, Aaron, hung out with Matt. Aaron also is a car fanatic and video-game addict, although much more so than Matt, since Matt actually rarely plays. He sure misses having people to play with, though. Anyway, Aaron and Matt played video games for probably six hours, if not more. Keba and I went and got inexpensive–but great–haircuts from Gene Juarez Academy. (I am so happy with mine, and despite Matt’s initial fears, I do NOT look like a boy.) After the haircuts, Keba and I made flower pens and just gabbed for a long time. We pried the video game controllers out of our husbands’ hands to eat dinner, and then played a round of Cranium (girls won, of course). By the end of the night, we had been hanging out for about 10 hours, and I was already looking forward to hanging out again.

The next day, I invited a friend from church over to hang out while her husband was watching the Super Bowl. Matt was out in the garage, installing the second garage door opener, while my friend and I hung out in the living room. We browsed through home decorating books that I had borrowed from the library and just talked. This friend is super nice and has been so welcoming to us from our first visit to the church, so I wanted to make an effort to show that I was grateful for her friendship. After the Super Bowl, her husband came and joined us for dinner.

Now, I hadn’t prepared to cook dinner for us all, so I just had four chicken breasts in the crock pot, and then I dug out some pasta and sauce from the pantry. Ironically, just the night before, I had told Keba that I had been wanting to invite this couple over for dinner, but I was too embarrassed to cook for them. The wife is really into cooking and is great at it, and I…well, let’s just say I prefer having a bowl of cereal for dinner than my cooking. At least the cereal is guaranteed to taste good. Anyway, I was so embarrassed to pull out a jar of spaghetti sauce, since just earlier that evening, my friend had told me that she makes her own pasta sauce. On top of that, the chicken breast was dry and flavorless. It was not one of my better dinners.

But as I’ve had more time to think about it, I realize that I should not be embarrassed. Cooking is not my forte (which, by the way, is pronounced “fort,” not “for-tay”), and I shouldn’t feel like I have to be good at it, simply because my friend is. I shouldn’t have to pretend like I care about being trendy just because the person I’m hanging out with is. I shouldn’t feel like I need to be super health-conscious just because my friends are. The dumb thing is that no one but me is pressing these thoughts into my head. None of my friends even seem to mind…or at least they don’t tell me they do.

And that goes back to the quote I started this entry with. If we’re going by the concepts of human love and spiritual love, I’m obviously believing that people are perceiving me with human love and wanting me to be like them. That also must mean that I see people through the same lens, subconsciously wanting to befriend people like me or turn them into how *I* think they should be. But what really counts is seeing people and myself for our God-given potential (a World Vision-ism)–not for shallow, surface traits. Not until I do that can I make myself open to developing genuine, long-lasting friendships.

Here are two pics of Keba and Aaron–our crazy pals!

No one wants to get hit with advertisements, but I wanted to mention a few friends who have created websites to publicize their talents. Sure, I can just list them in my links list, but I would rather just mention them separately…so here they are:

Jazmin…four sisters, one voice…my friend and her sisters have been on a roll with gigs all over SoCal. They’re performing, recording songs, practicing, and hoping to get signed!

Roaming filmmaker…an old friend of mine has traveled the world pursuing various talents. He recently set up this website to publicize his filmmaking skills.

Shot by the Man[us]…a buddy of mine who is a wedding photographer in the Bay Area, married to one of the goofiest gals I know.

Shot down south…and representing wedding photogs in SoCal is an old friend who shot my own wedding and designed our wedding album (for which I’ve received many compliments!) Her photoblog is in my regular links list.