Week Fifty-Two: Mike and Sarah

I feel like I'm signing a high school yearbook. WHAT A LONG STRANGE TRIP IT'S BEEN. WE'VE FINALLY MADE IT TO THE END! But at the end, there's always one last great party with the people closest to you. So for our final dinner date, Erica and I had over my good friend Mike, who I was raised with (along side his twin brother Sky from Week 25), and his gorgeous girlfriend Sarah. And so begins the final chapter.



Mike is like a brother to me. I didn't have many friends growing up, but he and Sky were always there for me. Erica and I had a limited Wedding Party, so I only had room to make Sky a Groomsman, but because Mike was essentially a Groomsman in my mind as well, we gave him the usher position to include him in the ceremony. It was an awkward and difficult thing to deal with, but Mike is classy and was perfectly happy with the gesture.

For the last few years, Mike was the quintessential bachelor. And he seemed happy there. But it was awesome to see him on my porch with a blonde bombshell and an ear-to-ear grin on his face. Mike has been seeing Sarah for the latter half of this year, and he seems to be a lot happier. They are even making things work long-distance while Mike gets his Masters Degree at Tulane. After meeting and getting to know Sarah, I'm very glad it is working out. She is an outstanding person.

Mike and Sarah showed up with a bottle of wine, a bottle of champagne, home-baked chocolate cookies with pecan stuffing for dessert and a candle as a gift. They also showed up, for the first and only couple out of 52, EARLY. I'm tempted to say they deserve an award for that, cause generally, people were 30 to 45 minutes late. However, since they were half an hour early, and Erica and I were officially on double date time, we were over an hour behind schedule. Which ended up being perfect!



I had just finished the salads, which I did a simple romaine lettuce with sliced baby carrots, cucumbers, red onion, croutons and a basic light vinaigrette. I had rolls heating up in the oven with olive oil and balsamic to dip them in. We popped the champagne open and welcomed the beginning to the end with open arms.

Sitting down to our dinner table for the last time on 52DD, a wave of relief passed through my body. A glanced over at Erica and we smiled. Even if Mike and Sarah bolted out the door immediately after one bite of salad, this happened. They were here. It was a date! Our 52nd dinner date in 52 weeks. We did it.

Fortunately, we got a much better date than that. We talked and ate and drank, as Mike shared stories of New Orleans and Erica discussed her favorite dates and Sarah told us about her life. My favorite of all the great stories was hearing that Ian (Week 33) went to high school with Sarah, where she saw him rap while somebody played a kazoo at graduation. Why this was never a part of The Let Go's stage show, I have no idea...



Sarah was also the first guest to supply a suggested recipe for the meal. She chose a mushroom and spinach pasta dish, which ended up being awesome. I made a few variations, because Sarah is vegetarian and Mike avoids dairy. Essentially, it was Quinoa pasta shells with veggie broth, spinach, mushrooms, red onions and seasoned chicken breast topped with parmesan, but I kept the ingredients which needed to be individually subtracted separate. It turned out well, and I greatly appreciated the effort Sarah put forth to make my job easier.

We ended up playing no Drink Jenga and no Table Topics. We didn't need to. The stories kept flowing all night. Eventually we landed on the How-We-Met one, and I froze up a bit. I had told this at nearly every date (not according to Erica, but I feel like I spouted it off quite a few times), yet this would be MY LAST official version. So the ever-elaborated tale had to be on point and moving. I had to deliver.

The story of my journey to Alaska to meet a girl, my grandmother's passing and how it ultimately all landed me on a date with my now wife Erica is one and the same what I told as my Wedding speech. It's a timeless classic I will forever butcher and NEVER PUT IN PRINT. So if you want to hear it, maybe you should invite Erica and I over for dinner to YOUR HOUSE sometime. Insert smug smiley face emoticon here. Possibly one with a wink.



