I don’t know if its the rainy season here in Seattle, or if I’m just ready to leave… but I’m gettign really anxious for my next trip. We’ve been planning a trip to Tokyo for about a year and its getting closer every day. I’ve been rereading the travel books and particularly a book I found about Tokyo Architecture and there is just so much to see!!!! I can wait for the trip, and I can’t wait to leave the rain. Then again, the rain is probably almost through here.

One thing I’ve been particularly looking forward to are the cherry blossoms. I’ve read that they blossom during the month of april, so our timing should work out perfectly. The curious thing is that the cherry blossoms here in Seattle have already come and gone, so I wonder if there will actually be any cherry blossoms in Japan.

I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Its interesting the people that you meet when you are waiting in an airport. A four hour layover in Salt Lake during the middle of the night is a long time to try and entertain yourself. After about an hour of reading, I decided to curl up on the floor and try and nap away the remaining 3 hours.

I curled up with my nano, but I couldn’t get to sleep. After a while the guy next to me started a conversation and we ended up talking for the rest of the layover. It turns out that he is in A/R (something to do with the hip hop music business) and has the opportunity to work with people like Mos Def, Common, and Kanye. I couldn’t believe it because I am such a glutton for celebrity smut and those are my favorite artists. He couldn’t quite grasp the idea of me loving hip hop so I whipped out my nano and showed him the playlist. Sure enough, there were all of the artists that we had just talked about. It was then that he took out a cd from his bag and gave it to me… Pucali Raw. Apparently, they are going to make it big (sometime soon I hope)… and sure enough after listening to the cd, I would be surprised if they didn’t make it.

So if you have a chance to listen - check out Pucali Raw.

Its always good to visit friends, and as excited as I was to visit my friends in Cincinnatti, I wondered what we would do. The other times that I’ve been to Ohio, have not been the most exciting trips ever. The people are always great, but sometimes I can run out of things to do. So when my friend suggested a visit to the Cincinnatti Zoo I was pretty excited. One, because I like zoos, two, because I like doing things with my friends, and three because I’m always looking for something else to do in Cincy. It turns out that the Christmas holidays at Cincinnatti’s Zoo are supposed to be spectacular. Maybe, we’ll have a chance to go when we are there for Xmas. Because it turns out, that the zoo is actually a really nice one with some spectacular animals.

Three cheers for the Cincinnatti Zoo.

Ivar’s has been recommended to me for quite some time. Its a local Seattle chain with several restaurants scattered throughout the Seattle area. The Salmon house was specifically recommended, so because my in-laws were in town we decided to check it out.

It was a fun restaurant built to replicate a traditional Pacific Northwest Indian Longhouse. In fact, even though it isn’t an authentic Longhouse it is on the local historic register because it is such a perfect replicate. Scattered throughout the Ivar’s were old photographs of local Native Americans, totem poles, carved images, and canoes. Just in case there wasn’t already enough to captivate you throughout the meal, there was a great view of Seattle across Lake Union.

On top of that… the food was tasty and moderately affordable. Great seafood, cornbread, and more.

Ivar’s is a great restaurant for visitors to Seattle who want a view, good food, and some local history.

Was downtown yesterday and experienced another or Seattle’s protests. Being a fairly liberal city, and definately a city with a conscience there is always some protest or another. The interesting thing is that there are so many protests in Seattle, that there are very few that actually make a dent. I mean… so many of the protests are just a gathering of a few people, often with a cause that is not made clear at all, standing in front of a bus stop. I can never figure out what is being protested and what is the objective.

Yesterday’s protest was an exception. There was a very organized protest including a march calling for an end to the war in Iraq. It was interesting to see something so organized when there rarely seems to be any organization in this city.

I came across this funny site on a forum… I’m a little ashamed to admit that my musical tastes apparently match up with RuPaul’s…

Your Musical Tastes Match: RuPaul

See her whole playlist here (iTunes required)

It has recently come to my attention that there are indeed people reading my Blog. Sure, there may only be two people, but that’s two more than I was aware of…

Now, I feel this unbelievable pressure to be entertaining. I feel like everyday I should come up with some kind of clever anecdote to describe my experience. So sad that my life is so dull and devoid of anything worth commentary.

I can’t complain about work - people get fired for that.
I can’t complain about relatives - they might actually read it.

Seeing as there is not much more going on in my life… I will have to search the internet in order to find something worth writing.

Its a sad day… a sad day in a boring existence.
But, I’ll keep hoping for something exciting to happen.

I walked around today with my brand new nano for the first time since I got it. Riding the bus to work was no longer a chore, but rather a scene in a movie…. working was fun because I was drawing to my own personal beat.

I felt like I had my own personal soundtrack. Michelle’s life - the Soundtrack. For some reason, it made me feel like an observer and the world was happening around me. Kind of like in Harry Potter or Scrooge where you’re stepping into someone else’s experience.

Fun for today, definately.

I decided to treat myself to the new Ipod Nano as a birthday treat. I am so absolutely excited about getting it!!! It should be here tomorrow!!! I tried to buy it directly in the store, but they were all sold out the very second day! But I ordered it and have been tracking it through Fed Ex. Watching my little nano make its way from China to Anchorage and now to Seattle.

I ordered some of the accessories - the colored protective tubes and the armband, but now I want the docking station and the lanyard! Apple is brilliant in their design and marketing. I am completely sucked in and now…..

I CAN’T WAIT FOR MY NANO TO GET HERE!

Fall came on Thursday with a bang.

Summer is officically over and I have spent the weekend mourning its passing. There will likely be no more tanning on the deck, few bbqs, and sun filled skies.

The rain will soon be here and I am depressed just thinking about it.