New Love - Koots Green Tea

My new obsession is the new Koots Green Tea place in Lincoln Square. They are the leading retailer of the highest quality and exciting selection of Japanese green tea and latte-style beverages in Japan. Their first store in the U.S. opened in Bellevue, WA a few months ago.

I've tried these two drinks and they are delicious:

Kuromitsu Pearl Latte: Iced Matcha, Japanese molasses, milk, and our special "black pearl" tapioca.
Kuromitsu Latte: Matcha Latte enhanced with natural Japanese molasses. Slightly sweet with a rich, mellow taste.

Will matcha chocolate tea sell in the land of lattes?

Cute Crocs..... WHAT??

So. I think Crocs are the fugliest shoes around. Don't you agree? Just look at these:

Seriously, anyone wearing these shoes should only be in the garden (or a professional nurse). They do not look good with everyday clothes, especially in public.

Even though Crocs came out with a horrible first style, they actually have some other cute styles. I might even buy some of these, since I know they are so comfortable.

http://www.crocs.com/home.jsp

Microsoft's Big Hole!!!!!!!

This week after lunch my co-workers and I take a break and go peak at Microsoft's big hole! Apparently this is suppose to be the second largest parking garage in the western hemisphere. This is a four-story parking garage, which will hold nearly 5,000 cars.

We have been peaking through the wood fence watching the Shovel truck dump dirt into the constant stream of dump trucks. Did you know that this Shovel truck can only scoop two piles of dirt into the dump truck until it's full?

Check out the video

Cha Cha Lounge is a Goner

Guess what.... there's going to be ANOTHER new condo built in Seattle. A lot of the new condos and apartment buildings around Seattle have improved the neighborhoods they were built in, but this one will destroy a great spot in Capitol Hill.

Here is a list of stores/bars they are tearing down to build this condo:
- Cha Cha Lounge (many great memories here)
- Winner's Circle (sells “street wear” to skateboarders and other hipsters. A perfect store for this neighborhood)
- Bimbo's(a Bitchin’ Burrito Kitchen)
- Bus Stop Bar (didn't get a chance to go here, but sounds like a great hang out spot)
- Harry's (quickie side market)
- Manray (Trendy gay bar)
- Kincora (Corner Pub)

I'm sure this is going to be another Condo, that no one in Seattle can afford.

Read About Another Condo in Seattle

Trip to London and Paris

Wes and I are headed to London and Paris in about a week and a half. Anyone have advice/suggestions of places to go, things to do, etc....?

This website has some great suggestions on all places in the world: http://www.43places.com/person/SpodiJodi

Bellevue Construction in NY Times

My companies new office (Eddie Bauer) is in the New York Times due to all of the construction in Bellevue. We are moving in one week from a nice rural area (Redmond) with tons of trees and wild bunnies to a concrete world in Bellevue. The new Lincoln Square office sounds really great though, lots of light and great views.

"Already, companies are planning to move into Bellevue, which is about 10 miles east of Seattle and, in the 2000 census, had a population of almost 110,000. Microsoft is expanding its offices here, while Eddie Bauer has chosen the city for its new headquarters and Neiman Marcus is opening its first Pacific Northwest store here."


The Cranes Are Back, and So Are the Tenants

Fremont Solstice 2007

This is the first time in the past 3 years I've been able to make it to the Fremont Solstice since moving to Seattle. I finally got to see the awesome parade that I've been hearing about. I couldn't believe that there were so many kids around there.

The parade lasted about an hour or so and the black clouds started rolling in, but luckily it didn't rain the whole time we were there. There were a couple hundred stands/tents with some really neat stuff to buy. I purchased a gift for my sister's birthday.

Goodbye Bob Barker

Bob Barkers last day on Price is Right was Friday morning. Sad....., I use to watch this all the time growing up. In High School during club period one of the math teachers would have Price is Right club and all we would do is watch the show. I'm sure that club didn't last too long after we graduated. :)

Bob Barker, who is 83 years old hosted the Price is Right for 35 years. I wonder who the next host is going to be.....