We refilled our drinks and gave the house tour on the back-end of dinner. Finishing back in the kitchen, we broke out Sarah's awesome dessert cookies and analyzed the horrible dinner date music collection of early 90's alt rock by our CD player. Sarah asked if any of the dates ever ended in a dance party. None of the them had! Out of this entire adventure we plowed through, to keep in touch with our friends, to get to know each other better, Erica and I had never ended the night with the simple romantic process of a slow dance.

We cranked up the volume on the stereo and turned down the chatting. Although we were two couples waltzing in a kitchen, this was my moment alone with Erica. I noticed how affectionate Mike and Sarah were. They were constantly holding hands, giving each other looks, and smiling and acknowledging each other. So on this last date, after all the drama and fights and fixing problems a marriage can encounter, I realized by watching the mannerisms of a newly kindled couple, it is that small effort of attention that will make it work.

I looked Erica in the eyes and smiled deeply. I embraced her as we slowly swayed back and forth to the music. Like many of the nights, it will be a fond memory. Though I despise the fact a moment cannot be frozen and time stopped to preserve something perfect, I woke up to a fact I should have known all along from my first date with Erica. My happiness is not something I can chase through Facebook friends or Twitter followers or blog views. To feel that love I felt on our first date, at the alter, or perfect moments like a slow dance in a kitchen full of dirty dishes, all I need to do... is love her. And I will feel that. And I will do that.

-52 Double Dates

Week Fifty-One: Kate and Eric

The Holidays are always a hectic time of the year. Full schedules, busy streets, shopping and lots of family affairs. Luckily, I enjoy all of the above. So it was no stress to add my sister in the mix for a dinner date. On Week 51, Erica and I welcomed my sister Kate and her longtime friend Eric into our home.



Kate is one of my bestfriends. We were never the brother/sister combo who didn't get along. I have always looked up to her and enjoyed her company. We have mooned the general public many times together. She also provided me with my first alcoholic drink. So BOTTOMS UP would be a great phrase to describe our relationship.

She is a very successful, driven individual working in the advertising industry. I am constantly impressed by her continuous effort. She always gives 100% and even makes time to party, and party to maximum capacity as well. Whenever she hosts dinners at her condo on Capitol Hill, there are always fancy hor d'oeuvres and nice cocktails. I knew Erica and I would have to step our game up and really bring it to the table for my sister.



For the first time in many dates, I pulled out mutliple courses. My sister is BIG on cheese, so to start, I did a cheese plate with crackers, cornishones, and salami. The choice cocktail was one of her personal favorites: a vodka martini with green olives. We sat around the coffee table and chatted while I began to cook the main course.

I had some kale Caesar salads ready at the table. So we popped open some white wine and moved over to the salads. The main course was a pasta dish I borrowed from Noodles & Co. in Colorado called Pasta Fresca. It is a light, fresh pasta dish with a balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing, fresh spinach and roma tomatoes, topped with parmesan cheese. I went a little heavy with the minced garlic, but it was close to the intended recipe and went over pretty well.



I'm sure Erica wasn't antipating much rap talk at this date, but, as it turns out, Eric is a highup sound engineer in New York. He has worked with many extremely famous and talented artists, including rappers and singers that he signed non-disclosure forms to work with (and thus, I cannot mention). We chopped it up about audio engineering, his opinions on certain plug-ins and his preferences on jobs, etc. He is a really knowledgable, interesting guy who clearly had some awesome life experiences to speak of.

The bomb-drop of the night was discovering the biggest insider secret I thought I knew about the industry was FALSE. Obviously, I won't write about the secret on the blog, but it was dissapointing to find out I wasn't as close to the top as I thought I was! Regardless, hanging out with Eric and soaking up game was a great time.



Griff came back and we did the customary move into his room and watch the music videos thing. We munched on bite-size brownies Kate brought us for dessert, as well as some Scotch on the rocks, also provided by my sister. Before long, Eric had to cab his way to a different party and Kate decided to head home and get some well-deserved rest. As always, I had a great time with my sister.

