Roller Derby! Rat City vs. Rose City

We went to roller derby over the weekend, to see the Rat City Rollers (Seattle) play the Rose City Rollers (Portland.) We went to Roller Derby quite a bit in Seattle after seeing them play Key Arena at Bumbershoot one year. Roller Derby is pretty much the only sport that either the boyfriend (Chuck) or I enjoy watching. This was an exhibition bout, and all of Seattle's teams played all of Portland's in 30 min long games.  So we went not sure who to root for. Seattle, after all, had a really good documentary made about them, Blood on the Flat Track and we are most familiar with their teams. Still, we were anxious to learn more about our current hometeams!

Okay, so I was rooting for my favorite team from Seattle, the Derby Liberation Front, to win the first bout. Burnett Down was our favorite roller girl, but I guess she retired in 2009. And DLF lost to the Portland Team, Break Neck Betties! Other than that I hadn't decided who to root for. Guns'n'Rollers (pictured above) made a pretty great entrance, and the hot pink zebra print is great. But, they played the Throttle Rockets and lost. Grave Danger, from Seattle, beat the Heartless Heathers by quite a bit. 

The High Rollers (from Portland, pictured above) played the best game of the night against the Sockit Wenches.  Hurricane Skatrina & Honey Hellfire were great jammers for the Portland team. All in all it was a fun evening, and it had us wishing we'd managed to check out the Windy City Rollers when we lived in Chicago! Maybe we can take my parents some time when I make it back for a visit?

Music Videos: Loch Lomond, Say Hi, The Living Sisters & Yelle

I love music videos!


This was one of the tracks featured on the Best Ever Mixtape they passed out at the Google concerts, and I already marked it as on of my favorites the first time I listened to the tape. The video is just great, directed by Seattle Based photographer Hayley Young.


I recently downloaded Say Hi's latest album Um, Uh Oh from emusic and I've been listening to it a bunch. I didn't know much of anything about the band but have since found out they used to be called "Say Hi to Your Mom". It's mostly one guy, Eric Elbogen, and they're (he's) based in Seattle. The video uses Seattle locations, including the Queen Anne Public School turned condos, which we used to live very close to. I found one pic of it in my old flickr sets, though it's not of the main entrance used in the video.


Michel Gondry directed this music video for The Living Sisters. I'm a big fan of Michel Gondry (although I haven't seen The Green Hornet yet...) and this split-screen story telling reminds me of the Cibo Matto video for Sugar Water, one of my favorites. Plus the subject matter is especially appropriate for me this month since someone I know is expecting!


I also really liked this double video from Yelle, but it's over 8 minutes long. It even has a sort of small intermission, which might be my favorite part.

Circus Contraption

At some point during our first month in Seattle we went to The Empty Space theater in Fremont (now closed, unfortunately) to see a play called "Frakenocchio." Lovely Tim Burton like puppets, a twisted circus sideshow plot and a live band called Circus Contraption.

Since then we've gone to see several shows and performances with Circus Contraption. And they've all been lots of fun. They've ranged from seeing them busk in the market, to performing as a band at the Croc, to circus tent themed plays. Last years Halloween party at the Showbox was just about as much fun as I can imagine a Halloween party could be, I mean it ended with a reenactment of the zombie dance from Thriller after all. What could top that?

Anyway, I was pleased to get tickets for their "Show to end All Shows" for our last weekend in Seattle. It seems appropriate. And since we've currently have no distractions whatsoever and very little furniture in the apartment, it was a well needed distraction.

Messing Around

Taking some time away from packing to mess around with the blog. Too much packing becomes too much packing after a week of it. So I mess.

We are near done I think, the major thing remaining being the kitchen stuff. We still have a few items to sell on craigslist & I have to figure out laundry. I suppose I'll clean what I've got, pack it and start living out of a suitcase soon. I have 4 days. Chuck is leaving the day before with the car so that he'll get there the same day I do...with a lot of dedicated effort put into driving. And I get to take the cat. (No one got the better end of that arrangement!)

