Amigos

My awesome weekend started with a trip to Ballard Ave with Dave. This historic strip, once referred to as Old Ballard, used to be inhabited by the longshoremen who bellied up for a pint after fishing salmon all day. These days, it's tough to find an true salty dog on Ballard Ave. If you are between 21 and 45, this is The Place to Be. I've actually spent the last three Friday nights on Ballard Ave, going to dinner and seeing shows at the Tractor. I feel the urge to maximize our time out, especially to see live music, since I got a bun in the oven.

We didn't see music this time, we just met up with our friends Jeff and Caycee, Yoshiko and Joe at the Matador, a standard after work Mexican joint with sexy waitresses. They serve Kalibur, which is Guiness' non-alcoholic brew. It's actually pretty good and wins hands down over O'Douls, which I had the misfortune of drinking at Christmas. It's kinda tough to pass on the margaritas while everyone is licking the salt off theirs, but it's for the greater good.

Saturday morning, Dave joined me for his first Crossfit class and collected the $10 that I bet he wouldn't actually go (especially considering that minor hangover). Crossfit is honestly one of my favorite things in life right now. I'm trying to justify increasing my membership (in addition to my gym). Dave also goes to a gym so between us, we are members of three gyms. Oddly enough, we use them all.

For some reason, we haven't gone to brunch together in ages. It's probably because we go out to dinner on Saturdays, then I feel guilty the next morning and eat cottage cheese for breakfast. Not this weekend! We got Americanos from Lighthouse and then gourmet breakfast sandwiches from Homegrown, my favorite sandwich spot in Fremont. Dave had to be all high-fallutin and order a crabcake, egg, bacon and cheese. I just got the regular egg, bacon and cheese on a brioche and savored every bite.


Last night involved a Mexican-themed dinner party with more friends. Dave's faux mustache was a hit, as were Brent's veggie and chipotle chicken enchiladas. I think I ate too much. Okay, I realize that I'm "eating for two", but it's important to keep in mind I'm not eating for two adults. And we all know, it's a slippery slope to sweatpants.

Today I ran at Green Lake, got a Mexican hot chocolate with a girlfriend, and finally learned how to Skype! I Skyped with my friend Jess in Amsterdam and my parents back east. Now I want to Skype with everyone.

The good news is I saw a lot of friends this weekend, even friends in Europe. The bad news is I really need to lay off the Mexican food.