home again, home again, part 2

after celebrating independence day in the hometown, it was off to seattle again for a different kind of work event. i had to get a little more creative when it came to the off hours, but i had some help.

first up was a night with my LONG time friend leah. long time, as in, we moved two doors down from each other in 7th grade.

after leah and her husband david picked me up and took me back to their home, leah and i decided to go see a movie. transformers was on the docket and we mistakenly ended up at a very different kind of theater. it would be an 'experience', the host informed us, and for $27 you too can have this kind of experience.

it starts with a wait in the lounge, where you can order drinks, food, etc.

when the theater is ready, you are escorted to it by the friendly and helpful waitstaff. upon arriving at the normal-sized theater, you will find no more than 40 chairs - all recliners.

once seated, you get a brief tutorial on the different amenities, not the least of which is what i like to call the magic button. at any time you can press this button and someone will come and ask what you need.

about 10 minutes in, i pressed the magic button and asked for a blanket. 'would you like a pillow as well?' why yes, yes i would.

the experience was definitely worth $27. once.

the night didn't end until 3am or so with that good ol' fashioned girl talk you can only ever have with people who know you inside and out.

i crashed on the couch, and david took me back to the hotel the following morning.

other highlights included a stop with my co-worker chris at the seattle glass factory. apparently glass blowing is a HUGE deal in seattle, but i didn't know it until i was leaving the last time.

this time we got to watch a really spectacular piece in progress, and it gave me a new appreciation for glass. i would have loved to have bought a piece, but unfortunately, they were super pricey:(

oh well, there was more fun to be had! friday night in seattle found me at another mariners game with two of my favorite friends and colleagues, vicki and melissa, with another colleague along to make it look like 'business.' ;)

i have to say that i don't think i saw one actual play the entire game. i was too busy chatting and eating and taking photos and chatting and eating. in fact, i had no idea ken griffey, jr. was playing until i saw vicki's pics a week later! it was a fun game! :)

the rest of my time was pretty focused on work, but i did drag along some of my peeps to help me follow up on a lead i'd gotten.

apparently there is a lesser known landmark in seattle, called 'the gum wall.' it's been labeled (on the interenet) as the 2nd most unhygienic tourist stop in the world - second only to the blarney stone (which, for the record, i HAVE kissed).

the gum wall did not disappoint. it was both fascinating and disturbing. and of course, i had to contribute.

from there i played tour guide and took the gang to the space needle.

eventually and finally it was time to go home. the rest of the pics, including MANY more of the gumwall, can be found here.

...more in part 3...