Places the cat wanders to...

Cafe Besalu

2010-03-15T23:49:00.000-07:00

Ange and I went to this french cafe the other week, I actually applied to work there. It's small and cute and the food was amazing! For some of you who know the pastries that Kopplin's has, the amazing pastries from Rustica, these were very very similar. I still miss the apricot soleit. I actually don't know if Kopplin still has pastries from Rustica but if you're in Seattle and you want amazing pastries go to Besalu. The coffee is lacking, seriously, but the food is good.

Bothell Landing Park

2010-02-07T12:45:00.000-08:00

I went for a walk yesterday and found this park in Bothell, there is a museum there as well. It was a beautiful spring day yesterday, I could hardly stand it! There were ducks and geese, seagulls and kids running around, and you know that with all these cute creatures comes poop. I wish I could find a seat that didn't have goose poop near by, but there was poop everywhere. Besides that it was a great little spot for a read or a smoke.

Seriously...

2010-01-30T18:38:00.000-08:00

I love this movie, I just can't believe this kid got his picture taken in front of the poster.

Amazing Technology....

2010-01-28T18:09:00.001-08:00

I found this the other day when I was stumbling around, it's pretty cool. I went to the SawStop site and saw a bunch of pictures of people who had gotten cut using the Sawstop and the smallest cut they had compared to losing a finger or fingers!

Chopsticks feeding Squirrel-like Kitten リスのような子貓 (by Canon EOS 500d / Rebel T1i)

2009-12-18T17:16:00.001-08:00

This is just weird.

Victrola - Beacon Ave

2009-12-02T00:07:00.000-08:00

This Victrola happened to be right next to the Mexican restuarant that I got my Mixology license from, it's got some pretty fantastic art, and some crazy mutant girl down in the bottom of the picture. Sorry mutant girl, my panorama program couldn't recognize that you're head was turned.

Victrola on Beacon Ave

El Quetzal and my Class 12 License

2009-11-30T00:07:00.000-08:00

I am now a Class 12 Mixologist. And I had a wonderful Mexican breakfast. Did you know that if you work at a coffee shop, or any establishment that serves alcohol, you can't touch or even ring up a beer for someone if you're under 18?! This state is ridiculous!

The Brown Bag

2009-11-28T00:32:00.000-08:00

One of the best breakfast's I've ever had, seriously. The Brown Bag was a suggestion from our friend Laila who has had her own little breakfast club for a while. Angela and I have been going to breakfast different places every saturday for a while now, a very fun tradition. I like that their menu says: "No Sissy Food Here!"

Zoka - Greenlake

2009-11-24T00:49:00.000-08:00

Ange and I went to Zoka the other day. The space is huge and comfortable. Everything is a dark wood. Ange and I went at noon on a wednesday and I counted 22 laptops. The barista was thorough and methodical, I could tell he probably came from a bartending background seeing as how he presented and poured the drink on the bar in front of me. He did well, even though the espresso was seven days old, I can't fault him that though.
There's really only street parking and we found a place pretty quickly. There's a dentist next door - I can't imagine they're busy late at night. I even saw Julianna Margulies, can you see her too?

Portland, OR

2009-11-11T01:29:00.000-08:00

Angela and I spent the weekend in Portland, to visit some friend and just to get away. We had a great time seeing Chris and Christi. Here are some more pictures of our time.

The Center for Wooden Boats

2009-11-04T13:17:00.000-08:00

My beautiful wife brought me to a very cool place, The Center for Wooden Boats. I love my wife! Here are some more pictures.

Elysian Brewing Co.

2009-11-02T18:23:00.000-08:00

Angela and I went out to Elysian Brewing a couple weeks ago, it was great. They actually had a Vikings game on the TV when we were there. It's a pretty cool atmosphere and pretty good beer that they brew.

