Grant
@grants.bsky.social
📤 83
📥 59
📝 822
I write the mundane, the interesting and everything in between at
https://pickledokra.net
For my 31st birthday,
@nunivek.bsky.social
took me to Marrakesh in Belltown! I've been wanting to go for some time.
#seattle
#restaurant
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31st Birthday Dinner at Marrakesh Restaurant
For my 31st birthday, Kevin took me to Marrakesh in Belltown! I’ve been wanting to go for some time. The restaurant is bathed in dim-ish warm lighting with lots of draped fabrics and other textiles—evoking a Sahrawi/Bedouin tent. The menu was in both English and Arabic. I’ve never been to Morocco, however my stepfather is […]
https://pickledokra.net/31st-birthday-dinner-at-marrakesh-restaurant/
about 20 hours ago
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I had a very nice 31st birthday today. 😌
1 day ago
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We had an excellent and kind of rare clear evening the other night and I wanted to take my new lens out for an astrophotography spin, capturing The Forsaken Nebula.
#astrophotography
#photography
#blog
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Photographing The Forsaken Nebula (IC 5068)
We had an excellent and kind of rare clear evening the other night and I wanted to take my new lens out for an astrophotography spin. It’s not really a great lens for astro in terms of speed but it does have great reach so I wanted to try something new out! Tonight I was […]
https://pickledokra.net/photographing-the-forsaken-nebula-ic-5068/
2 days ago
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We had a bunch of Swiss chard left over so I decided to make a creamy Swiss chard and rigatoni pasta. It's vegetarian and easily turned vegan.
#recipe
#blog
#cooking
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Recipe: Swiss Chard Rigatoni
Swiss Chard RigatoniBy PickledOkra, Based on “Rotisserie Chicken and Greens Pasta” from the NYT Cooking“I never said this was a health food”Serves 2 6 leaves of Swiss chard, torn1 yellow onion, chopped2 cloves garlic, sliced1 cup heavy cream1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheeseKosher salt, start with a teaspoon, add to taste1 tbsp freshly ground black […]
https://pickledokra.net/recipe-swiss-chard-rigatoni/
3 days ago
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I tried to upload a 293 megapixel photo to Bluesky and it just crashed the app. 🤭 oopsie.
3 days ago
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My quest to the Six Duchies begins with book one of The Farseer, Assassins Apprentice. How will it compare to my favorite Liveship Traders?
#booksky
#fantasy
#RotE
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Assassins Apprentice, A Review
Assassins Apprentice by Robin Hobb ★★★★ (4/5 stars) Spoilers Below—If you’ve read other books in The Realm of the Elderlings series please do not spoil them in the comments. My quest to the Six Duchies begins with book one of The Farseer, Assassins Apprentice by Robin Hobb, itself part of The Realm of the Elderlings. […]
https://pickledokra.net/assassins-apprentice-a-review/
4 days ago
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quack.
5 days ago
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Cheers to one year of blogging! Thank you to everyone who reads along with my day to day.
#blog
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One Year of PickledOkra
Cheers to one year of the blog! One year ago today I decided to I was going to spin up the PickledOkra blog. I wanted something to fill my time without social media and it turns out that I actually really enjoyed doing it. Thank you to everyone who has left comments, liked a post […]
https://pickledokra.net/one-year-of-pickledokra/
5 days ago
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Where I try a new-to-me Thai restaurant in Greenwood called Gao Lhao.
#seattle
#thaicuisine
#restaurant
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Gao Lhao
Last month after our trip to the Woodland Park Zoo we popped by Gao Lhao, a Thai noodle restaurant in Greenwood here in Seattle. My husband had gone here for a work thing earlier in the month and it turned out to be pretty good so we figured we’d go together. I ordered the Panang […]
https://pickledokra.net/gao-lhao/
6 days ago
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Finishing up my read of The Liveship Traders is Ship of Destiny. This trilogy within The Realm of the Elderlings series was so memorable and frankly unique.
#booksky
#fantasy
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Ship of Destiny, A Review
Ship of Destiny by Robin Hobb ★★★★.5 (4.5/5 stars) Spoilers Below—If you’ve read other books in The Realm of the Elderlings series please do not spoil them in the comments. I previously wrote a review of The Mad Ship which is the second installment of this series. I gave this book a half star less […]
https://pickledokra.net/ship-of-destiny-a-review/
7 days ago
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Where I share some info on what PickledOkra costs to run, and why I think it's worth it to own my data.