Heading into the last week of the year, I'm looking at X-mas dinners with both my family and Erica's, as well as presents and constant shifts at work (with one of my assistants away on vacation). It should be crazy. But not as crazy as hosting 52 dinner dates in one calendar year! THAT will finally be wrapping up... Next week my "brother" Mike and his girlfriend Sarah are coming over for our very last date! We are down to ONE...

Week Fifty: Patrick and Leigh

This week was Erica's birthday. We were scheduled to have my bassist and his girlfriend over, but we ended up getting a suprise date and dinner from Erica's Dad Patrick and his friend Leigh. Happy birthday to my lovely wife! And a special dinner cooked for us by Leigh.



Patrick is an extremely good father. He is a calm, kind and caring man. I have two very fond memories of him. First, the time I drove to his house to ask for his permission to marry his daughter. I called him up and told him we needed to talk. He said "okay" so I asked "Can we just do this over the phone?" He laughed and said no, so I drove over to Issaquah and spoke to him in the house Erica was raised in. He told me he could tell I loved her, and that was the most important thing to him. He knew I would treat her well.

Second, Patrick made an amazing speech at our rehersal dinner. When we began toasts, I was not expecting to get so teary-eyed. He is a soft-spoken man. He looked Erica directly in the eyes and told her very bluntly and openly that he loved her, and he appreciated her mannerisms and personality. It was very genuine and sweet. I think almost everybody there cried a little bit.



The promise I made to Patrick the ngiht I asked him for Erica's hand in marriage was that I would not steal her away from him. I am a family oriented person and I make a point to stay in touch with relatives. Sadly, I feel as though I have barely honored that promise. Erica and I only get to see him a few times a year, generally for dinners at his place in Lake Stevens. We have kept a steady tradition of two Thanksgiving and Christms dinners every year (one with him and one with my parents, Week 20). And we always sneak in a dinner for either his birthday or Erica's. We would like to see him more.

Dinners at Patrick's place are famous for Leigh's cooking. That is always the main attraction. So it was not only a pleasant surprise to see both of them at our house, but it was also very cool Leigh made food to prepare and serve us! Leigh made us, from scratch, a pork tourtiere. She is a Canadian citizen and that is what our neighbors up North call a good old fashion meat pie. And it was tasty! On the side we had a mixed greens salad with her homemade garlic citrus dressing.



Aside from a birthday dinner, Patrick's other present to Erica was working on things around our house. He is a talented handyman, and knows how to build and fix everything domestic. Leigh followed his pursuit around our home with a pen and pad and they made a list of things Patrick can do at Tune Castle. We cannot wait to have closet doors and a fixed gutter!



It's always great seeing family. And that's all we have left to round out the year! Next week my sister finally makes her grand enterance to the double dating game. Ain't no party like a Tune party, and we are packing a double! Can you count to... TWO?

Week Forty-Nine: Rudy and Reagan

Erica and I were kind of expecting the dates at the end of the year to be a little more akward than what is currently scheduled. I figured we would go through all of our close friends immediately, and end up offering a free dinner to strangers on Craigslist by the time December rolled around. It ended up quite the opposite. Coming up I have the bassist from my band, my siter and a guy I basically consider my brother. And in Week 49, I had over a musician I have toured the country with twice, Rudy, and his awesome lady Reagan.



Rudy is outrageously cool. He is one of the funnest people on the planet to party with, which is why I have booked him as direct support on two of my tours (that, and his music is fantastic). The most recent tour we did together was in August of 2011, with his group Slow Dance, who's vocalist is my current roommate Aaron (Week 4). It started off weird, with Rudy and I getting stranded in Denver after being asked to leave the house we were sleeping at. Rudy describes the vibe as shifting into a scene from the Saw movie series, and we ended up walking around downtown together at 5am. When the routing took us through the desert, the AC in the car broke and we hit internal temperatures up to 147 degrees Fahrenheit. The crazy adventure ended up climaxing with the car breaking down in a small town half way between Las Vegas and Reno called Tonopah, NV. Rudy and I spent the rest of our savings to rent a U-Haul truck and get ourselves and the vehicle back to Seattle. It was both mentally damaging at the time and now one of our fondest memories.