Zoka - Kirkland

2009-10-08T11:21:00.000-07:00

Zoka Coffee Kirkland! Check out the FIVE roburs, and a Slayer! I kinda felt like I was in a museum, but it was pretty cool. Even farther left of this pic was a giant flat screen displaying some sort coffee parafanalia.

Zoka with A and L

Stumptown on 12th

2009-10-06T06:23:00.000-07:00

Andrew, Laila and I went to a cupping at Stumptown the other day. As far as I know they have cuppings every day. We cupped about six coffees. Now, this was the 12th St. Stumptown - where their roasting and training takes place. It was fun to see them roast a bit. The training room is lined with huge windows facing the roaster so we got to see some training going on.

Urban Coffee Lounge

2009-10-04T11:20:00.000-07:00

This is Urban Coffee Lounge, my new job. It's a pretty great place, lots of light with a warm atmosphere even though it's somewhat of an industrial scene. The wood, fireplace and color give it warmth I think. I like it a lot. They're a Stumptown account, the largest account in the Seattle area. The owner has a great passion for coffee, well ... quality in general. You should really stop by, if not to see me and Andrew Milstead - and Laila, you should enjoy yourself with they're pastries and coffee. I'm not really an advertisement, just new to the area.

Slayer Time

2009-10-03T14:13:00.000-07:00

Slayer Time

Andrew, Laila and I went to Slayer to play on this very versitel machine. It was fun to try and pull a shot of espresso but the whole process will take a lot of getting used to. It feels and is a very different way to make espresso - by having variable preinfusion time and pressure, also variable pump pressure. One of the guys there was discribing a great shot that he had that had been pulled like this: 30 seconds of preinfusion at 3 bars, a few seconds at 15 bars and then shut the pump off and let it taper naturally back down ending with an ounce and a half of espresso (in 53 seconds) that was balanced, medium bodied and chocolaty. WHAT?!

My Small Trip to Kirkland/Urban Coffee Lounge

2009-09-29T15:51:00.000-07:00

I just had an interview with the owner of Urban Coffee Lounge (UCL) and decided to see a little bit of the bay. It's a pretty area, but the wind was so stinking strong and cold. I took a picture while I was on the dock and there was a wind surfer within the swimming area - yes, that whole area is a swimming area! You can even see Seattle in the distance.

Phil and Sari's Wedding!!

2009-06-10T16:03:00.000-07:00

Ange and I went to Sturgeon Bay recently for Phil and Sari's wedding. You may remember them from our wedding - Phil played the accordian during dinner. We were fortunate to stay with some close friends of Sari, Steve and Carol Kosmoski. They had a wonderful home, wonderful stories, wonderful cats and wonderful hearts for God. It was refreshing to see their love for Phil and Sari and the kind of help that they gave. Phil and Sari's wedding was great, and a real treat was having the reception at a petting zoo/farm. It was awesome!

The Blue Heron

2009-06-08T15:54:00.000-07:00

The first day we were in Winona we tried a new coffee shop (for me), the Blue Heron . It wasn't bad, wasn't really good either, but I like the atmosphere and that there was a book shop attached to it.

Kira and Craig's Wedding!

2009-06-07T15:10:00.000-07:00

Angela and I went to winona on the weekend of the 4th of April to engage in the wedding of Kira and Craig. It was pretty fun, I met some new people and Angela was able to reconnect with friends. I spent most of the time with the brides maids, or their husbands.

Best of Menomonie

2009-03-14T07:43:00.000-07:00

When I visited Stout the other day I stopped by Legacy Chocolates to get some coffee. They're the best in Menomonie for coffee, and probably chocolate too (I don't know of any other chocolatiers in Wisconsin). Check them out if you're passing through.

