Please note that my climbing blog has moved to / Mein Kletter-Blog ist jetzt hier:
sabrinaclimbs.blogspot.com

Current Time / Aktuelle Uhrzeit in Seattle

Weather / Wetter

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Drinks and Make-Up at the Space Needle

Another "40 new things" item completed (item #15)!
I had drinks (AND dinner and dessert!) with Mutti on top of the Space Needle on Christmas Eve. We had a wonderful time together!



This special evening inspired another event that really would deserve a place on my "40 new things" list. I wore make-up (eye-shadow, mascara, and lipstick) for the first time in probably 20 years!


Thursday, December 16, 2010

List items #13 and #14: Music

I completed item #13 on my 40-new-things list a couple of weeks ago. This may have been the hardest one for me on the list - Karaoke singing! But thanks to my wonderful and supportive friends, I DID IT! :) It took a lot of liquor, but I did step behind that microphone and sang "I want you to want me" by Cheap Trick.



It was so much fun! And thanks to my awesome friends Ken, Matt, Gilbert, Jennifer, and Dylan who came out and rocked with me! That was the best part!

And now I completed item #14: Create a CD with my 40 favorite songs of 2010. Well, it's been a great music year for me. I got to see Foals at Neumos, Motopony at the High Dive, and The Black Angels at the Showbox! And I have been listening to KEXP a lot, findings loads of great new music! I wasn't able to limit it to 40 favorite songs. Here is my 2010 playlist:

Volume 1: Electronica and Dance Mix
  1. Eggplant by Gui Boratto
  2. Tuff Enuff by Shit Robot 
  3. Eisenfunk Quattro Gti by Eisenfunk
  4. Not In Love (Radio Version) [feat. Robert Smith] by Crystal Castles 
  5. Electric Feel by MGMT 
  6. Sun by Caribou
  7. No Turning Back by Gui Boratto
  8. Angel Echoes by Four Tet
  9. Pong by Eisenfunk
  10. Born Free by M.I.A.
  11. P.I.G.S. by Holy Fuck
  12. Snow by The Chemical Brothers
  13. Kids by MGMT
  14. Odessa by Caribou
  15. Swoon by The Chemical Brothers
Volume 2: The Rest
  1. That's Not My Name by The Ting Tings
  2. Get Up by Jonquil
  3. Basic Space by The XX
  4. Losing My Patience by Shit Robot
  5. The Ghost Inside by Broken Bells
  6. We No Speak Americano by Yolanda Be Cool & Dcup
  7. Get Some by Lykke Li
  8. When I'm With You by Best Coast
  9. Undertow by Warpaint
  10. Spanish Sahara by Foals
  11. Helicopter by Deerhunter
  12. Lover Of Mine by Beach House
  13. VCR by The XX
  14. Run the Heart by Sleigh Bells
  15. Red Socks Pugie by Foals
  16. Phosphene Dream by The Black Angels
  17. Seer by Motopony
  18. Sugar Man by Rodriguez
  19. Rope & Summit by Junip
  20. He Would Have Laughed by Deerhunter
  21. Blue Blood by Foals
  22. 10 Mile Stereo by Beach House
  23. Blue Ridge Mountains by Fleet Foxes
  24. Always by Junip
  25. Desire Lines by Deerhunter
  26. Telephone by The Black Angels
  27. I want you to want me by Cheap Trick
  28. Great DJ by The Ting Tings
  29. Infinity Guitars by Sleigh Bells
So I have a little over 6 months left before my 41st birthday. I better get cracking with my list! Anyone know where I can milk a goat or cow?

Sunday, November 07, 2010

Progress on 40 new things

UPDATED 11-7-2010!

