Ocho

Last week Cindy and I tried a new restaurant in Ballard called Ocho (yes, this was the same night we bought our shoes- magic was in the air). And it was great. It's a tapas bar, which is not exactly new in this town, but it's closer to the real thing than anything else I've come across around here. My beef with Seattle tapas joints is that they're basically fancy restaurants with smaller plates. You wouldn't go to one of these places to get a drink and just hang out, because it's essentially a fancy restaurant. Ocho is different. It's small and low-key. Half of the place is taken up by a bar, with a few tables on the side. One look at the list of tapas (written on a chalkboard on the back wall) and you'll notice that most of them are around $4-$5. That's still higher than what you'd find in Spain, but lower than other places in Seattle. But what about the food? We had six plates between the two of us, and all but one were fantastic. They had the best garbanzo beans I've ever tasted (sort of a bean stew, with bacon and arugula), and I'm normally not that crazy about garbanzos. Oh, and get this- Cindy ordered a Coke...and it was 50 cents! When was the last time you saw Coke on a menu for that price? It's as if there were a rip in the fabric of the space-time-restaurant continuum. So I'm going to go ahead and give this place the Concords Are Better seal of approval. That's high praise, my friend.
This week's selection on Radio Concord is Sea Wolf, who we saw in concert recently:

Walking On Air

I was thinking today about my new shoes. I bought them at Market Street Shoes in Ballard a few days ago. They're stylish yet functional. Most importantly, they feel great on my feet. Gone are the days when I could throw on a pair of Converse All-Stars and be good to go. I'm a 38 year-old man now; bunions and callouses are part of my daily life. Years of chronic fungal infections have left my toes permanently disfugured and in a state of constant pain. Well, that's all going to change. These new shoes make my feet feel like they're wrapped in cotton. They're made by a company called Ahnu (according to their website, the name is derived from the ancient Celtic word for "pillowy comfort"), and they are a pleasure to wear. I don't think there's a man or woman alive who doesn't appreciate the luxurious feel of a new pair of shoes. Here's a picture of them:

America's Funnyman

Hey! How's it going? I've been enjoying married life for about a month now, and it's been fantastic. So much so that the whole blogging thing just sort of fell by the wayside. I know, I know, it's the same old excuse, but I swear I'll start posting more frequently. I'm going to write a lengthier post in the next few days or so, but today I'm simply going to share something very special with you. Do you remember how I mentioned that my friend Trevor gave an awesome speech at my wedding? I have been deluged with e-mails from people begging me for a copy of that speech. Dear friends, your prayers have been answered. Today I present to you...Trevor's speech!

Thanks to my sister for capturing this magical moment and posting it online.

A New Era

Hi folks,

It's been a while, hasn't it? Normally I'd give some silly excuse for my lack of blogging, but this time I'm proud to say that I've been busy with something far more important: I got married! Not only that, but I got married to the most wonderful woman in the world. I think you know her- she writes that charming little blog called Echo and Hum. What can I say...it's been like a dream. I feel incredibly lucky, and I've never been happier in my life. It's also been a very busy time for both of us, what with the wedding planning and the honeymoon, so I hope you can understand why blogging took a back seat to all of this for the past several weeks.

The wedding was great; highlights included the beautiful ceremony, Trevor's excellent speech, and just hanging out with all of my friends and relatives. It was an honor to be in the presence of all these people who had flown in from across the country just to be with us on our special day. I'm pretty sure the entire readership of this blog was in attendance (thanks for coming!), so I don't need to explain how nice it was to enjoy the warm, sunny weather in such a gorgeous setting. I hope everyone had as good of a time as I did.

After the wedding, Cindy and I went to Kauai for our honeymoon, which was awesome. I'll save the details of that for a later post. Instead, I'd like to mention something of more immediate concern. As I mentioned a couple months ago, Cindy's brother (and now my brother-in-law) Steve is currently battling myelodysplastic syndrome, and he will need to find a donor for a bone marrow transplant. If you haven't signed up for the National Marrow Donor Registry, now's the time: from September 7-22, the $52 registration fee is being waived. The chances of matching to Steve is slim, but you could end up saving someone else's life. More info can be found here. Make sure you enter the promotion code to get the fee waived: NASC262101.

Finally, I'd like to mention something that all of you should be excited about: My friend Trevor has a new blog. I've been pestering him for months, trying to convince him to start a blog of his own, and now he's delivered the goods. Thank you, T-Bone! Now, if only Michael would start a blog...

Speaking of which: this week's selection on Radio Concord is from the most recent Stephen Malkmus album, which Michael sent me recently. Enjoy: