Why Ruth's Chris Steakhouse is Awesome

On Friday, Josh and I went to see Death Cab for Cutie in the city and decided that we should go out to dinner beforehand. When we were in Hawaii a few years ago we accidentally ended up at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Oahu. I loved it for one reason alone: they serve steaks cooked in butter. Ever since I found out that there's a Ruth's Chris in Portland, I wanted to go. Then Josh and I accidentally walked past it on our way to a movie, so it was in my mind when thinking of somewhere to eat. 

I put Josh in charge of making reservations, which you can do online. When we arrived, they greeted us at the door with "congratulations on your internship!", which totally confused me. Apparently Josh had written in the "special notes" section of the online reservation that we were celebrating my internship. They led us to a table covered in this confetti:

The service was wonderful. I'm sure it would have been anyway, but they asked me questions about my internship and were attentive the entire night. We ate a lot.

I am super in love with wedge salad with dressing on the side

The wonderful steak served in butter

The best part was that, since we were celebrating (and probably because we ordered a lot of food), they gave us a little dessert sampler for free. 

They spelled out "good luck" in chocolate. I promised Josh I wouldn't lick the plate.

I highly recommend Ruth's Chris, though it's a bit expensive. We had a great time and the service was excellent.

Oh, yeah, and the concert was okay too.

Josh and I meowed along to the songs, which is exactly what it sounds like

So, I think you need to be watching this...

Remember when I told you all to watch "So You Think You Can Dance" (affectionately known at my house as "So You Think You Wear Pants")? Well, I was serious. The past few seasons have been so-so, but this season is totes awesome. Like, for serious. The choreography is astounding.

Here is the evidence:

1. My now-favorite couple, Melanie and Marko killing it the first week with this dance where they are statues.



2. Melanie and Marko again in a dance where they are long-time best friends falling in love.



3.. My not-favorite-and-I-think-they'll-be-kicked-off-soon-but-they-did-a-great-job-once couple What's His Name and What's Her Face dancing to a song that will forever remind me of a pregnant Ricki Lake and a greasy Johnny Depp.



4. The women dancing a Black Widow-themed choreography that was both creepy and sexy. (I apologize about the quality-- this is the best version I could find).



5. And I almost forgot this one where Ryan and Ricki are fashion "victims."



I love it! There are tons of other good dances, too, but you will have to discover them for yourselves.

I'm Seeing Spots!

I put on some new bedsheets today. They really make me smile. I don't know what it is, but polka dots make me happy.

We have some different versions, including darker brown polka dots and reverse polka dot pillows. I don't know what made us decide on brown, but it's soothing. I would hate the idea of trying to fall asleep on red sheets. 

(BTW the green pillows in the background are from a previous set of sheets that my mom bought for us when we got married, but they fit our old queen bed rather than our size-of-Texas king. I haven't yet been able to find good pillowcases that fit, and we love them a lot, so we keep them on the bed even though they don't match. We clearly don't care. Up until recently we were still using a queen quilt and mismatched pillowcases).

In Other News:
Josh is reading The Hunger Games and I think he's enjoying it. I've taken a hiatus from my 30 Books Before I'm 30 list because I have, sadly, become too busy to read for pleasure. I did finish The Book Thief today, which took me something like a month because it was mostly a bathtime book.

Also, in a neverending quest to decrease stress and try new things, I tried Moving Cupping courtesy of my acupuncturist. It felt... interesting... For a few days afterward it looked like I had been severely beaten, and I even freaked myself out in the mirror a couple times because I had forgotten about it. I'm not sure if I can recommend it, though I think it was helpful.

So You Think You Wear Pants*

In honor of one of my favorite shows, So You Think You Can Dance, returning on May 26, I thought I'd share some of my favorite dance pieces from the show so that you can love them too.

I think it was because I was working at an inpatient drug and alcohol rehab when I saw this piece about addiction that made it so powerful to me. (Honestly, I cry every time I watch it). It's just beautifully danced and full of commitment. It is by far my favorite dance from the show.

I am in love with this next dance, and not just because it has a psychology theme. It also stars one of my favorite dancers, Alex, who should be coming back this season following an injury. I am really annoyed, though, because all of the good clips had their embedding option disabled, so you will have to click on this link and watch it on your own.

This next dance is also incapable of being embedded (BLARH!), so you will also have to link to it here. It's fun, there is some flipping, and I sang this song on our road trip when we passed the actual Hannibal, MO.