I actually met Reagan on the first tour Rudy and I did. She was going to school in Las Vegas and drove all the way to Salt Lake City to watch Rudy and the Rhetoric perform with The Let Go in a record store for under 20 people. Needless to say, I'm sure she was not impressed with our music careers. But Rudy was overjoyed to see her and she was super sweet and fun. I've seen her at several shows since in Seattle and even on one of our previous double dates this year (Week 22). She is smart, witty and also excellent company.

Rudy and Reagan are huge on Indian food. So I got to try my hand at some complex dishes. I was excited! I decided to make a variety to choose from, and I settled on Chicken Vindaloo (my fav) and Chicken Butter Masala (Erica's fav). I wanted the flexibility to have one spicy and one mild. The food turned out great, and it was actually pretty easy to make too!



Aaron took a seat at the coffee table during the dinner and participated in both the conversation and eating of the food. We started the drinks off with a WA State red that Rudy and Reagan brought. It was excellent. Given that we all know each other so well, it played out a lot more like dinner with a group of friends than a double date. Which was more than welcome in our lives by Week 49!

Lola came trotting up to the table and Rudy laughed. He told us he thought he lost his mind when we first got Lola. I was posting tons of pictures online, and around that same time period, another one of his friends got a fawn French Bulldog puppy and named her Lola too! He was posting pictures like crazy too, and Rudy got insanely confused on exactly who's dog LOLA was. That is how cool Rudy is... he knows TWO people who have awesome Lolas.



After a game of Drinking Jenga, some chat and music video screening with Griff (Week 28), Rudy and Reagan took off for their good friend's birthday party. The date was short and sweet, which in my experience, is better than being long winded and awkward. Gomez and Devon (Week 6) even made an appearance before the night was up. Aaron toppled the tower, for those keeping score at home.

Erica and I will see Rudy and Reagan again, very soon, in fact. And YES, it will be at a rap show! Aaron, Griff and I are combining forces to exit this Earth together with a bang on 12/21/12 at Nectar Lounge for Rudy's END OF THE WORLD PARTY. Tickets are on-sale now for just $5, and I highly suggest all the followers of the blog and participants from the dates come to the show so I can see you one last time.



Before the world ends, I only have to worry about one more date. If it doesn't... one out of... 3...

Week Forty-Eight: Todd and Nicole w/Diesel

'Tis the season to be jolly. And in true dramatic fashion, the Holidays are usually the busiest time of year at work and with family. My schedule is literally jam packed with studio time, meetings, dinners, shows and all sorts of obligations. Could Erica and I manage to fit 5 dates into December? Only one way to find out... we dove right into it in Week 48, inviting over my good friend Todd, his girlfriend Nicole and his dog Diesel.



Todd is a Colorado-to-Seattle transplant who has been a mainstay in our crew for about eight years now. Oddly enough, Aaron (Week 4) and I met him when we were all living in Colorado, outside of a rap show at the Fox in Boulder. Todd started a label in Fort Collins called Voicebox and was working in the indie rap scene with promotion and production. When he moved to Seattle, he got involved with Obese and we ran into him yet again outside of a rap show.

Aside from the common interest of the music industry, Todd also really likes to party. A motto of my group of friends has always been "just have fun." Not verbatim, but in practice. We are pretty much a jovial hoard of idiots, and Todd could be lumped right in there with us. We just want to be partying and having a good time. Nothing wrong with that!



I hadn't seen Todd and Nicole for a little while, but they were living on the same grounds as Gomez (Week 6) when he would dog-sit Lola for us. So not only was I looking forward to seeing my old buddy, Lola was as well anticipating the visit from her boyfriend Diesel. The two pups get along classically and I think little Lo might just have a doggie crush on Diesel.

