Funny in the Sunny

• 1 shot Milagro Silver tequila - The Jeffs
• 1 24 oz. Rainier - The Jeffs
• 1 Deschutes Twilight Ale - The Jeffs
• 1 can Natural Light (my first one evah!) - The Jeffs
• 1-2 glasses red wine - The Jeffs

Pubs & Taverns

• 12 oz. Avery Ale to the Chief - UBER TAVERN
• 1 pint Dick's Best Bitter - Beveridge Place Pub
• 1 pint Manny's Ale - Beveridge Place Pub
• 1 pint Pabst Blue Ribbon - Poggie Tavern

I made an impromptu stop at the UBER Tavern (which could really be a pub....tavern to me implies that it's old. The UBER is a few years new and pretty nice. They specialize in specialty beers. It's very small, which was pretty cool, but off the 99, which isn't so cool (loud traffic).

The Siren

• 1 bottle Bud Light Lime - Siren Tavern (and Cocktails!)
• 1 pint PBR - Siren Tavern

Today I had a few drinks at a place I'd never been before, but had always wanted to go...the Siren on 4th Avenue. It always looked a little sketchy from the outside, but Brian assured me it probably wasn't that bad. Plus, we were in desperate need of (a few) drinks. So, we stopped in, had a few drinks, had a few baskets of fried food, and marveled at the amount of dart boards, darts, and dart paraphernalia that occupied the space. The place was cool. In fact, the whole building where it exists is cool. I've always liked the Kwik E Mart next door for it's bars-on-the-windows. I'm not sure if the area is *really* that dangerous, but it certainly adds a bit of verisimilitude. The 50's neon sign is also an original.

Oh yeah, Bud Light Lime - it's lost it's allure for me. Ugh.

Thursday

• 1 glass El Felino malbec - home
  

Wednesday

• 1 bottle Mike's Hard Lime - home
  
• 12+ oz. Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye - home
• 12+ oz. Stone Brewing Chocolate Oatmeal Stout - home
• 1 glass El Felino Malbec - home
  

Tuesday

• 1 can mhl - home
• 1 pint 400 lb. monkey ipa, Left Hand Brewing - Beveridge Place Pub
  

Monday

• 1 can mhl - home
  

The Closer

• 2 bottles Bud Light - home

Getting a baby to go to sleep can be an ordeal. It's only three weeks in and we already know this. I like to think of myself as "The Closer". The bedroom lights are dimmed, the tv is turned off, the cats are prodded out, and the shades are lowered. When Susan is done feeding London, he is handed off to me. He is newly diaper changed, given a short, oily massage with Burt's Bees apricot scented oil, swaddled (such a fun, satisfying word; kind of like 'bundled') tightly and then either rocked, held closely, or put directly into his bassinet if he is already nodding off. White noise is turned on near his sleeping quarters and he is gently rocked asleep. Sometimes I hum to him and other times I sing (he hasn't cringed yet). If all goes well, he falls soundly asleep. I am "The Closer".

just another weekend

• 1 pint Lagunitas IPA - Ama Ama Oyster Bar

yardwork

• 1 busch tallboy - home

Sun was out and the temperature was warm. Pulled some grass today where it didn't belong and reloaded the bark. Mowed and edged the grass. Felt so good.

8-21-08

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Rain

• 1 can mhl - home
• 1 Cazadores & lime - casa de LRobb
  

Red Rocket

• 1 bomber Bear Republic Red Rocket Ale - home
  

Blue Monday

• 12 oz. Anderson Valley 20th Anniversary Imperial IPA - home

Today I was getting anxious about not going back to work. I am excited about taking the next few months off, but today it really hit me what it will be like to not go back to work. There's always an excitement and freshness about beginning the school year. There's a rhythm to it....preparing the classroom, meeting with the staff for the first time after summer and going through inservices (everyone seems so familiar, but 'new' at the same time), doing last minute details before the first day of school, seeing your new students come down the hall, seeing your old students pass you by, facing your class for the first time and seeing all their faces as a whole, the first staff meeting after the Tuesday half day ("Share one thing about your day!"), Parent's Night and meeting all the parents, happy hour after Parent's Night, the magazine drive assembly, feeling exhausted but overwhelmingly excited about your year after the first week. There are so many emotions I go through over the next few weeks, but they won't be a part of me this year; or rather, I'll feel some very different emotions this year. How will it feel returning to my classroom in three months? Everything will be new to me, yet old to everyone else. I'm the type of person who likes to be in on everything....I don't like to miss anything, and it will be strange "missing" the students, the staff, the day-to-day ups and downs, and my friends over the next few months.

I am excited and thrilled to be staying home with my child - my son - and Susan, but I know I will have to get out of the house and live some of my "former" life once in awhile to keep from going crazy. Maybe my thoughts on this will be short-lived and I'm sure I will look back in December and know that it was the best thing I could have ever done, but for now; it's an adjustment.

I've always prided myself in my ability to adapt. I think it is most apparent when I travel. Going to Europe, Africa, California, Colorado, Hawaii, or wherever, I seem to make the transistion from one place to the other smoothly and I'm always ready to start activities NOW. I remember going to Africa and feeling nervous before and during the flight, but once there, I calmed down and though everything was so different and new, I thought I took it in well. "So we're sleeping on this cot with a mosquito net and no running water in the toilet or sink? Okay, cool." I love when I go to visit Christopher and from the minute I'm picked up from the airport, we're off to do something. I don't have to go to my home base to unpack, or rest, or get settled - I'm ready for adventure right away, and he's the same way when he visits here. I'm not sure why I'm this way, but I think it might have something to do with my moving around a lot as a kid. We moved from Washington to California to Kansas to Georgia and then to Ohio and back to California and I was never nervous or scared to do this. We were always exposed to new things and new places and were constantly going. I do wonder however if this has made me restless, and if I stay to long in one place or idea or situation, I need to move on, or try something different, or escape.

How does this relate to having a child? Staying at home with my child will bring a new surprise(s) everyday, but I'm not sure if this is enough to 'pacify' (haha) me. I know that I won't be moving London around as much as I moved as a kid, but I do look forward to taking him out on new adventures, and maybe this is my comfort and happiness.

ink

• 12 oz. Anderson Valley 20th Anniversary Imperial IPA - home
  

I've been thinking a lot about tattoos lately. Well really, I've never stopped thinking about tattoos. You'd never know it by looking at me...I only have one and it's on my leg; not the most apparent spot. I got it 15 years ago at Sunset Strip Tattoo in West Hollywood. It seemed like the place to get one. In 1993, tattoo's weren't really common, although people were starting to get them. I was inspired by Anthony Kiedis' many tattoos and that's what prompted me to get one. I wasn't sure what to get - the tribal's were popular, as were the geckos and lizards (never really sure why on that one) - but those weren't my style. I've always liked cats and I was in a cat store one day and their business card had a simple cat design on it. When I went in for my tat, I took the business card and the RHCP CD of Blood Sugar Sex Magic because it showcases a lot of the band's tattoos. My tattoo artist liked the cat and redesigned it to what I have. The reason I got it on the side of my calf is that I wanted it to go in a place that would always have toned muscle and I figured that was a pretty good place. I also wanted it just lower than a length of shorts, but higher than where my rollerblades (I used to rollerblade constantly) fit.

It did hurt, but not writhingly painfully so. It took just over an hour. It cost $125 and a scan of the receipt is below - I've kept it. My artist had done one of Lenny Kravitz's tattoos and I thought that was pretty cool. I'm not sure which one, but I've always thought it was the cross on his upper right arm. Afterwards I went to Church's Fried Chicken with my girlfriend at the time. Some people mistake the design for "coathangers" and others call them "panthers". I just call them cats and I still love the simplicity of the design.

Once you get one tattoo, you invariably want more. I've wanted another one for a long time now. Before I left LA, I wanted a Japanese woodblock style tattoo because the woodblock style is a beautiful form of art. Lately I've seen an almost watercolory look to tattoos which I love. One thing has kept me from getting more however and that's what I want. I've been wanting my mom's name tattooed somewhere on my arm with a flowery design; maybe spelling in Hawaiian, which would be Iwone. Now that London is born, I think a large LONDON inked in Old English font would be cool, but maybe it's too gangster. I've played with the idea of having a picture of Susan done in the Varga's style on my shoulder. I even thought it would be cool if she designed a tattoo for me. I've come up with another idea that I'm going to think about for awhile as well. I like Johnny Depp's tattoos. They're not flashy, but each one has meaning. I think I'm more that kind of person.

What I've noticed in the past 15 years is that tattoos have become more common and aren't as "alternative" as they used to be. Practically everyone has a tattoo now, whether it be a tiny flower by an ankle, a sleeve-type tattoo that runs up and down the arm, or elaborate designs inked on the small of a woman's back. I definitely think Seattle has the largest per capita tattoo-wearing population out of anywhere in the United States. Even going back to LA and the OC this past spring, where many people did have them 15 years ago, not as many people seem to have them. Maybe because it's summer and more skin is being exposed, but go to any public event, or outside restaurant, or club, or beach, or sidewalky neighborhood, or coffee shop, or park, or bar, and you will be surrounded by tatted-up Seattleites. It's really hard not to be.

The Taste of Wine

• 1 glass Harlequin Cuvee Alexander 02 - The Tasting Room
• red wine flight - The Tasting Room
• 1 bottle BLL (bud light lime) - home

The Real Due Date

• 1 can mhl - home
• 1 bottle Longboard Ale - home
• 1 pint Full Sail Limited 2 lager - Beveridge Place Pub

Today was London's original due date. Some of the places we had planned on going before this date was the Olympic Sculpture Garden (totally doable in a stroller however), the New Orleans restaurant in Pioneer Square, and The Saint tequila bar in Capitol Hill. I think there were a few others...it wasn't a very extensive list, and of course there were some bars I wanted to hit as well.