Menomonie, WI

2009-03-13T19:23:00.000-07:00

I took a little walk today around Menomonie after I visited Stout, I found two old railroad bridges and a cool cycle shop, that looked somewhat dilapidated. I have to admit, sometimes dilapidation adds "cool" points for me. I walked along a road for a while and then saw a paved walking path. Do I retrace my steps along the road to find it's beginning? No, I climb down a steep embankment and nearly break my ankle. It was fun. There was a nice old couple walking by that wished me the best of luck in my climbing. They said: "we'll be back this way in a while if you break anything", "thanks" I said, really hoping that wouldn't be the case. In all reality, if I had broken something there'd be a picture of it here. I saw them later on down the trail after I had successfully tangled with branches, muddy gravel and gravity. Here are some other pictures I took.

Beer Time

2009-02-05T18:50:00.000-08:00

Angela and I made a special trip the other day to the best brewery in the Twin Cities, Summit Brewery. It was pretty fun, we learned about the history of Summit, how it's made and a little bit about specialty beer in Minnesota and the States. This is a pic of the brewing room, the tanks on the left are filled with water (for the beer and to help in temperature control for the beer), and the tanks on the right - which you can only see four but they go three deep for each row - are where the beer is brewing. You should all take the tour! Plus, you get free beer at the end!

Zoo Time

2009-01-27T12:50:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Ange and I went with Paul, Libby, Gibbie and Ezra to the Como Zoo. We ended up wandering through all the tropical sections, not really seeing any animals. We did feel great in the humid tropical weather though.

Paul, and His Patience

2009-01-20T14:48:00.000-08:00

I went over to Amore Coffee to see Paul the other day, and what do I see? For some reason Amore Coffee is back to the completely manual way of processing transactions. If you look close, you can see that Paul could use a credit card machine that makes a big "ka-chunk, ka-chunk" sound when you run the carbon copy over it. There's the fancy calculator, with dual power - solar and battery, and a print out of what the shop offers so he can mark it down with a pen. I'm not sure if this is being "green" or just painful.

Trip to Fountain City Wisconsin

2008-11-16T23:13:00.000-08:00

My parents, brother, Angela and I ventured down to Winona MN earlier this month to meet Angela's parents and to see the space where we'll be having the wedding. It was a very good time, nice lunch and we got to show my family the Hill Top Bar and Banquet Hall. It's been there for a long time. My Aunt had gone there in her youth to dance with her husband. Looks like fun eh?

Party Tricks

2008-10-24T14:13:00.000-07:00

Angela and I went to Sam and Kristen's open house, it was real fun. I have to tell you, I have some neat party tricks, sword swallowing, glass eating and another one that I demonstrated - using a person as a hula hoop. In this picture I'm using Reed as a hula hoop, he liked it, as did everyone else.

A New Pad

2008-10-15T11:45:00.000-07:00

Sam and Kristen moved into a new place and I was able to help them move. This pana isn't as good as I was hoping but the pic of Kristen is fine. It was a great day to move and I even helped make a shelf - old school - with 1 x 12's and cinder blocks.

Happy Apple

2008-08-30T10:51:00.000-07:00

Last night Ange and I went and saw the prolific trio, Happy Apple, at the Artist Quarter in downtown St. Paul. Though we had a little bit of trouble getting there because of the ... RNC (it hasn't even started yet and the cops have most streets cut off!), we finally got there. During the break we had a nice conversation with Dave and two others, Megan and Mary. It was a great evening, though I would suggest to anyone going to the AQ that if you get cold easily, bring a sweater ... and maybe a hat. Or just don't sit under a vent.

Fun with the Johnsons

2008-08-22T22:18:00.000-07:00

Tonight I went to hangout with Gibbie and Ezra and we had a great time, eating spaghetti and finding food for bunnies. But in this video we were spitting, and having fun with a camera.

Congrats Paul !!

2008-06-13T23:52:00.000-07:00

I went to Paul's graduation party from college, he has a website as well that's coming along. Paul's a great guy and I'm happy to celebrate this, even for a little bit. Do you like how Paul has two right arms?

The Wok

2008-06-05T14:49:00.000-07:00

I'm surprised that I haven't blogged about this before, I attend the Cleveland Wok every week with Paul and this week I had my camera. Many meals, deals and jokes Paul and I have shared here. Along with the occasional pipe (outside of course).