Erica requested champagne, so I got some sparkling rose to warm us up on the house tour. I wanted to go safe and easy for the meal, so I just did some baked salmon. It was in the oven waiting while we chatted away. I definitely realize, after preparing food for so many dinner parties, baking is THE WAY TO GO if you want food ready and hot at an unspecific time. On the side I had some rice pilaf steaming in a pot and tossed some french bread rolls in the oven right before we served the plates.



With Lola and Diesel running around and gnawing at each other, we sat at the table and enjoyed a basic and light meal. It was good, can't complain. We talked about what we've all been up to lately, both as couples and individuals. Griff (Week 28) came home and gave us all a preview of the music videos to come (one of his, one of mine and one from our friend Grynch).

With the Holidays upon us, Todd and Nicole were actually planning family visits and found themselves in need of a dog-sitter themselves. Since Diesel is a very well mannered, sweet dog, Erica and I couldn't help but volunteer Tune Castle up as a safe haven. Lola was apparently very excited about this, as she strutted up to Diesel, turned around and suggestively raised her backside up at Diesel. It was rather awkward to see our daughter just toss it out there like that. They grow up so fast!



In typical fashion, the group migrated to the coffee table for some games. We ended up busting out the Drinking Jenga tower and Todd toppled it and faced the tole of the beer bowl. A few nice conversations later and before we knew it, our company was gone.

Todd and Nicole are wonderful people and a cute couple. They socialize well and are clearly very caring to each other. We look forward to our time with Diesel and Erica and I cannot wait to reconnect with them.



It is been a long year and I've learned a lot. About cooking. About myself and my wife. I'm becoming more comfortable with my place in life and I think I am really starting to settle in. At the end of the year I will recap our thoughts on the dates and what's to come. What is to come immediately, however, is a sure-to-be-wild dinner with one of my favorite people, Rudy, and his rad lady friend Reagan. Down to 4...

Week Forty-Seven: Colum and Erin

Hosting a dinner party after both a double Thanksgiving (Wednesday with my parents and Thursday with Erica's Dad) and a raging show at Nectar on Friday proved to be a difficult task. Erica and I were already pretty drained from all the activities. THANKFULLY, we had over an extremely easy-going laid back couple for Week 47, Colum and Erin.



Colum is the head chef for the catering kitchen at Homegrown (the company I work for). He was one of the original hires, and, much like myself, has moved all the way up the ladder into a high position. I enjoyed working with him at the launch store in Fremont. He handles stress really well and is always in a good mood. He is very knowledable about Eastcoast rap music and is overall great company to keep.

Colum was always one of the better cooks in the store, so cooking for him was intimidating. I took on a little more than I could chew and tried to make Beef Bourguignon. There's a lot of irony in that statement because it came out too chewy. Erica and I do not have a crockpot and it really could have helped me out with the texture. The flavors were there, but the carrots were crunchy and the meat was tough. It will be the last time I try my own take on a dish. I am going to follow instructions to finish out the year for sure.



Erin has been with Colum for two years. We had met previously at some shows they attended; a lot of the Homegrown crew is really supportive about coming out and partying at my band's shows. She is a young, intellegent free-thinker with ambition and a positive attitude. She also showed up with three bottles of nice booze, so we liked her style.

Though the meal was tough and over-portioned, the bottles carried the conversation. Colum and I chopped it up over some company gossip. We shared our couples history and future goals. We did end up playing some Table Topics, however, the Drinking Jenga streak was broken (not a bad thing). We ended the night oddly civil, sharing a pot of tea before Erin and Colum parted ways. It was a very unique ending to a dinner date.

I feel awful about the food not being awesome and Erica and I were supremely tired. We did have a great time with Colum and Erin and I wish I was more of a host, cause they are amamzing to spend time with. As far as we are concerned, we owe them a real meal and possibly a game of Drinking Jenga. Maybe even Yen Wor, who knows? Either way, we are getting close to having an open schedule again. The schedule of weekly dinners is almost over!