Tonight Susan's parents watched London as we ran off to B.P.P. for an hour. It was strange not having baby there as he's been a constant presence these 10 days. It definitely gives you a new perspective on life. What that perspective is, I don't know right now, or maybe I'm just not motivated to write about it. Or, just too tired. :)

Art Walk with Easy Street Stop

• 1 can mhl - home
• few glasses of wine - West Seattle Art Walk
  

Alki

• 1 bottle Bud Light Lime - home

So in the past I've kind of made fun of Bud Light Lime. But you know...it ain't that bad...in fact, it's fairly darn refreshing.

It's places like this that drive me to drink...

• 1 can mhl - home
• 1 pint Manny's - Duke's
• 1 bottle Bud Light - Duke's

I'll just leave him here. Sign says 'CHILDREN'S STORAGE'.

Monday

• 12 oz. Laughing Dog Dogzilla Black IPA - home
  

Sunday

• 12 oz. Laughing Dog Dogzilla Black IPA - home

pArTY!

• 1 mhl tallboy - The Jeffs' birthday party at D & K's
• 1/2 a bottle of MGD Light (never had that before) - D & K's

We'd been looking forward to going to the Jeffs' birthday parties for a few weeks now. Little did we know at the time we'd have a new addition. We were excited to get out of the house and bring London along and he handled it fairly well, I suppose. It was a good time, even though we were attending to London throughout the night. His first party and he was only four days old! Already a Socialite.

Vito's

• 1 can mhl - home

Today I was thinking about what a great day our last day of "DINK-dom" was. The morning started with the concrete cutter cutting an egress window space from the foundation. Susan and I bolted some plywood over the situation and then left for Greenlake to eat at Taqueria Guaymas. It was such a beautiful day. After lunch, we walked to the lake, I waded in the swimming area, and then we walked a bit; talking about our plans for the next few days. For Wednesday, we were going to start the morning off at Pike Place Market for breakfast (before the tourists), then go to the Olympic Sculpture Garden, and then up to Greenlake for swimming and/or walking. We left Greenlake and went home to relax. Later, Jeff invited us to Vito's for karaoke, so we got dressed up and headed out about 8:30 and met the gang at the Hideout for a drink. Then we walked back down to Vito's (Susan thinks it was the hill climb from Vito's up to the Hideout that might have started things moving) for a few hours of karaoke. It was fun singing and hanging out with everyone; much better than if we had stayed at home watching a movie or something. It will definitely make a memorable story. Funny how things happen.

Hospital Leave

• 1/2 glass of Cabernet - home
  

Post-Partum

• 0 drinks

London - We've always liked the name and the city.
Wesley - Susan's dad's middle name. A great name too.
Stewart - My mom's maiden name. The perfect middle name
Lamb - Susan's last name
Barker - My last name

The First Day

• 0 drinks

...at 4 am this morning Susan wakes me up, "My water broke." I wasn't hungover, although I did want, and need, more sleep. After it registered that this is it, I packed the car and we were out the door about 5, (it was so beautiful with the sun just coming up over the Eastside.), checked into triage at 5:30 and admitted into the birthing suite (sweet!) about 7:00 am.

It's funny because at Vito's I was giving everyone shit about having to leave "early" because they had to get up to go to work. Little did I know....

Susan had a smooth labor and a fast delivery. As Susan would get contractions, I held one leg, the nurse held the other leg, and Susan pushed. And baby appeared. A boy! What a surprise! 8:06 pm:18 inches:7.52 pounds. I rush out to tell Susan's parents who come in to visit. About an hour later when I go out again, Donna, Danielle & Jeff, Lisa, Constance, and Brian were all excitedly waiting to see baby. It was overwhelming and terribly flattering. Over the next few days we changed the name and configuration of it several times and finally settled on: London Wesley Stewart Lamb Barker.

The Last Day

• 12 oz. Old Viscosity Ale - home
• 1 pint of some Weiss beer - the Hideout
  
• 3 Maker's and soda - Vito's

Susan and I karaoked tonight with JRobb, LRobb, Dan, Brian, and Martha at Vito's until about 1:00(?) or so. We stopped by Jack in the Box for some food, but their shake machine wasn't working, so Susan didn't get the shake she wanted. Went to sleep about 1:30ish. The rest is history...

Re-coop-E-LATED!

• 12 oz. Port Brewing Old Viscosity - home

Feels so good to be 100%! This beer was delicious, although heavy.

Finally!

• 1 pint New Belgium Mighty Arrow - Tour de Fat festival, Gasworks

Finally back on my feet after being sick for four days, but still a little shaky. Managed to get down to the New Belgium Tour de Fat and saw some really cool bikes. This is one of them. How cool is that? Very cool!

Still!?

• o drinks