So today we took a trip for a bit downtown to go up on the observation level of the Smith Tower.
I've wanted to do that for a while, it was nice. Cheaper than the space needle, and you get to see all 35 floors as you pass them due to old fashion elevator construction. I got a little dizzy.

Otherwise It's going. I feel satisfied that I've eliminated a lot of extraneous stuff at this end, but I think unpacking I'll decide to get rid of more. I intended to go through everything to make sure we weren't taking a thing that wasn't essential and/or extremely sentimental, but at some point it's too exhausting...and then it all just goes into a box. But in addition to the trouble of moving stuff, it's also such an effort to find a good space for it. Though we are talking of renting one of the storage lockers in our building I think it's probably a good idea to eliminate what I can.

And so this all sounds exhausting and it is, but I am also thinking happy thoughts about Chicago. My parents are there now looking for a place and last I heard it sounded like they were having good luck. I already have tickets for us to go to the Pitchfork Music Festival, we'll be living comfortably close to Grant Park, which has many free concerts and events. Not to mention all the new restaurants and shops to check out. And when we get there there will be fireworks. Well, I suppose that's actually cause there's a national holiday....but the timing is appreciated.

So many things

Last day of work was today, to be followed by a week of move-prep. The big move for me happens July 1st. Cat + Plane = stress, as anyone who has talked to me in the past three months is aware. (and for cat fans that's been the topic for the past year or more) Chuck will leave with the stuff (kept to a minimum with the help of Craigslist and an invite to crash a friend's yard sale tomorrow) the day before. But the last day of work was today. I believe I got a little weepy and had to leave without tracking down everyone in the office to say goodbye lest they make me cry. I promised to stop back for a visit during my move prep-week. And I will try to bring cookies. It's been a rough few months at that office with several departures, illnesses, a broken hand, and death in someone's family (to name a few issues)....cookies are well deserved.

I did get to leave early though, and enjoyed my last meal at the pike place market with the boyfriend. Sisters "nasruddin" sandwich. Eggplant, olive tapenade, hummus and wonderful bread. All happens to be vegan too. I left vowing to recreate it myself in Chicago, though I'm sure it won't be the same. I followed it with very non-vegan gelato...because, well, my last indulgence as a person that works next to pike place market.

We followed that with a fact-finding mission to Ikea. It would be senseless to buy anything now, but it was an excellent distraction from my weepiness regarding leaving a pretty awesome work environment. I'm not sure what facts we found. Though they do have a sale, and I found out at least one item I believe will be quite handy in the new space is involved, and this sale will continue until just after the move. Some items I think we determined we are less interesting in than we though, and others seemed as useful and inexpensive as expected. Ikeas of Chicago (they have two) we will see at least one of you soon!

Meanwhile, Chuck and I are both ebaying some stuff (I had a Collectible Barbie phase, I admit, it's well past time to let that go!) craigslisting, and using that yard sale for whatever is left. Hopefully before to long the only thing left will be my furniture piece, a few knicknacks, a rug, and our clothing and books. Our second move across a good chunk of the country contrasts with the first, this time is all about less...

Oh, additionally, I don't know if I've posted about it here, but my Mom & Dad are also moving to Chicago. When we went for our apartment hunting trip a few weeks ago, we saw my Mother briefly before her interview downtown that Friday. Last Friday we heard she got the job. My Mom & Dad are sorting all out, a first big move for them, and will be moving to Chicago shortly after Chuck & I get there, within a month. This maybe a little cheesy, but the John Lennon quote (I was raised with great appreciation for the Beatles) "life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans" has been one that I've always been struck by. Right now that has more meaning than ever and it's all working out very well...with or without a plan.