Finally, I wanted to share Josh's favorite piece, which he has only seen online because he hates this show and complains about it when I watch it. He likes this particular dance because it's creepy and he likes to say, "Rama Lama Bang Bang."

You should watch SYTYCD with me this summer!

On a side note: I never understood the appeal of American Idol. I had never even watched it before Josh and I got married and I don't watch it now. I didn't understand why people would waste their time voting, etc. But when I began watching SYTYCD I totally got it. And I may or may not have spent two hours one night phoning in my vote for a contestant or two. Especially these guys.

* This is what Josh calls the show. It stuck. He thinks it's hilarious.

My Favorite Things: TV Shows

These are the shows I make sure to watch within 24 hours of DVRing:

1. The Mentalist  This is my absolute favorite show, which is interesting since I only discovered it this summer. I look forward to it all week. (Which, now that I'm admitting it, is kind of depressing).


2. The Amazing Race  Josh and I watch this together on Sunday nights. It makes me happy. I never saw this show at all until we started dating, and in our first year of marriage we watched a bunch of re-runs. I began referring to this show all the time and it would make people laugh.

3. The Good Guys  Best. Intro. Ever. Most of the time I watch it on Saturday mornings while Josh is still asleep. I think more people should watch this show, but right now it's my all-by-myself tv show.

4. Community  Are you watching this? Well, you should be (because I am and I'm cool).


5. Mad Men  Only #5 because the season ended. Otherwise, it's also always and Josh and Emily Sunday Night Extravaganza show. (Maybe some day I'll sing my Mad Men song for you).


6. Psych  I love this show and I think it got even better last season. It just started again this past week. I also like to watch this show because we get the east coast feed of USA, so I can watch it when I get back from the counseling center while Josh is at Mutual.

7. Bones  This may be my last year for Bones, but I love it. I love David Boreanaz, I love Emily Deschanel (and not just because her parents named her so well), and I always look forward to watching it Friday mornings when I'm awake and Josh is still asleep (which is, obviously, when I do my most tv watching).

8. How I Met Your Mother  I started in on this show late and really didn't start watching it regularly until last season. It's starting to drag a little, but I watch it right before going to the gym on Monday nights.

Other shows I watch during the week when I have some time (mostly while I'm falling asleep-- I know you're not supposed to watch tv in bed, but Josh snores so loudly I have to have something on or else it's possible I will smother him with my pillow): Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order: LA, 30 Rock, The Office, Medium, CSI, and 90210 (it filled the hole left behind when I became too disgusted with Gossip Girl). Every once in awhile I'll watch Law & Order: UK, Lie to Me, and CSI: NY, but more often than not I've deleted them to make room for other things.

I don't know what prompted me to make this list. I think I watch more tv than most people, but I also: 1. Don't have kids, 2. Multi-task like crazy, and 3. Like watching tv.

At the Ballet

Josh and I went on a date to the ballet last night. I've been subtly suggesting that we go since we moved to the Portland area over three years ago, but he didn't get the hint. So I finally said, "I want to go to the ballet. You need to buy tickets" (it helped that we got a coupon for it in the mail). I love, love, LOVE ballet because it's something so ridiculously difficult, yet beautiful and graceful and looks like it takes no effort at all.

I sat next to a little girl who wore her little opera cloak and whose mom was clearly excited about being there with her because she was telling her about the orchestra and the dancers and what to expect. It was cute. Plus, the girl got a soft pretzel during intermission and I kind of wanted to steal it when she fell asleep during the third act.

I love attending the ballet because it's a different crowd than I see at performances of musicals or music groups. I love the grey hairs, the cloaks, the jewelry, and the little kids that are on their best behaviors. And, of course, I love anywhere that I can wear my pearls and heels. 

I highly recommend Oregon Ballet Theatre's production of "Sleeping Beauty." It runs tonight and tomorrow night as well. 

(In anticipation of the ballet, I got the song "At the Ballet" from A Chorus Line stuck in my head for a week, which just describes my love for ballet so well).

Brains

In the past couple months, I have become obsessed with the game "Plants vs. Zombies." The premise is that zombies are invading your backyard (and, later, your pool and roof) in order to get in your back door and eat your brains. It is your job to plant zombie-killing plants (like the pea-shooter or watermelon catapult) in order to keep your brains safe. I first started playing this game at my parents' house because it's loaded on my mom's computer for the grandkids. 

I don't exactly know why it's so fun, but it's appropriate for all ages (unless your kid is super afraid of zombies, but my friend's three-year-old boy plays it too and loves it) and it's not so difficult that it's no longer fun once you get to the higher levels. 

