Sunday 1/15, We were up around 9ish again. We were meeting Keem and C for breakfast at 10:30. We got ready and raced out. The place we wanted to go to was packed so we called another and got on the list. It was a French place with pastries and breakfast. I had a scramble and croissant. Breakfast was really fun and we talked for a long time then said our goodbyes and took off. We went back to their house and just hung out for the rest of the afternoon. We watched the game and Sos showed me the outfits she had for the baby. We had a nice afternoon and when it was time to go to our train Sos took us. The train left right on time but we didn’t get 5 minutes down the track before stopping and not going anywhere for two hours. There was a problem with a hose and the brakes not releasing before finally a new engine was hooked up. We talked and looked at my magazines and waited and waited. We were supposed to arrive at 8:45, but didn’t get in until 11:45. Kassie picked us up and there was ice and snow everywhere. We got back to her house and let the car warm up and Eric scraped while I went inside and looked at the loot she accumulated over the weekend. We took off for home and did fine and went to bed when we got home. The dogs were happy to see us.

Saturday 1/14, Eric was up first, of course, and I started getting up around 9. Sos made breakfast and we ate around 11:30 or something. We filled in the time by chatting. We took off to go explore and went up to Lewis and Clarke to see where Sos did her masters and it was beautiful. We saw a ton of old gorgeous houses as well. We went downtown to Powell’s and all split up for a half hour or so. I went to the art floor and checked out some books and the artwork (taxidermy and chalk drawings). Next we took off for the Kennedy School and I had a hard time understanding the concept. It was very interesting and fun to walk around. Next we went to Tasty and Sons and there was a 40 minute wait. We walked down the street and peeked into the shops. Back to Tasty and we were seated, ordered a bunch of stuff and shared everything. The fries were excellent. Our entire bill came to like $40. It was crazy and we were all full. We went to the back of the restaurant to the meat deli and bought a couple cookies that were touted as the “best”. They were pretty good. We took off back for their place and hung out for the rest of the afternoon. We played a boys against girls game of trivial pursuit. We did about equally well and called it a game before we’d finished our pies. Sos talked to H*kim and C*rmen about karaoke and we decided to meet up in 45 minutes or so. We went to the Galaxy and grabbed a large table. The singing was hit and miss. H&C showed up and Keemy picked me up and his hand went up my leg almost to my crotch, yikes! It was hilarious and I just surrendered because I knew if I struggled it would only make things worse. Shua and his wife Ch*lsea came too, who was very nice and talked to Eric for a while. I haven’t seen him since H&C’s wedding. Keemy wanted us all to go up and sing and dance but no one wanted to. We left at 11:45 and called a couple places to find out who was still serving food. We went to Saucebox and had a decent meal. Eric’s burger was really good and my pot stickers were about a 7.5. We were all tired and decided to call it a night after that and headed home. We got ready for bed and hit the sack. It was 2.

Friday 1/13, I woke up a little before 8, took the dogs out, fed them and said adieu to Eric who was off to class then to work. I started my laundry, ate breakfast, showered, listened to the Bob Rivers show on my computer, got ready, took out the recycling, emptied the bathroom garbages and took off to find baby gifts for Sos and Jake. I went up to my usual toy store, stopping in DSW on the way, but they’ve changed ownership and no longer have cute clothes or books. I searched that store high and low for toys not made in China and came up with like 3 options. Two made in the USA and one in Indonesia. There were some from Vietnam and South Korea but I steered clear. I told the girls I wanted not-China toys and she said there aren’t many. Not sure about that. I did alright though. Went home, folded laundry, did more laundry, vacuumed, cleaned up the kitchen and had some lunch. I cleaned Eric’s vanity area up which was nasty, filed some stuff and talked to Kassie briefly who was in Georgetown looking at retail space. Updated this and wrote an email to Rose about Quincy and possibly visiting over the weekend. Eric came home and was a bit exasperated because of his long day, packed up his stuff and off we went to West Seattle. We talked about sex on our way over and went to Met Market to pick up supplies for our train ride. We went over to Kassie’s and Joslin let us in. We looked through Kassie’s loot and I showed Eric the chairs. Kass and Megan showed up shortly after and we all chatted and went upstairs to see her new vintage medicine cabinet from Germany. We hung out and looked at the loot for a while longer then took off for the train station. The sunset was beautiful and we took pictures when we arrived at the station. Inside we waited in line to board and soon we were on the train. It left right on time, we talked the whole time and had our delicious dinner. Arrived right on time and Sos and Jake were waiting outside. We hopped in and off we went to Voodoo donut and they’ve redone the inside; looks good. I had a lemon crueler. We went to Fred Meyer on the way to their house and picked up popcorn and root beer then home. We watched Sister Wives (I’ve never seen it) and we had popcorn and talked. We ended up going to bed around 1:00.

Thursday 1/12, I raced home, talked to Sos about seeing them the next day and picking us up at the train station, changed my clothes and Kass called to say her and Alex were out in the driveway. I grabbed some snacks and ran out the door. Met Alex and he’s very nice and looks a little like Zach, in the smile, but mostly like Kenicki from Grease. We fought traffic for a while and finally made it to Renton. We hadn’t missed any of our items. The place was packed which made it hard to navigate around and look at everything, but Kass still managed to show me all the items she wanted. It was a big auction and it goes fast. Like 30 seconds max for each item. This guy doesn’t mess around. Kass got about half the things she wanted and wasn’t going to overpay for anything. She won the brass scoop for $30 which we were both shocked at. It’s the only thing she really wanted. That and the leather-body baby. She won that too. She won a few of the silent auctions, including the picture of the little boy with the rabbit in his lap. We checked out after the big “Open” sign was won and walked back to the car with the loot. Alex didn’t get anything that he came for. He was cute, funny, nice, engaged. I’d make out with him if neither of us was attached. I think it was the Kenicki hair and peek of tattoo from under the sleeve of his leather jacket. Or when he fell asleep during the auction and looked like he could have been homeless. Kass dropped me off at home and when I went inside Eric was a little short and I could tell he’d had a stressful day. We had to leave later than originally planned the next day because of Eric’s school and work schedules. Watched some Frasier and went to sleep.

Wednesday 1/11, I went home after work, showered, talked to Eric and got dressed and out the door by 6. I went to Susan’s and saw their new couch and other new toys. Her, Dean and I talked for a long time and I filled them in on the auction circuit and Kassie’s plans. Susan and I took off for dinner and ended up at Jamjuree. I got the green curry and it was spicy. We talked and caught each other up since it’s been a while since we’ve had a proper get together. We paid and walked back and it was freeeeezing. She showed me the changes they made in the kitchen and everything looks really good. I took off not long after and headed home. Eric was hanging with the dogs. I got ready for bed and climbed in and looked at some stuff online before going to sleep.

Tuesday 1/10, I stopped at the store on the way home and picked up some things. I gorged on Fritos when I got home. Lucia was still having some puking problems but hand feeding her seemed to help. Probably eating too quickly is to blame. Eric and I looked through recipes and found one that looked exceptional and went to QFC to pick up our supplies. As we were checking out Dad called so I told him I’d talk to him later. We went home and I called Dad back but they were about to eat so said I would talk to him when we were done with our dinner. I helped Eric by chopping the veggies for the salad and then stirring the mushrooms and made the red wine reduction. We ate in the living room and it was delicious. The steak was done perfectly and the mushrooms were excellent. I called Dad and Mom after Jeopardy was over and we talked for almost an hour. They’re not concerned about me selling the condo this spring so we’ll wait and see how next spring looks. I filled them in on the auction stuff and how Kass wants me to come work for her and help her buy art and do research on items. We’ll see. I’ll help her get started and see where it goes. I hung up and filled in Eric. I was cold and tired so I got into bed and went to sleep early.

Monday 1/9, I went straight into Seattle because the auction started at 5:30 at Pac Galleries. It was just starting as I walked in. Kass wanted the first item but was outbid. This was a super high end auction and pieces were going for thousands. Kass bought me some Wassily chairs, though they’re 70s era knock offs. There were a pair of the real thing but they went for $1,100, which is still a steal. She got herself a chair, clock, some locks, a lot of three small paintings, metal labels and two paintings by a German artist in the silent auction that she got into a bidding war with some lady at the last second. She won though. We didn’t stay for the whole thing and didn’t get the Al Jackson still lifes we both liked. We met some people in line that are pros and they gave us some tips and told us stories. We finally paid (had to deal with the silent auction paintings issue) and loaded the stuff into the car. I headed home and it was about 10 when I arrived. Eric was in bed and I showed him the stuff Kassie won and told him about the chairs and he hates them, but I already knew that. I told Joslin he wouldn’t like them. He said they look like doctor’s office chairs and should have a supply of Highlights magazines sitting next to them. We went to bed after perusing the sold item’s prices.

Sunday 1/8, Eric got up early and I was up a little after 8. Fed and watered the dogs then started to get ready. Eric left shortly after and told me to take it easy and to not get worked up. I went out and picked up shit and got that taken care of, got laundry going, cleaned up the kitchen, made the bed, etc. Kass arrived, said hi to the dogs and looked around at the art and other house items. I showed her my estate sale scores. Stef called back and said they could watch the dogs. Yay. We left for Duvall and made it there in about 20 minutes. Kass was nervous and we saw a lot of people going in. We got registered and went to find the items we wanted, marked them down and got ready to start. It got underway and Kass got the first item on her list, a scythe, then the pulley and soon the photographs were up. She got the first three and then the giant ones and she got into a bidding war with another guy but she won. The auctioneer was hilarious and commented that she likes old things, she agreed and he asked if she wanted to take him home. He was very funny. We took off to go look at other stuff and to check out another shop where Kass bought a beautiful early mid-century French portrait and a hand carved chair frame. We decided to get lunch and went to the Duvall Café. Yum! It was a fun lunch and we had breakfast and the same thing. We went back and missed the last two items she wanted so we went and checked out. Took the stuff out to the car and headed home. Eric was home when we arrived and we showed him the loot and told him we want him to be an auctioneer when Kass opens her auction house. I’ll be the Vanna White in a sequin dress. We did some research on EA Hegg and also the Kinsey brothers. We headed over to Mom’s for dinner and showed her all the loot too. D&A arrived and we served up dinner. Had dessert then Kass took off and soon after we did too. I did this when I got home and did some research on fb and shared my findings with Eric, who wouldn’t stop singing inappropriate songs about lesbians. Went to bed.

Saturday 1/7, We got up and it was about 8; I took Lucia and Clancy for a walk right away. We got ready to go meet Blair at ATB Redmond. We were there a little early and took her around and practiced looking at things and finding treats. We decided to up the ante and took her to Petco and did that. She loved the ferrets, rats, mice and guinea pigs. Blair and Eric think Brizo looks like a guinea pig. We were there and she did pretty good considering. The birds were her favorite. We went home and I felt tired. Eric left not long after. I showered and called Kass to find out if she wanted to go to some estate sales. It was 1. I got dressed and headed over. Megan came over and we went to our one and only of the day. They both got some glasses and things. I left empty handed which was fine. We drove around looking at houses guessing the prices and some I was right on and others I was way off. Back at the house we sat and chatted then M took off and we headed down to 1^st to get something to eat and go to the antique mall. We went to Macrina and I got a piece of veggie quiche that was delicious and a cookie for dessert. The cookie was amazing. We went to the antique mall and looked at the pieces up for auction and liked the still life and the Wassily chairs, but they had some rust. We took our time and went through the rest of the mall and found some good stuff but didn’t buy. We talked about Kass starting her new business and that I may help out and see what comes of it. We stayed until it closed then headed back to the house and discussed strategy and going to MN to load up on goods on Labor Day. Back at her house we went over more estate sales and saw an auction the next day that Kass wanted to hit in Duvall. She was really excited for it. I took off and headed home and it was shortly after 8 when I got home. We watched Cops and 48 Hours then SNL, except I fell asleep a few minutes after it started.

Friday 1/6, When I got home I was very happy it was Friday. Eric asked if I wanted to go to Bellevue Square to people watch; that sounded fun so I agreed. I started getting cramps so took some ibuprofen though it didn’t help much. I took a long shower and we took off after I had some soup. We walked around and window shopped but didn’t buy anything. After a while we decided to go to the new market across the street where the old Safeway was, called My Local Market, or something. We loved it; tons of samples, really friendly staff and very reasonable prices compared to QFC and even had better sales than the other stores on some items. I bought a cookie and some yogurt. We went up to the bank so I could deposit some money then home. I turned on Midnight in Paris and watched almost all of it before falling asleep. Eric came in hours later after falling asleep on the couch.

Thursday 1/5, I texted Kass to see if she was interested in seeing Shame and she was so we set up a sister night for later in the evening. I went home and told Eric my plan, changed and headed to her house. I met Eli and Joslin and we were soon out the door to Pacific Place. We parked and went up and wondered about the huge line out the door and apparently some company rented the theater to show Devil Inside. Yikes. We got popcorn and junior mints and off we went to our movie. It was very graphic, but also very good. We had a lot of questions and much to discuss afterward. When we got back to her house I grabbed my new shirt she gave me and went home. Eric was already asleep so I tried to be quiet getting ready for bed. I looked up Shame on IMDB to see what the discussion boards were saying, felt satisfied and went to sleep.

Wednesday 1/4, Blair wrote that she wouldn’t be able to meet us until after 6. We practiced a few things with Lucia then headed down to ATB. We started up with her and had some of our session outside and some of it inside. Lucia did well and soon we were on our way home a little after 7. We had dinner and watched our shows with the creepy Jeopardy guy, watched the usual Wed shows and went to bed.

Tuesday 1/3, I did crate games with Lucia and showed Eric. She did pretty well. We stayed home for the evening and just had dinner and watched tv.

Monday 1/2, I got up right at 8, fed and watered the dogs, dressed, dealt with the garbage and cans and recycling. I had some breakfast before getting ready for Blair to arrive. We did some lap work then took off for MI where Eric and Chris helped us with some exercises for Lucia. Back at home we tried crate games but Lucia was too amped up. We used Nyx and Brizo instead and they both did well. Blair left after we talked for a little bit. I had some lunch, I vacuumed, changed the sheets and did some laundry, worked with Lucia on being in her crate for short periods of time and also the crate games and cleaned my shower. I put on Clueless and updated this and did some stuff online. Eric was home by 4:30 and we talked about my day then he took the tree down and I stayed with the dogs in the bedroom. I organized credit card bills and balanced my checkbook while spending time with Lucia. She kept wanting to go in her crate to have her cheese stick. Half-watched Bachelor. I’m not a huge Ben fan, but I’m sure I’ll get sucked in for the rest of the season.

Sunday 1/1, I got up by 9ish. I wanted to get my bathroom squared away so I worked primarily on that. Eric was up early and got the gutters cleaned out and had all the xmas lights down before I was even dressed. I cleaned my sink and counter and took everything off and really got in there, Eric took down the lighted vanity mirror and I pulled the brackets out then put up some artwork in its place. Washed a dress then felt tired and took a nap. I was out for hours. I cuddled with Eric on the couch when I got up. He had all the xmas stuff taken down except the tree. While he made dinner I took the ornaments and lights off the tree then ate my dinner. I watched High Fidelity in bed and Eric came in and read toward the end. We were asleep by 11:30.