Running through the North Side

2008-06-02T22:37:00.000-07:00

I feel like this is a site to show off some of my panaramic photos, I'm so happy with them though. All the same, I ran a race on Saturday and traveled through the "north side" of Minneapolis. It actually is the north side, but Mpls is still so foreign to me that I have to say it slower and with more intention like: I found it on "the Google" or, call "Comquest" the tv's acting funny. I was remembering when I ran a few races with my brother and dad when I was a kid and the kind of energy before and after a race, it's so electric. Here's a picture of the start and finish line.

Happy Birthday Patty

2008-05-21T00:37:00.000-07:00

For Patty's birthday we went to the Kitty Cat Club again to see Priss, and a great show they had. It's always fun to go out with these friends and celebrate. Happy birthday Patty (even though you're not in these pictures) you only turn 21 once...
Yeah, and check out Milstead how he manages to get in the picture twice...

Little Break

2008-05-14T12:36:00.000-07:00

Check out the Cabin!! It's so pretty there, and cool. Though I managed to build a substantial fire in the fire place and get the inside up to 90 degrees, ugh. Windows open and fans going ... lesson learned.

Roaster's Guild

2008-05-07T14:48:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend there were many parties hosted by companies large and small, with lots of open bars and loud music! I went to a couple: Cafe Imports, Oral Fixation and the Roasters Guild Party. They were all real fun, full of coffee nerds and big wigs; I couldn't walk two feet without seeing someone that was either in Barsita mag or somewhere online that was just blogged about. The weirdest happening was when Kennith Davids thought I was Jason (everyone was looking for Jason).

Mini Road Trip

2008-05-02T00:09:00.000-07:00

This time, the cat wandered far from home, to meet his new kitten's parents... It was a great time; over two days Angela and I explored her home town and I got to meet her parents and brother. They're really great people and ... an ok brother, jk. I came home to talk with Eric about my experience and the places that he knew of too, since he is from there as well. And surprisingly Angela and I found most of those same places. Here are a few panorama shots of the town.

Ok, I'm back at work...

2008-04-28T10:49:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I'm back at work, but I love it here. I sat at the kitchen table doing some work talking with Happy Cappy, the Fratzke family and then Reed and his friend Miwa. I took a picture of Reed's head, he's funny. Lot's of things can get done here, then again, lot's of things don't.

Cora and Kirsten's Pad

2008-04-07T11:16:00.001-07:00

I meant to post this earlier but life got away from me. Last Tuesday - after church, I joined the small "ladies night" that happens every tuesday, they said they'd make an exception for me this one time. We went and got Bubble Tea ... and then went back to Kirsten and Cora's home, joining us also was Cora's friend April. In the picture from left to right there is: April, Cora, Kirsten and Angela.

Cabin

2008-03-25T19:52:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend Paul and I went to the cabin for some "camping". I say this because it's as far from roughing it as you could be. We had a great time, eating and sleeping and watching the whole - so far - series of Harry Potter. Paul got a weapon while we were there, a machete. He has had some bad dreams about zombies, and as it's written in the zombie survival handbook - blades don't need reloading. These two pictures are basically what we did at the cabin, sat and ate and slept.

The Nook

2008-03-17T22:50:00.000-07:00

As I write this first post I wanted to start with something that's familiar, The Nook. I left work just the other night to wander over to the Nook and have a "Pat Special" as it's been known over there. The "Pat Special" is a Moliter (burger filled with pepper jack cheese) with bacon and a side of chipotle mayo, for the fries... and the remainder of the burger. I found myself sitting next to two comfortably drunk Hamline Law students, who quoted Macbeth, and the misfit attitude of "Super Dave", who I think had something else before he came to the Nook, if you know what I mean. (weed) I took a little video, but the audio is awful, so I grabbed this little pic. Dave kept passing me napkins that said I could get her number if I wanted to, I assured her I was no threat. Nice tongue Dave...