It's beyond the 4th quarter of the double date challenge. We've basically reached overtime. It will now be the last month of the year with only five weeks left to go! December will open with my good friend Todd and his lovely girlfriend Nicole. As we get closer to the end, I wonder if the world is coming with us. I guess we will find out on the 21st. Until then, the only number that matters... 5...

Week Forty-Six: Clayton and Sydney

I figured by the end of the year, Erica and I would be entertaining some people we weren't too familiar with. Luckily that doesn't necessarily mean comfortable with. One my favorite young bucks (at this point younger than me, but now a vet) from the local rap scene was Clayton, or NOTION as he is called on stage. And with the big show coming up this Friday, he and Sydney got the call for Week #46.



Clayton is such a laid back, even keel guy, that I knew he would be dating a quality person. Without ever meeting Sydney, I told Erica "don't worry, you'll love these people. They are great!" I was only assuming Sydney would be awesome. But the date would be my introduction to her as well.

To her credit, and all the guests who came over for dinner thus far, it is an awkward situation to be tossed into. Like the reaction of many of our cancellations, Sydney was like "...so these strangers or going to be blogging about this??" I am constantly impressed by my friends who are willing to drag their loved ones into this escapade. And like excellent guests, Sydney and Clayton showed up early on our porch with flowers and a bottle of whiskey.



Having failed to cook Chicken MARSALA last week, I decided I needed to learn this week. My apologies to Eliza (Week 45) but Chicken Marsala was an even better choice than Chicken MASALA. The process wasn't too difficult, and much like the recent cooking adventures, I just gathered the ingredients and ventured off on my own for the preparation.

This was my take on Chicken Marsala: I took four chicken breasts and coated them in egg whites, flour and corn starch. I hit them in a hot skillet with sesame oil to sear the outsides, then tossed them in an oiled pan in the oven on low to keep them warm. I diced an onion, some garlic and chopped up some mushrooms then tossed the in the skillet. After frying up the contents for a little while, I added sweet Marsala wine and chicken stock, then I poured the mixture into the pan in the oven with the chicken, and baked it all at 450 for about an hour.



To serve with the chicken, I made some white rice, steamed broccoli and red and gold potatoes cooked in white wine and rice vinegar. The dish as a whole was way over-portioned but very delicious. This is definitely a meal I will cook again. I would venture to say, I pulled it off. And the potatoes cooked in wine is officially my favorite side now.

As we initially sat down to eat, the entire circus busted in! Our roommate Griff (Week 28) came home hauling camera gear and in tow was Ben (Week 1) and a few of his friends. They caught us listening to Counting Crows and mocked us efficiently. I felt a little bad for the unsuspecting Clayton and Sydney, who just had the house tour and a slight warning we had roommates. But the gang left shortly after and then began a very pleasant dinner conversation.



Sydney is as charming and open minded as they come. She works in real estate as well as non-profit. Kind, beautiful, and warm, my inclination she would be wonderful was correct. And together with Clayton, they make an awesome couple. As it turns out, they were a couple in high school, then split up briefly as they went to colleges in different states. They ultimately ended up back together, where they clearly belong.

The bizarre story of Erica and I was told, and we talked most of the night away before even moving over to the coffee table. After a brief game of Table Topics, which exposed we needed no cue cards to carry on a good group conversation, we switched gears to Drinking Jenga.



Jenga came and went, and Clayton was left with a bowl of booze to slug down after knocking over the tower. We chatted a little longer, then the pair took a cab back home. Erica is excited to have a new friend to mingle with at the rap shows, as the her and Sydney got along classically. We can put that theory to test THIS FRIDAY, as Clayton and I hit the stage at Nectar Lounge for my third annual Black Friday hip hop show in Fremont. Tickets will be available at the door, but arrive early because it always sells out. If you want to guarantee a spot, ORDER TICKETS NOW ONLINE.



Keeping it all in the fam next week. The Homegrown fam. One of the most likable people in the company, Colum, and his lovely girlfriend Erin will be coming over for dinner. I am very much looking forward to this one. As the clock ticks... 6...