How I Spent My Summer Vacation, Part I

Hey everyone!

Miss me? I hope so. I know I have been incognito recently but I needed a break from everything. I haven't done squat in ages and I thought a breather would get me back into the groove.

But before I start writing a compulsary summary of what I've been up to, I just wanted to add to the list of the break-up couples in Tinseltown. The recent couple added to the list: Jessica Biel and Chris Evans.

Now cry.

Apparently, this year is the summer of break-ups. Now if I could just scoop the eventual doom of HB and FrankenKatie, I would be ever so grateful.

Now for the real goods...

Last week, the Nillster and I finally got to leave Podunk Town for the brighter lights and bigger city. That place? The Emerald City: Seattle.

We love Seattle. I can be biased but I love the Evergreen City. Seattle has everything: temperate climate, a beautiful, relatively clean city, a booming downtown, tons of character, the ferry, Mount Raineer and Baker and Helen, clean water and tons more interesting stuff Podunk would not be able to offer unless it stops pretending to be cute and "charming" to say the least to all visitors who have never seen the Amish population and the buggies they drive.

Anyway, arriving at midnight, my lovely brother picked us up from Sea-Tac. Forty minutes later, he dropped us off at our aunt's place in Lynwood. The one thing I had to warn the Nilly about (constantly) is the uncanny ability of my race to consume copious amounts of food and alcohol. I don't know what it is it about the combination but to me, this habit has been ingrained in me. To outsiders, we just look like a bunch of partygoers (and sometimes, we are. We'd make a fiesta out of any event just to get loaded with food and spirits).

So yeah, we were greeted with food. Good food. The Nilly was immediately offered a drink. I turned the drink down for water (which I direly needed). Had some food despite my tired state. Our body clocks were trying to tell us that we're way past our bedtimes (3 AM). However, my cousin was just too tickled pink to see us (I haven't seen Chris since '97. Since then, he's gotten his degree in Law. He just passed the bar and now is a fully fledged lawyer). After moments of introduction, Nilly was engaged in anecdotes and arguments almost immediately. It was actually quite stimulating. Conversation went on until the wee hours of the morning. Finally, I conked out at 6 AM EST.

Unfortunately, my body clock decided to wake up my usual 9 AM EST.

It sucked.

But then, I never complained at what I got that morning. A wake-up call and conversation with my grandma. See, she's 87 years old and still very active. She cooks a mean breakfast and can converse real well, not much in English, mind you, but enough to entertain you.

Later that day (when my cousins got up), we headed to Snoqualmie Falls, the place made famous by the defunct TV Show Twin Peaks. So Nilly, my cousins and I decided to go to the base of the falls and catch some of the water spray.

Loved it.

Until Nilly decided to rock hop. In a quick moment, he lost his footing and fell in the water; rapid, cold water. I was more terrified than anything else. He survived the waist-deep ravaging water and was able to get on the boulder he wanted to sit on. There, my baby, was wet. I was feeling cold for him.

Funny, the only thing he was upset about was that his Diesel watch got ruined.

After almost an hour, we finally trekked back up to the top of the steep hill. God, that sucked. However, it was good exercise for the food we had to consume once we got back.

Now, the troop of guests increased, two of my other cousins emerged with their significant others. Nikki's boyfriend also showed up. That night we were supposed to go bar hopping but we ended up going to the worst bowling alley I've ever been to in a long time. There were divots on the balls, craters on the lanes and overly waxed floors that a strike was nigh to impossible. Trust me, I am not the best bowler ever (think Rory in 'Show and Tell'. That's how bad I am) and I felt sorry for everyone else in the group that could actually bowl.

That night (or should I say, morning) was almost a repeat of the day before. We slept at about 3 AM. Got back up at about 9 AM PST. Sunday, we were at my cousin Mark's place for a barbecue.

Nilly played several games of basketball. I lay on the grass pretending I was on the beach. It was the first time Seattle had gotten temperatures in the near 90s. Without a cloud in the sky, I baked. Not once did it cross my mind that the NE part of our world was getting soaked in torrential downpour causing floods and disastrous road conditions.

To be continued...