Ok, it's time to log my progress on the 40 new things I committed to doing for my 40th birthday. Here you go:
  1. Wear a party hat while climbing - changed to feather boa and tiara - DONE! (Thanks Anne!)
  2. Attend a work meeting wearing a feather boa and tiara - DONE!
  3. Ride a paddle boat at Greenlake - DONE! (Thanks, John!)
  4. Send a message in a bottle - DONE! (Thanks Rod and Lee!)
  5. Fix a major home appliance with my own hands and tools - DONE! (Fixed my clothes dryer!)
  6. Go for a trail run - DONE! (at Cougar Mountain, no pictures)
  7. Drive barefoot - DONE! (no pictures - that would have been too dangerous!)
  8. Roast coffee - DONE! Thanks Velton at Velton's Coffee Roasters (www.veltonscoffee.com)
  9. Go skateboarding - DONE! (at Magnuson Park) Thank you, Brian!
  10. Get a pedicure. DONE! (at Hoa Salon) Thank you Lisa!
  11. Go salsa dancing - DONE! (at Century Ballroom) Thank you Anne, Rod, Loni, Ric, Mabel, and all of the dancers at the Century Ballroom!
  12. Win a Halloween costume contest - DONE! (at Vertical World Seattle) Best Group Costume! Thank you Justin, Anne, Monique, and Jayashree!
  13. Skip around the office.
  14. Milk a cow or goat.
  15. Have drinks on top of the Space Needle.
  16. Get a tattoo.
  17. Watch the sunset at Alki Beach with friends and beer.
  18. Plant a tree.
  19. Have a food fight.
  20. Try a new ice cream flavor.
  21. Pickle something.
  22. Sell something on craigslist.
  23. Go to a horse race.
  24. Shoot a gun.
  25. Learn how to tie a Monkey's Fist.
  26. Go to Olympus Spa (http://olympusspa.net/).
  27. Create a new drink and drink it.
  28. Sing Karaoke.
  29. Go surfing.
  30. Go clamming.
  31. Create a CD with my top 40 songs.
  32. Ride my bike for 40 miles.
  33. Eat a meal in total darkness.
  34. Play Whirly Ball.
  35. ?
  36. ?
  37. ?
  38. ?
  39. ?
  40. ?

Tuesday, September 07, 2010

Genie in a bottle? / Flaschengeist?

I think I just found a genie in a bottle in my backyard!
Ich glaube, ich habe einen Flaschengeist in meinem Garten gefunden!
Actually, it was a message in a bottle! But unfortunately, the paper was completely disintegrated so that I couldn't read the message. :(
Es war eine Flaschenpost! Aber leider war das Papier ganz aufgelöst, so dass ich die Nachricht nicht lesen konnte. :( 

Monday, September 06, 2010

The scarf is done! / Der Schal ist fertig!

Finally, I finished my first knitted lace scarf. I love it!
Endlich ist der gestrickte Schal fertig! Mein erster Versuch an der Spitzenstrickerei.



Pattern/Muster: Chrysler Crown Shawl by Natalie Servant.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

40 new things to celebrate 40 years!

So it turns out that I have been on this earth for 40 years come July 8. Wow!

And to mark the occasion, I will do 40 new things that day. But I need everyone's help to come up with a list, because 40 is a lot! Post your suggestions as a comment to this blog. The only rule is that it has to be something I can do in a short period of time that day (so I can get 40 things in), it has to be FUN for me (don't make me eat slugs!), something I have not done before (or not in a looooong time, say 20 years?), which you may not know, but take a guess!

Ok, I'll get your started with the list:

  1. Go salsa dancing.
  2. Skip around the office.
  3. Wear a party hat while climbing.

Ok, your turn! :)

Here is an update on the list generated so far in no particular order (as of 11 am on June 30):
  1. Go salsa dancing.
  2. Skip around the office.
  3. Wear a party hat while climbing.
  4. Milk a cow or goat.
  5. Ride a paddle boat at Greenlake. 
  6. Have drinks on top of the Space Needle.
  7. Send a message in a bottle.
  8. Get a tattoo.
  9. Watch the sunset at Alki Beach with friends and beer.
  10. Plant a tree.
  11. Have a food fight
  12. Try a new ice cream flavor.
  13. Go skateboarding.
  14. Roast coffee.
  15. Pickle something.
  16. Wear high heels to work.
  17. Sell something on craigslist.
  18. Go to a horse race.
  19. Shoot a gun.
  20. Learn how to tie a Monkey's Fist.
  21. Go to Olympus Spa (http://olympusspa.net/).
  22. Get a pedicure.
  23. Create a new drink and drink it.
  24. Sing Karaoke.
  25. Go surfing.
  26. Go clamming.
  27. Create a CD with my top 40 songs.
  28. Ride my bike for 40 miles.
  29. Eat a meal in total darkness.
  30. Play Whirly Ball.
I don't think I will be able to do this all in a day, so let's expand it to a long weekend! :)
And things you've suggested but are not showing up on this list, I have either already done or will not do!

Friday, January 22, 2010

Oh how beautiful is Seattle! / Oh wie schön ist Seattle!