View from window in Queen Anne, Seattle

View from window in Queen Anne, Seattle
Originally uploaded by 2:19

Chuck figured out how to do time lapse video this week, and this is the result. I love the way the people move in time lapse, and that he managed to capture several dog walkers and someone dropping off the mail. I'm not sure exactly how it works, though it involves his camera and a scientific calculator. (That's why he was asking if I still had the cord for mine earlier this week. I'm sure I lost that way back in high school.) Anyway, it's neat, and I', sure he'll be doing this pretty early on at our new place in Chicago.

New Camera!

Market Vendor
Originally uploaded by emmakat79

This week I finally got a new camera! It's the first brand new camera I've had since all my previous cameras have been hand-me-downs, either from my boyfriend or my dad. All perfectly good cameras, always handy to have a few technically inclined guys around. When they upgraded to new fancier cameras I figured their old ones would work fine for me. Anyway, not the case this time! I had Chuck help me pick out a brand new one. It came last tuesday. I'm finally getting around to posting some of my favorite photos from the picture taking excursion I took on my lunch break Wednesday on my flickr account. And today we're off to check out Olympia, WA since we've never been and there's some happenings there this weekend. Look for photos taken with my new camera! Did I mention it's blue?

In Bloom

In Bloom
Originally uploaded by emmakat79

Around this time of year my mom asks me what is in bloom here in Seattle. Probably because most Ohio flowers aren't in bloom yet. This year I can give Mom photographic updates. Queen Anne looks very pretty this week!

Good food

I just got back from the Georgetown liquor Company in Georgetown. It's a part of Seattle Chuck and I hadn't really explored until a few weeks ago. We both took quite a few pictures and put them in our respective flickr pools. There's a rather large and old building, formerly Rainer Brewery Cold Storage, being torn down for development by Sabey Construction. As unfortunate as that is, I think as architects we have a similar fascination with buildings coming down as we do with them going up.
Anyway the food there is great. All vegetarian with geeky sci-fi names like the Picard and the Frac. To be honest, that combined with a pretty good jukebox and a couple of old nintedos and ataris to play with would be plenty to convince me, but the food is also very good. Next time we visit Georgetown we will have to check out the other vegetarian restaurant Squid & Ink.

Movie Day

Aaron Ekhart & Fake Rain
Originally uploaded by emmakat79

Feeling lately like there's a lot of things I would like to blog about but it's a matter of finding the time. Photos make it a little easier.

Today there was filming going on at the pike place market, which my office is adjacent to. Yes, I managed to be in the way by being a big dork taking pictures. I stood around watching for a while on my lunch break and caught a scene with one of the main actors walking through traffic with a brief case. On my way out at the end of the day I checked in again. I got to watch them making rain. The rigging for the rainmaker was up all day, and I was a little disappointed I didn't manage to see them use it on my lunch break. Fortunately some waiting around after work (and inadvertently standing around in the crowd of extras that got rained on for a bit until a guy with a headset moved me along) proved fruitful and I got my fake rain. Hooray for Hollywood. With out them we'd have no rain in Seattle....or wait...that's not right.

Anyway it was neat for a day but a bit chaotic. Being able to peruse the Market is exciting enough for me on most days. Everyone once and a while I'm okay with a movie filming though...as long as they run it by me first! ; )

More pictures on my Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/emmakat/

Kerry Park Panorama

Kerry Park Panorama 2.25.08
Originally uploaded by emmakat79

I'm lucky enough to walk by one of the coolest view points in Seattle at least twice a week on my way to work these days. I thought I'd use it as an opportunity to document one location the same way on a weekly basis.

Actually, It brings to mind the movie Smoke. I don't remember exactly what that movie was about (maybe it wasn't about anything?) The main thing I remember is that Harvey Keitel's character stepped outside his shop every day to photograph the same corner the same way each time. I've wanted to do something like this since I saw that movie in 1995.

Anyway you can find my weekly documentation on my flickr site here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/emmakat/sets/72157603915242476/