Copenhagen Cycle Chic

Being that my dad was from Denmark and my first name is Danish, I love this blog. I want a bike with a basket!!

How cute is this girl on her bike!

Java Bean - Luna Park

Starbucks? Na...
Tully's? Na...
Seattle's Best? Na...

The best coffee I have had to date is at Java Bean in West Seattle next to the Luna Park Cafe.

It was a "grande" (due to successful Starbucks terminology brainwashing) Cafe Molé. I know that probably just makes it a mocha but this was better than a mocha...it was a molé. Of course Mexican chocolate is to die for but honestly, the coffee flavor itself was so good that a plain old latte would have been just as good without any additional sugars.

As I am sipping my lovely Cafe Molé I turn to my coworker and wonder aloud, "why can't Starbucks make a coffee that tastes this flavorful?" and used the analogy of homemade cooking compared to fast food.

I think our society as a whole has lost their tastebuds to the numbing effects of a FAST FOOD NATION!

Celebrate Saga Dawa at Amrita

Avalokiteshvara Tsok*
Wednesday, June 18th, 7pm

Saga is the name of this fourth lunar month. Dawa means "month" in
Tibetan. Saga Dawa is the month commemorating three main events in
Shakyamuni Buddha's life -- his birth, enlightenment, and parinirvana.
The full moon of Saga Dawa is the most auspicious day of this powerful month: All actions, both positive and negative are multiplied 10 million times. Please be aware of this.

On this day, Wednesday June 18th, 7pm, we will be offering tsok and lighting butterlamps. Whether or not you can attend this tsok you may offer butterlamps during this magnified time. Please use our online form www.amritaseattle.org, or call and leave a message at 206 368 7974, or reply to this email with your dedication.

Lamps are 50 cents apiece. Mail your offering to: Chagdud Gonpa Amrita, 2223 NE 137th Street, Seattle 98125. Please mark "butterlamps" on the subject line of your check.

For tsok, please arrive earlier than 7pm, if you, to help set up and prepare tsok and plan to spend a few minutes cleaning up afterwards. This would be both beneficial and meritorious.

Remember to park discreetly in the neighborhood and avoid parking on 23rd Place NE (east side of Gonpa) or across the street. Best to park at Bruce's on the east corner of 23rdNE and NE135th.


*empowerment is required.

Georgetown's Crappy Thai Place

I found this image on http://www.foundshit.com/ and thought it summed up a recent experience a co-worker and I had at a Thai restaurant in Georgetown.

I was given a gift card for CP Thai and was really excited. It has been years since I ate out at a Thai restaurant, so I was really looking forward to it.

We were seated and our order taken promptly even though it was quite busy. Unfortunately, we were seated right next to the cashier's counter and I was quickly becoming claustrophobic as people began lining up to pay right next to me. Can you say "personal space" people! The woman who was cashiering was also one of two cooks and was having a hard time multi-tasking and so the line of people wanting to pay grew and grew.

As we were chattering away the sound of an Asian man's voice yelling in a foreign language, I'm guessing probably Thai, boomed from the kitchen and I think something crashed too. We looked at each other and I said, "I hope that wasn't over our Phad Thai." We laughed a little then continued on with our conversation.

Our chatter of work and personal events began to fill with moments of dead silence as we realized that it had been quite a while since the girl took our order. We glanced around the restaurant as everything seemed to come to a grinding halt. My co-worker looked at me and said, "Maybe it was over our Phad Thai."

It had been thirty minutes since we ordered and people were coming in after us with called in orders having to wait. People were leaving without paying or just plain leaving because no one came to take their order after waiting 15-20 minutes. Remember, this is a lunch hour on a weekday. People want to come in, eat and leave within an hour.

I finally had to get up and ask a server where our Phad Thai was and that we had been waiting for over 30 minutes for our food. The poor girl was flustered. We had over-heard that she was new so I tried to be as nice as possible under the circumstances. She had found our order and yes it was still there and that it was coming. Ok....

So we waited another 10 minutes and in the meantime more people were coming in. We felt it our duty to warn them that we had been waiting for our food for 40 minutes and that people had left without paying. These brave people decided to wait it out and see what happened.

FINALLY our food came and it was the palest looking Phad Thai I had ever seen in my life. I have had my myriad of orange colored Phad Thai but I had never seen one look this pale before. At least it was hot and had some flavor resembling Phad Thai. My co-worker said hers tasted funny - too vinegary. Which was weird. Mine was ok, kind of bland but not funny tasting.

Anywho, to make this painful experience short, the girl gave us the receipt tray with two fortune cookies on it but no receipt. Was that a sign?

I put down my gift card and my co-worker put down her cash anyway. Honestly, I was thinking that she shouldn't pay for hers at all.

An hour and 20 minutes later, we finally leave our unsatisfying Thai food experience behind us only to rehash the story over several times to anyone who would listen!

Lama Tsering in Wenatchee

Finding Freedom in the Face of Social
and Emotional Turmoil
In these times of war, economic uncertainty and devastating environmental changes, how can we maintain our sanity?
How do Buddhist teachings on compassion and wisdom inform our choices and allow us to keep our hearts and minds open?