This might (definitely) be why I haven't gotten very far on my 30 books before I'm 30 list. You can read more about the game here.

My Bestie is Having a Baby!

I had the pleasure of attending a Blessingway yesterday for my best friend Amanda. A Blessingway is originally a  Navajo traditional ceremony to celebrate a woman as she transitions to the role of Mother. I was a little skeptical about this (but as the daughter of former commune-living hippies, I really shouldn't have been), but I had a great time. Rather than have a party for a baby whom none of us have met yet, the focus is on the mother-to-be, and giving her our well-wishes and blessings before the birth. It was so nice to have a forum to celebrate Amanda, who is such a beautiful pregnant lady!

This is us:

I have known Amanda since Kindergarten, have been friends with her since 3rd grade, and have been BEST friends with her since freshman year of high school. She has been with me during some of the best moments in life, and some of the worst, and I can't wait to meet her baby girl Eibhlin (pronounced "Ave-uh-lynn"-- it's Irish) in a month or so.

Some of the activities of the Blessingway included:

Smudging

Lighting a candle

(we all got tea lights to light when Amanda goes into labor)

A relaxing foot massage by Amanda's older sister

(her younger sister is in the background)

A presentation of beads/charms so that when she's in the delivery room she can look at them and think of the love we're giving to her, and (hopefully) that will give her strength for the labor

Holding a naked baby
(Amanda's sister has already potty trained her 5 mo daughter[!] who hung out naked most of the time)

Belly casting

And opening presents!

We also brought and read poems that made us think of Amanda or childbirth. My poem was this one by Marianne Moore:

I May, I Might, I Must

If you will tell me why the fen

appears impassable, I then

will tell you why I think that I

can get across it if I try.

I picked it because it succinctly sums up my views on life and my idea of what childbirth/parenting must be like. Plus it's short and easy to remember. :)

I'm not going to lie, I cried a lot. I went on forever about all these memories I have of her, and the more I shared, the more I remembered more things to share. I may have been slightly obnoxious since no one else knew what we were talking about, but it was a lot of fun to reminisce and to hear other people's stories about her too.

Here are a couple anecdotes:

* When we were in the 4th grade, we were on the same softball team. One time, during practice when Amanda was playing first base and I was batting, I got out at first. Amanda either laughed at me or I thought she was making fun of me, or whatever. So I threw my helmet at her. Our coach made us run to the edge of the field and back. Together. It was awkward.

* Junior year of high school, we had a series of classes together. We sat in the back of the classrooms and pretty much just talked nonstop. Our teachers must have hated us, but didn't split us up or anything. We had maybe a ten minute break between classes, and we would often go to Dairy Mart during the break and get these huge sodas that we would drink during our second class. Whenever I drink those huge fountain drinks (which isn't a lot, thankfully), I think of her.

* Senior year (I think), we went to some play at the performance theater in Eugene (the Hult Center), and because we didn't arrive super early, we had to park on the top of the parking structure. As you can imagine, after the show everyone tried to leave the parking garage, so there was a huge backup of cars and we were at the end. So we spent the waiting time sitting in my car singing songs from Alanis Morisette's "Jagged Little Pill" at the TOP of our lungs. 

I cannot express how much I love Amanda and how excited I am for her to have her first baby. Hooray! 

(it will also give me an excuse to knit some baby leg warmers)

My Favorite View of Summer

Moments later, there was this view, only underwater. 

I love Summer!

The Yellow Dress

Remember when I purchased this dress from Shabby Apple, and then my friend Jennie (who happens to live in Utah) told me that her neighbor is part owner of Shabby Apple and that my beautiful, sunny, summer dress has a return rate of 75%?

Well... my dress came in the mail the other day, so I wore it to class today. This is what it looks like on me:

Though, admittedly, I buttoned up my sweater all the way by the time I went out in public because I haven't shown off that much awkward cleavage since high school. Also, I think my fashion style is more Repressed Librarian than Flirty Débutante.

There are a few negatives about this dress. For one, it re-introduces me to my old nemesis "uniboob." Also, the waistline is somewhere between empire and.... well... actual waistline. It's not especially flattering. It's completely see-through, so I had to wear a slip, and I spent the whole day wondering whether my slip was showing (it was). It just barely doesn't cover my garmies-- even the especially low-cut mesh ones. And although I absolutely adore yellow and black, I admit that this outfit makes me look a bit like a Mario Bee.