This is why I love living in Seattle - this is the view I had this morning on my way to work.
Hier ist der Grund, warum ich es in Seattle so schön finde - so war der Ausblick heute morgen, als ich in die Arbeit gefahren bin.


This picture is not mine but can be found here.
Dieses Foto ist von hier.

These are the Olympic Mountains, west of Seattle.
Das sind die Olympischen Berge, westlich von Seattle.

Monday, January 18, 2010

More socks and yoga / Noch mehr Socken und Yoga

First things first:
Jetzt erstmal...

Happy Birthday Beloved Brother!!
Alles Gute zum Geburtstag Bruderherz!



And then...I finished another pair of socks for myself.
Und dann...Ich habe wieder ein paar Socken fertiggestrickt.


I loved knitting these socks - the Sunday Swing Socks pattern is fantastic and I love the colors. Unfortunately, the pretty dark purple came in way too late at the tip of the toes. But there will be other projects...
Es hat total Spass gemacht, diese Socken zu stricken. Das Sunday Swing Socks Muster ist fantastisch und ich finde die Farben total toll. Leider bin ich nicht bis zu dem schönen dunklen Lila gekommen, das erst an den Zehen anfing. Aber ich werde bestimmt was anderes mit dieser Wolle stricken...

What's next in knitting? I  D O N ' T  K N O W !!! Well ... of course ... I have ideas! I have been playing with a design for a curtain, yes, curtain for the kitchen or backdoor window. Something in lace because I have never knit in lace before, except for the lace-like pattern in the Sunday Swing Socks. Did I already mention how fun that was? Anyway, the curtain will not be the usual frilly, flowery-kind of lace your grandmother knit. It will have to be something modern, cool, geometric maybe? I spent a lovely afternoon this weekend at the Fiber Gallery, browsing books, chatting with knitters there. It was quite enjoyable and oh so knitterly-nerdy. Wow!
Wie geht's weiter mit dem Stricken? I C H  W E I S S  E S  N I C H T !!! Naja...natürlich...habe ich Ideen! Ich spiele mit dem Gedanken, einen Vorhang - ja, einen Vorhang! -  für das Küchenfenster oder das Fenster in der Hintertür zu stricken. Irgendwas mit Spitze, da ich noch nie was in einem Spitzenmuster gestrickt habe (ausser den Sunday Swing Socken - Habe ich schon erwähnt, wie toll es war, die zu Stricken?). Na auf jeden Fall, der Vorhang wird nicht so eine rüschig-blumige Spitze, wie sie deine Oma gestrickt hat. Es muss was Modernes, Cooles, vielleicht Geometrisches sein. Ich habe letztes Wochenende einen netten Nachmittag in der Fiber Gallery verbracht, wo ich in den Musterbüchern gestöbert und mit den Strickerinnen geschwatzt habe. Es war sehr nett und ach so "strickerlich." Wahnsinn!

So now I am into designing my own pattern, which I know nothing about. I guess it helps to use knitting graph paper, which you can get for free online, for example here or here.
Also bin ich jetzt dabei, mein eigenes Muster zu designen, wo von ich keine Ahnung habe. Anscheinend hilft es, wenn man kariertes Papier benutzt, was man umsonst im Internet ausdrucken kann, zum Beispiel von hier und hier.

I also wanted to tell you about yoga. I have been going to a yoga class at my gym pretty regularly for several weeks now. "Yoga for Athletes" with Renee Davis. We have been practicing the hand stand a few times. I know I am strong enough. But I am surprisingly uncomfortable with being upside down. This unfamiliar feeling reminds me of my nervousness when I am lead climbing - not quite as bad, but similar. To get over it, I have been practicing by myself today and I am happy to report that I can now do a hand stand (against the wall!). Hooray!
Und dann wollte ich noch vom Yoga erzählen. Ich mache seit ein paar Wochen relativ regelmässig Yoga in meinem Fitnessstudio. "Yoga für Sportler" mit Renee Davis. Dort haben wir ein paar Mal den Handstand geübt. Ich weiss, dass ich die Kraft dafür habe. Aber mir ist es überraschend unangenehm, verkehrt herum, "auf dem Kopf" zu stehen. Das nervöse Gefühl ist ähnlich wie beim Vorsteigen beim Klettern - nicht ganz so schlimm, aber ähnlich. Um über das Gefühl hinweg zu kommen, habe ich heute den Handstand alleine geübt. Und jetzt kann ich den Handstand machen (an der Wand)! Hurra!

