A Grand Day Out...

Yesterday, I only went downstairs long enough to warm up a plate of food in the microwave. Today, we went downtown. It was clear and sunny, all the mountains were out. Some I hadn't even seen before. Pointy things with snow on top...

We went out in search of a lightbulb. A very special lightbulb. One that goes inside a handmade ceramic Christmas tree. Not one you'd find at a regular store. The lamp store just down the street said "try the Bulbman." So we set off in search of the Bulbman south of downtown, and it turns out he was easy to find. So easy to find we were almost disappointed. We were both in the mood for a quest. The bulb we wanted wasn't some hard-to-find rarity, either. I showed the base of the tree with it's empty bulb-socket to the girl at the counter and she said, "oh yeah, we have those, they only come in a two-pack, is that OK?" We said sure, bought the bulbs, and sheepishly went on our way.
We drove through the middle of downtown, though I didn't want to stop and get out, downtown Seattle seems a lot less, I don't know, threatening, than other big city centers I've been in. A sharp turn, a very steep hill, and suddenly we were at Cost Plus, a store I've been wanting to visit. They had Tiger-Tiger sauce, as I'd hoped they would. We stocked up. I wondered what I was doing for a moment, why stock up on food I like to cook when I can barely even bring myself to set foot in the kitchen? Then again, if I'm tossed out of here I'll just take the jars of sauce with me.
We left Cost Plus and headed towards home on a street I wasn't familiar with. I looked off to the right and saw the Space Needle. I didn't know there was a road and stuff on the other side of it! I've looked at maps, I just didn't have a good picture in my head. I really do need to explore more. I learn something new every time I venture out on the streets. It was rush hour by now, and things were backing up. A song by Spearhead came up on Luke's randomly sorting iPod, and I liked it. He offered to reset the iPod to play the whole CD, something he's never done before. He's big on the random song shuffle, while I much prefer a whole CD at a time. We crawl through traffic, and I have another moment of place recognition. A few weeks ago I missed a turn I was looking for and ended up driving along a street for a mile or two. Had my car not been sounding so bad I would have gone further to see where the road went. I suddenly realized- this was the street, if I'd stayed on it a little bit longer that day, it would have dumped me smack in the middle of downtown! Seattle got a teeny bit smaller, once again.
Traffic is really horrible, we veer off onto Nickerson, and it's just as horrible. Oh well, the music is good, and the company sure can't be beat. We finally turn left onto the same drawbridge I'd crossed on my angry drive the other day. Suddenly, we're just blocks from home.
A short rest, then dinner at Cedar's on Brooklyn, where I'd gone and had a great time with shikzoid back in October sometime. It was a very different dining experience tonight, quite disappointing. It was crowded, and they stuck several small tables way too close to each other. Not good for relaxing, romantic conversation. Everyone could hear what everyone else was talking about. The service was also kind of weird, there were too many servers! Two different people took our drink order. Luckily, we only got one drink each. We ordered garlic nan, but never recieved it. Then there was the poor waterboy. His entire job was refilling water glasses and clearing plates in our tiny crowded part of the restaurant. He looked embarrassed to be coming by so often to every table. All in all, a strange dinner.
Now we're home, music, LJ, bed eventually. No idea what will happen Saturday during the day, looking forward to Los Straitjackets at 9pm.
Pub meet on Sunday, will anyone talk to me? Stay tuned...