But... I'm going to keep it (and not just because I got sweaty during class). I love, love, LOVE the color. I don't think I could ever be unhappy while wearing such a vividly yellow dress. The fullness of the skirt makes me feel like a Kindergartner and/or 50's housewife and/or Zooey Deschanel in "(500) Days of Summer." Walking back to my car after class, I had to resist the temptation to break out in song. 

However, my search for the Perfect Summer Dress continues.

I Made You a Beard

We got these in the mail today:

These yarn beards are courtesy of the lovely Erin Dollar at imadeyouabeard.com. Josh asked her to do green and yellow so we could wear them to Ducks games (and, you know, around the house). Erin is from Portland, so we like to think that we're supporting a local artist.

This is what it looks like off the face:

She even color-coordinated the backs!:

And she included these cute stickers (and business card):

I can tell, you're totally jealous.

In other news:

I started watching "Persons Unknown." I'm not sure yet how I feel about it, since it reminds me a lot of either a psych experiment done by some grad student in 1940 or the plot of Saw II. However, it fills the hole in my Summer tv watching schedule left behind by the cancellation of "Happy Town."

I'm in love with a dress

I love this dress:

And I'm thinking of buying it, except that I'm currently on a diet and hoping to be a bit smaller in a few months. So do I buy a smaller size and hope? I'm thinking this dress might be my prize for losing weight. 

Another question: t-shirt underneath or sweater over? Sometimes t-shirts bunch up and make me look middle-heavy (though, in all fairness, I can look pretty middle-heavy on my own), though sometimes it's too hot for a sweater (and sweaters don't always cover the scoopneck).

Cutest. Baby. Ever.

Josh and I went to Washington Square Mall yesterday to get some frozen yogurt and saw this:

I mean, seriously? Babies wearing sunglasses? Double awesome.

My Addiction

So, I have an admission to make: I am absolutely, irrevocably, irreplaceably addicted to Crystal Light lemonade, which I like to refer to as "juice" (just because demanding, "Where is my Crystal Light lemonade?!" does not seem to get the same kind of quick results), but Josh refuses to acknowledge its juice-like properties. He in fact claimed that if you looked at the packaging it would say "This is NOT juice" but the packaging only detailed that it was not for individual sale.

There are only two problems with this addiction.

#1 I need to recognize the unfortunate loss of a Nalgene water bottle to my Crystal Light love because I was drinking it in my Nalgene over the summer, and then the Nalgene was lost (to be found later, wedged underneath our bed) and the Crystal Light had molded and was gross.

#2 I drink so much of this stuff (with the added help of huge, reusable plastic cups we have stolen from Cirque du Soleil shows we've seen in Vegas and bendy straws), my bladder is constantly full. Josh took a nap today, but my bladder was so full I could never get comfortable! But, on the upside, I'm very well hydrated.

Jammify!

I got new jammy pants! Mostly it's because my jammy pants with the hearts on them finally ripped (I've been wearing them since the first time I was in college, so it was probably time for them to go), but also because I haven't bought new pajama pants for. . . well, I can't remember. Lately I've resorted to wearing my sweatpants to bed, which just isn't as comfortable.

Plus, these jammy pants have tvs on them, which I feel is fitting.

Here is Mr. F, showing her approval by shedding on me:

Blogstalking

As a therapist-in-training, I will admit a certain amount of curiosity with the private lives of random people (hence my subscriptions to various gossip magazines). Blogs are a perfect conduit for my interest, though I actually don't like reading about people I know but, rather, people I have only met once or twice or haven't seen in years. I think this allows a certain amount of anonymity on both ends, because I never have to look a person in the face knowing that I know way more about his/her (though, to be honest, most blogs I read are written by women) private life than I really have a right to know, and I figure that it probably doesn't make much difference to that person since I am a relative stranger with just an overdeveloped sense of nosiness.

That being said, I think I saw one of the people I blogstalk in public yesterday and it made me feel creepy.

Best. Picture. Ever.

The main reason I keep reading books by Jim Butcher is because of the above author photo. Awesome.

It reminds me of this picture:


Which makes me laugh.

You know he has to have a sense of humor, because I also found this picture:

Some of My Favorite Things (in Alphabetical Order)

Asprin

Bedtime


Chanel


Diet Dr. Pepper


Egg Salad


French

Google

Hula hooping


Ice cream


Josh


Kittens


Lambs


Moustaches


Novels, Mystery

Olives


Packing


Questions


Reading


Sunglasses


Turkey Bologna


Underwear


"Veronica" by Elvis Costello


Water (to drink)


Xericity


Yellow


Zeitgebers