Thursday, January 14, 2010

The baby pants are done! / Die Babyhosen sind fertig!

I finished the baby pants for Baby Florance last night. This was a fun and quick project. I hope they'll fit!
Die Babyhose für Baby Florance ist fertig! Das hat Spass gemacht und war ein schnelles Projekt. I hoffe, die Hosen werden auch passen.


The pattern for these pants can be found here for free downloading.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

I can finally reveal the secret knitting project!
Ich kann endlich mein geheimes Strickprojekt veröffentlichen!


Baby booties and a hat for Zerah's baby boy - due February 14. May they keep the little guy warm!
Babyschuhe und eine Mütze für Zerahs kleinen Jungen - der am 14. Februar geboren werden soll. Hoffentlich werden sie den Kleinen schön warm halten!

Zerah and Sean are going to use cloth diapers and, after learning about my knitting addiction, Zerah asked me if I would knit the boy some wool pants to put over the diapers. She picked Tiny Birds Organic Merino Wool Longies, which I happily started today.
Zerah und Sean wollen Baumwollwindeln benutzen. Und nachdem sie von meiner Sricksucht mitbekommen haben, hat Zerah mich gefragt, ob ich dem Kleinen nicht ein Paar Wollhosen stricken würde, die über die Windeln passen. Sie hat sich die Tiny Birds Organic Merino Wool Longies ausgesucht, die ich heute freudig begonnen habe.


The reason why I was able to move on to the baby pants is that I finished my Pipi Longstockings! Some of the final stitches were knit at The Honey Bear Bakery at Third Place Books where I met with Wendy the other night. I had never been there before and it turned out to be a nice place to hang out, knit, and have some tea.
Ich konnte mich an die Babyhosen machen, da die Pipi Langstrümpfe fertig sind! Die letzten Maschen habe ich in der Honey Bear Bakery im Third Place Books gestrickt, wo ich mich mit Wendy kürzlich getroffen habe. Ich war dort noch nie, aber fand es sehr angenehm, dort zu stricken und Tee zu trinken.

Wendy finished her first scarf - WOHOO! And is already diligently knitting on a baby blanket for baby boy Florance. How cool is that!?
Wendy hat ihren erst Schal fertiggestrickt - Hurra! Und sie ist schon fleissig am Schaffen an einer Babydecke für den kleinen Florance-Jungen. Toll, oder?

And here are the stockings:
Und hier sind die Socken:


I love them!

Thursday, January 07, 2010

A new laptop!

I have entered the modern age! The new laptop arrived yesterday unexpectedly early! Yipee!
Ich bin nun endlich auch in modernen Zeiten angekommen. Der neue Laptop ist gestern unerwartet geliefert worden. Hurra!


And it has these awesome features, like a built in camera that can take pictures of you while you work on the computer.
Und er hat ganz tolle Sachen, wie eine eingebaute Kamera, mit der man sich selbst beim Arbeiten am Computer fotographieren kann.



Or you can be creative like this:
Oder man kann kreativ sein:


And the new cases for my knitting needles from dellaQ arrived as well! Oh, how I love shopping (actually I don't, but this was all done over the internet - the only way I like it)!
Und die neuen Behälter für die Stricknadeln von dellaQ sind auch geliefert worden! Ach wie schön ist Shopping (nein, eigentlich nicht, ausser wenn ich alles im Internet bestellen kann, wie es hier der Fall war)!

Sunday, January 03, 2010

Happy New Year!

Ok, first of all - Happy New Year!
Also erst mal ein gutes neues Jahr!

Second, I finished the first of my Pipi stockings today.
Zweitens: Einer meiner Pipi Langstrumpf Socken ist fertig.



Well, I don't have a picture of the final product yet, but this will give you a good idea.
Ich habe im Moment noch kein Foto vom fertigen Strumpf, aber dieses Bild zeigt den Fortschritt ganz gut.

For New Year's Eve, Steve and I went to a show at the Tractor Tavern in Ballard, where we saw Mark Pickerel and his Praying Hands who opened for the Dusty 45s. It was a great show!
An Silvester waren Steve und ich in der Tractor Tavern in Ballard, wo wir Mark Pickerel and his Praying Hands und die Dusty 45s gesehen haben. Super Konzert!