An Evening with Lama Tsering Everest

Tuesday, June 17th, 7pm - 9pm
Cascade Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
1550 Sunset Hwy, East Wenatchee
Suggested Donation: $20

Lama Tsering Everest is a Northwest native and resident Lama at Khadro Ling temple in Sao Paulo, Brazil. In 1981 she began translating for H.E. Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche, traveling extensively throughout the world. After completing the traditional 3 year retreat in 1995, she received full teaching transmission from Rinpoche, in which he also recognized her as an emanation of Tara.

Being in the presence of Lama Tsering is a remarkable gift. Her articulation of Buddhist wisdom reaches beyond religious designation, appealing to our common heart of compassion. She encourages us to go beyond narrow ideas and find what might be called "big mind", an approach to life that is inclusive and embracing. Her teachings are often humorous, profound, and filled with colorful stories.

Red Tara Empowerment and Teachings

Wednesday, June 18th, 6-9:30pm
program begins with Tara teachings followed by empowerment
Cascade Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
Suggested Donation: $20

Tara is the mother of all Buddhas. She represents the perfection of enlightened mind manifesting in feminine form. Countless eons ago, Princess Moon of Wisdom attained full realization. At that time, the monks considered the male body to be a superior vehicle for attaining enlightenment, and advised her to take rebirth accordingly. Moon of Wisdom, realizing all form, both male and female to have no inherent reality, made the commitment to always take rebirth in female form. Through practice of Red Tara, it becomes possible to reach a deep level of peace free of external circumstances increasing well being, quelling fear and anxiety, and ultimately revealing the true nature of mind.

For More Information, Please Contact Karen: 509-687-1911 or Sharon: 509-670-0883

**info copied from a flyer**

Cupcakes and Karmapas and Starbucks, Oh My!

June 1st was truly an amazing day. Firstly, it was Baby's first birthday which we celebrated in the early afternoon with Cupcake Royale Babycakes and tea. Friends and family joined us for the occasion in which Baby received lovely gifts of clothing fit for a Fashionista. As well as books because my baby is an intelligent fashionista of course! Grandma also gave her a spinnie toy that thankfully has a shut off switch.

Secondly, once the birthday festivities came to an end, Baby and I had to ready ourselves for a once in a lifetime event (hopefully it will be more than once). We were going to a children's blessing by the 17th Karmapa in Seattle. A friend was so kind as to give us a spot for this event; I am not sure how to repay her.

We arrived at Nalanda Bodhi West and waited in the dining room that was packed with other parents and kids before heading up to the shrine room. The wait took a while because the Karmapa was being interviewed by PBS and they had to keep reshooting it because the parents and kids below were too noisy! How ironic. It was so hot in the dining room as well, with all of the people and no open windows for ventilation. I could tell my cheeks were red as I was beginning to sweat. How lovely I know, but I was burning up!

Finally the interview was done and we were all lead up to the shrine room. As we were making our way up the stairs, a person behind us was carrying a bouquet of flowers. He thought that Baby was so beautiful that he gave her one of the flowers that looked like a large white daisy.

Once we made it into the shrine room, we sat down on chairs and waited for the Karmapa to come out. I saw David Curtis who is a Tibetan translator and founder of The Tibetan Language Institute whom I met a few years ago at Tulku Sang-Ngak's land in Montana as well as having taken a Tibetan language class by him with some of my other sangha friends when he was in Seattle. We talked for a bit before the Karmapa finally came out.

I was in awe. I couldn't believe that I was in the presence of the 17th Karmapa. The announcer had said before he came out how it will all happen. The Karmapa will give the blessing and then after he leaves we can come up and take the blessed pouch and if we want to make an offering we can put it in a bowl. To use a British term, I thought that was a bit pants. But, I wasn't going to complain because my goodness, here I was in the presence of the Karmapa! Something I thought was not going to happen.

But as usual, impermanence reared its head and changed things up a bit. The Karmapa came out and sat down. He looked around then told us that he had talked too much already today (he had given teachings and an empowerment earlier in the day) and that it would be best if we came up to him and he would hand out the blessing pouches to each child. I was over the moon! I couldn't believe that we were actually going to be able to approach him and touch him! But as every good Buddhist knows, be prepared because anything could happen. And I was...

I pulled out my katag and the envelope with an offering inside and waited patiently for our turn. I held Baby in one arm while holding the offering and katag in the other hand. I was shaking.

Finally it was our turn. I walked us up to the Karmapa and he smiled as he gave Baby her blessing that she happily took from him. I gave him the offerings and he put the katag around my neck. Baby held up her flower to him and I put it in his hand which he gently held out on his lap. I gazed up at him and he looked at me as I smiled and slowly backed away to let the next person have their turn. I walked away sweaty and trembling like I had just run a marathon.

We returned to our chairs but remained standing until he gave the last blessing and left. I was blissed out - I'll never forget this day.