SPRING is officially here!

Here are some of the highlights of my April:

Bunnycon! Brandon and I love a fun costume party and a bunny theme is always a fun way to say goodbye to winter.  We usually go to Bunnycon or Bunnarchy each year. We were able to meet up with other bunny friends along the route, see our friend Brad perform with his band and get in some day-dancing at Baltic Room. Here’s a photo of Nora and me:

Jess and I had hit up the tasty happy hour at Japonessa before seeing Lily Verlaine’s “Through the Looking Glass: The Burlesque Alice in Wonderland.” The duet between Trojan Original and Lily Verlaine was steamy and I became a new fan of performer “The Luminous Pariah” as the Cheshire Cat. MeYOW! Strangely enough, of all the costume pieces, I found myself wanting a mushroom hat the most:

Time with my nieces is always so wonderful. This month, we were able to check out the Pompeii exhibition at Pacific Science Center (closes May 25), design our own pizzas at Mod Pizza at the Armory in Seattle Center, then monorail to downtown to see the movie Cinderella. It was a packed but delightful day.

I worked out a few times to Daily Burn – I really like their beginner program and need to be more dedicated to working out frequently. I wish working out wasn’t such a challenge for me. Luckily, we had pretty good weather in April so I was able to fit in a lot of brisk walks. Gotta start somewhere, right?

We celebrated Melissa’s birthday with a trip to Moisture Festival – always such a delightful modpodge of performances.

A group of us got together for a Tuesday game night at Capitol Cider (they host a game night every Tuesday. Pick a game from their shelf or bring your own).

We celebrated Katie’s bachelorette party with a trip to Smash Putt (if you haven’t been: GO)! Think power tools meets creativity meets WTH meets mini golf. Get a little group together and go before it closes.

We had the gift of being a part of our friends Katie & Eli’s wedding and reception. Parsons Garden was a beautiful venue to gather and it was so lovely to see their happiness and love for each other and be a part of their commitment ceremony (and reception the next day). Here I am with the bride at their reception:

For our surprise date night, Brandon took us for mani-pedis (SO sweet – I rarely splurge on my nails and got a french shellac mani and pink “barbie” toes) and to dinner at Gnocchi Bar. Sadly we weren’t impressed, after hearing so much hype (and loving gnocchi). The atmosphere was too casual for the dining style and without adding a bunch of extras (price made sense for handmade but not for the simple grab your own silverware experience), the dishes weren’t too exciting. I had expected we would become regulars there, but no dice.

Babes on a boat! A group of us rented a boat from the Electric Boat Company. You can bring food and drink with you out on Lake Union and go quite far in two hours. We had a blast taking turns being the captain. Afterwards a couple of us went to my new favorite South Lake Union restaurant Osteria Rigoletto, which has a delicious happy hour. I’m definitely taking Brandon there for a date night soon.

Brandon’s coworker Julian invited us to join him at the Massive Monkees breakdancing competition at the Showbox. I am now a huge breakdancing fan! The crowd seemed so nice and the competitors were incredible! While I’m not the biggest fan of waacking (which evolved from vogueing), the rest of the styles were captivating. I need to find out what other competitions are happening around town soon.

I rediscovered (clearly I’d forgotten) that il Bistro in Pike Place Market has one of the best happy hours in town (twice daily). The portion size is good and the food is delicious. I asked if they had cucumber and they did and the bartender created a delightful cucumber vodka martini for me with a bit of a kick. Can’t wait for another excuse to go back there.

So much to celebrate this month. We wished our friend Chris well during his baby shower and shared some laughs with Sam, Sumit, Bayu and other friends in his cool “VIP” room.

We got to meet Rusty’s parents (in from Maine) this month. It’s always such a delight to meet friend’s families and get a different glimpse into who they are and who they come from. I thanked them both for raising their son, who has become a good friend of mine.

Though I got sick at the end of the month, I was able to find some joy in discovering Google Inbox (thanks B for the recommendation). Though I use it in tandem with Gmail in my browser, I really love the snooze and alert features. Inbox Zero is my new happy place! I was also mentioned on my favorite podcast “Good Job Brain” which made me nerd out with happiness as well.

Books:

I was feeling pretty “hermit-y” this month – the plus side of this is having extra time to read.

Ready Player One – even though I don’t have a huge knowledge of 80s video games, this adventure book (complete with lovable underdog hero) was a fun read. It’s going to make a great movie.

Left Neglected – a fast read from the author of Still Alice (which I loved – still haven’t seen the movie). The author, a neuroscientist, really brings you on the experience of the rare condition of “Left Neglect” – where a brain injured patient has trouble connecting that there is a left side to everything. It’s fascinating. While I enjoyed Still Alice more, I found myself looking forward to down time where I could come back to this book.

TV show I loved:

Garfunkel and Oates. I was so worried this show wouldn’t be true to their performers, but it seems like they got a great contract and writing team that really gets them. I loved this whole show and hope they’ll be back with a second season soon. If you’re not easily offended and need a laugh, check this series out. Here are puppet versions of these two great comedians:

Fun Splurge: Lash extensions from Swink Style Bar!

Thanks to all who helped make April a great month.