This is late. And I’ve pre-dated it so all the blogs don’t show up on the same entry. I’ve a freak and oh well, better late than never as the trite-ass saying goes.

On the 24th, we went and saw the Pillows with opening band Stereo Future at the Crocodile Cafe. Our evening kicked off with a quick bus trip downtown because 2 roundtrip bus rides is far cheaper and easier than trying to find a parking spot in Seattle on a Saturday night … and typing that reminds me that we need to grab some monthly cards so I don’t have to worry about carrying change … that shit gets old. When we crossed the bridge, I tried to get a shot of Rainier in the distance …

as you can see, it didn’t take very well but believe me, when it’s out. It’s fantastic. There’s all of a sudden this huge fucking mountain, snow-capped, and actually majestic. It’s awe-inspiring and I wonder if natives view it the same way that we do? With this nifty combination of glee and happy?

Anyway, we met our new friends, hereto referred to as the Prophets to protect their privacy, and decide to grab a meal before the show. We’ve been over to their place once and she cooked this mean chicken curry cashew dish with rice … way droolworthy and it totally went with the green tea tiramisu we brought for dessert. Another note, it must have been good because Andy is not a fan of cashews nor curry. But I’m getting away from my tale!

I researched the area beforehand and found a Mexican place that was highly rated and a noodle Pan-Asian place. After happily learning they also did not particularly care for Mexican food, we decided on a noodle place a few blocks down. I’ve had good Mexican food but most places are so Americanised so I let the crave pass or seek out really good Cuban food instead, which I prefer. Drinks and conversation ensue and after a while, we decide to head back to the Cafe where a 4 block line has formed in the ninety minutes we leisurely chose to eat. As we walked past the line with hipsters, anime geeks, youths in their FLCL tees, and lovers of good music, Mr. Prophet had a quizzical look on his face. He went on to tell us that he did not think all those people could fit inside the venue, which was rather small. The crowd did fit inside the club but shit, that was a lot of folk for a place with no a/c and no ventilation. I actually wrote a letter to the club manager jokingly asking that they couldn’t afford two cheap-ass ceiling fans to rotate that air around? Geez. After the crowd started to groove, the humidity levels started to rise and oh no, it’s doubtful I will want to go back to that venue for a long LONG while.

The show was all ages so we needed to show I.D. to get into the back bar where we sat enjoying drinks, watching Stereo Future on closed circuit television (very cool) and waiting for the Pillows. They had interesting ceiling sheep with neon wings. I wondered if the wool was originally that colour or if that was from years of tobacco smoke filtering upwards. Since there was no way we were fighting to get close, we opted to stand in the back of the venue to get the briefest hint of breeze that filtered in now and again. I took a few photos but I really just wanted to listen to the music … that and it was too much of a pain in the ass to get the camera out when I was fanning frantically with the right hand. That said, here are the few shots that came out … crap lighting and sweaty crowd included. I might have to seriously consider whether or not I want to see a band there again. Sawao Yamanaka (lead singer of the Pillows) commented several times how hot it was in his broken and completely charming English. His story about being loved by mosquitoes in New York made the crowd laugh.

Here are some more photos though they are seriously not very good. I do love Sawao’s expression in that last one as he wonders if we are still with him because of the heat. If you are curious about their music, pick up Please Mr. Lostman or Little Buster – you will not be disappointed. The Prophets were unfamiliar with their stuff and I kept checking at their expressions during the show to see if they were enjoying it and they were! Insert sigh of relief here but I should have known that a band that has been together for so long and produced so much good music would be fantastic live, despite the heat and sweating geek humidity.

We picked up some cool swag at the show. A couple of tees for me and GC plus new charms for my cell!

Buster-kun has already been made into a necklace. He hangs quite nicely on the chain I used though wearing him has raised an eyebrow because he looks like a homicidal Pooh. Kawaii and scary all at once so naturally I love him already. I actually got an extra Buster-kun for free because of a swag table confusion issue, the girl working their table slid me an extra one when I waited patiently for people who had rudely cut in front of me. I won’t kvetch. A spare Buster-kun is always welcome!

and speaking of scary. Well, not really scary but quietly beautiful actually. We were walking to their car and we passed a dead bird that looked like he just laid down and died. I’m such a bleeding heart animal lover that if I can clearly see the form of a dog or a cat on the road, I’ll mist up. Okay, yeah mock me and then bite me. Anyway, he looked so sad and peaceful. It was like some American Beauty moment that I had to capture for posterity. There is no gore, no insects feeding, just peace and for Tisha’s sake, the photos are linked versus embedded.

After my macabre photo shoot, we decided to go for some coffee and dessert at 13 Coins. We chose that because free parking and they had never been. We all opted for a dessert each with sharing privileges understood, they ordered creme brulee and cheesecake while we chose raspberry tiramisu and spumoni. Wow. Way good and way tasty though Mrs. Prophet opted not to finish her dessert. Maybe she did not care for it? Either way, her dh polished it off happily so no custardy goodness went to waste. We decided to walk across the way to the rooftop garage where there’s a great view of the Needle and downtown. Mrs. D enjoyed a cigarette while GC and her husband climbed a steep perch to lord their Docs-clad loftiness over us. Aren’t they cute and full of dessert? I think GC had finished relating some humourous tale, as he’s known to do. He really should get ten minutes together and try some stand-up – he’d be rather good at it.

Some time after, security politely asked us to leave … he looked so put out that he had to leave his comfy environs and tv to get rid of us pesky kids. Since we were far from our memorised bus stop, the kind Prophets offered to drive us home. Our home, which is in a perpetual state of unpacking, was an utter wreck … they did not mind. They stayed and talked for a while until they realised the time, they had to drive back down South to retrieve their wee one from the familial babysitter. Bummer for them really because we were having fun just yakking it up. I hope our budding friendship continues to blossom because the four of us get along nicely. I hate it when 3 out of 4 get along but there’s that 4th person who bogs things down because he/she doesn’t quite fit with the rest … they fit nicely with their partner but in the mix, not so much. We might drive down to Mt. Rainier with them some weekend in the future and we’d love to show them Vancouver, wee one included. She’s a hoot. A certifiably adorable hoot.

And I’m hungry. I have to go grocery shopping before it gets too late and I get weak. We’ve got this open kitchen that begs for me to cook in it all the time but it’s such a hardship to have good restaurants around the corner that deliver. I know what you are asking yourself. How do we live?

Seeya on the flip side 😉
– GermanCityGirl

p.s. More blogs to come, I’ve uploaded all the photos and all I have to do is write them!

Currently listening to the soundtrack to Furi Kuri.

Meal: The cupboard is conveniently bare. I wonder if GC knows that I have to go grocery shopping if can be persuaded to go out for supper.

Yeah, like that will be hard.