If you want to read more about him: Bob Barker Leaving TV After 50 Years

Here are some great Price is Right clips.

Mac or PC

OMG SOOOO FUNNY

5 yr old Ashley Priess in Training

I was about 5 yrs old when I started gymnastics and got to level 8, by the age of 11 or 12 years old. She is now 16 yrs old and is establishing herself at the international elite level.

At Age 5:

At Age 16:

About Ashley Priess

Fremont's Outdoor Movies

Don't forget to go to at least one Fremont Outdoor movie this year. I went to see Grease last year and it was a lot of fun. Bring a blanket to sit on and one to cover you up, a pillow or something soft to lay on, lots of friends/family and snacks!

There's a $5 dollar donation and the movie starts at dusk, but I would recommend getting there around 7:30pm.

The 2007 Schedule
Saturday, June 23 - Feind without a Face - TWISTED FLICK
Saturday, June 30 - Airplane!
Saturday, July 7 - The Neverending Story
Saturday, July 14 - Santa Claus - TWISTED FLICK
Saturday, July 21 - An Inconvenient Truth
Saturday, July 28 - This is Spinal Tap
Saturday, Aug 4 - Moulin Rouge
Saturday, Aug 11 - Cat Women on the Moon - TWISTED FLICK
Saturday, Aug 18 - Casino Royale
Saturday, Aug 25 - The Princess Bride
Saturday, Sep 1 - Dreamgirls
Saturday, Sep 8 - She Demons - TWISTED FLICK
Saturday, Sep 15 - TBA

Earth Class Mail on KOMO and KING

What if you received all of your postal mail electronically on the Internet, instead of paper? This would save you a lot of time and energy in your everyday life. My old boss James Gallagher works for Earth Class Mail, a start up company that sends out electronic postal mail.

"Earth Class Mail is the only service in the world that allows you to view and manage your postal mail online from anywhere. We have customers in over 80 countries utilizing our service to recycle junkmail before it is ever opened---allowing them to print, shred, archive, or forward-ship only their important mail." Jobster Profile.

Earth Class Mail was featured on KOMO 4 and and KING 5 News the past two days. Check it out:
http://www.earthclassmail.com/Seattle-KOMO-4-News
http://www.earthclassmail.com/Seattle-KING-5-News/

Jean Enersen in U-Village

Today I was down in U-village doing my in-store orientation for Eddie Bauer. Every new employee at Eddie Bauer Corp. gets to spend a day in the store to understand everything that goes on with the customer. During our 1 hour lunch I ate at Zao Noddle and guess who was there? It was King 5's news anchor Jean Enersen. A friend of a friend told me she was a huge klepto, is this really true?
This is what I ate for lunch (YUMMY):
SPICY BLACK BEAN CHICKEN STIRFRY:– ZAO SpecialtyTender chicken, fresh vegetables with spicy black bean sauce served with jasmine rice. Can be ordered as a vegan dish without the chicken.

Is Tukwila Safe?

About two weeks ago I was in Tukwila after gymnastics filling up my gas tank at the AM PM by Southcenter. I never realized this area was so sketchy, until I saw some guy in a really nice Mercedes pretending to get gas. He just had his car parked there and was selling stuff out of his trunk. Who knows what illegal stuff he was selling, but he was walking to others cars with a spreadsheet of the stuff he was selling. How is he allowed to do this? Does the owner of the AM PM not care?

Here's an article I found about Tukwila:
13 arrested in Tukwila prostitution sting A prostitution sting Thursday night by the Tukwila Police along International Boulevard nabbed seven men — one of whom was later fetched out of jail by his wife after she posted bail. Undercover detectives also arrested six female prostitutes during the two-hour operation. The Tukwila Police say more such stings are planned.

Sting Operation means: In law enforcement, a sting operation is an operation designed to catch a person committing a crime by means of deception. A typical sting will have a law-enforcement officer or cooperative member of the public play a role as criminal partner or potential victim and go along with a suspects actions to gather evidence of the suspects wrongdoing.