#blog
#wordpress
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So What Does It Cost to Run a Blog?
The answer is: “it depends.” For the PickledOkra blog it costs $64.20/year at my current rate for the domain name and web hosting, which are both through 2030. I don’t pay monthly, however, because the discounts to paying annual are just much better—in this case I paid for 5 years upfront. So, the real answer […]
https://pickledokra.net/so-what-does-it-cost-to-run-a-blog/
8 days ago
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The Mad Ship was a 5/5 book for me, absolutely enthralling and a book to remember.
#booksky
#liveshiptraders
#rote
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The Mad Ship, A Review
The Mad Ship by Robin Hobb ★★★★★ (5/5 stars) Spoilers Below—If you’ve read other books in this series please do not spoil them in the comments. I previously wrote a review of Ship of Magic which is the first installment of this series. Over my holiday break (which really turned into an extended time off […]
https://pickledokra.net/the-mad-ship-a-review/
9 days ago
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Crosswords are my personality now.
9 days ago
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Coffee and crossword puzzle moment.
10 days ago
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On this episode of Septaria: A Dungeons and Dragons campaign... Episode 9—The encounter with the wizard sends the party across the great sea...
#dnd
#d&d
#blog
#ttrpg
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Dungeons and Dragons Session 9
Previously on Septaria, a Dungeons and Dragons Campaign: The Great Forest On this episode….. The Brightstar From the journal of Malah… Sounds of Septaria: Thippuedo’s Tower Standing outside of the wizard’s tower we witnessed a great and green arc of light across the night sky—a celestial being itself plummeting towards the dirt itself. He called himself Tak-Al […]
https://pickledokra.net/dungeons-and-dragons-session-9/
10 days ago
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We do a little coffee drinking.
#espresso
11 days ago
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Where I finally give my full thoughts on Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb. Have you read any of the Realm of the Elderlings books? I certainly will be reading the other trilogies!
#liveshiptraders
#booksky
#fantasy
📚💙
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Ship of Magic, A Review
Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb ★★★★☆ (4/5 stars) Spoilers Below—If you’ve read other books in this series please do not spoil them in the comments. Last year I started reading The Liveship Traders by Robin Hobb, the first of which is Ship of Magic. In late 2024 my friend Rogue Hireling recommended to me […]
https://pickledokra.net/ship-of-magic-a-review/
11 days ago
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“I tried to Shazam the rice cooker song but it didn’t work”
11 days ago
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Where I share some pics from my hike around Discovery Park.
#seattle
#hiking
#wildlifephotography
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Hiking Around Discovery Park
The weekend before last we hiked a couple of different places at Discovery Park. Perhaps not as adventurous as some of our other hikes but good winter exercise nonetheless. The weather was pretty amiable with some sun breaks as well, so we accepted our weather overlords offerings and went on our way… On our first […]
https://pickledokra.net/hiking-around-discovery-park/
12 days ago
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Go to bed it is late.
12 days ago
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Join me on a photoblog to the Woodland Park Zoo where I test out my new Nikkor Z 100-400mm lens.
#seattle
#photography
#animals
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Woodland Park Zoo
For Christmas my husband, Kevin gifted me this beauty of a lens: The NIKKOR Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S Kevin wanted experiences for gifts this year so I got him a pass to the Woodland Park Zoo, amongst other nature-y places, so it was sort of a perfect match to test out my new lens […]
https://pickledokra.net/woodland-park-zoo/
13 days ago
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Ugh first day back to work. lol.
14 days ago
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Sometimes you just want to post sushi pics, you know?
#seattle
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Sushi, in Photos
Sometimes you just want to post sushi pics, you know? We went to Liberty on 15th Ave E and ordered a couple of rolls and jalapeño hamachi to go with some drinks. A nice evening out. Cheers!
https://pickledokra.net/sushi-in-photos/
14 days ago
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Every day is iced coffee day.
15 days ago
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Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair was incredible. The original(s) are favorites of mine and to see them on a large screen was a treat.
#blog
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Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair
Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair was incredible. The original(s) are favorites of mine and to see them on a large screen was a treat. This film is not without its issues—chiefly they treated Uma Thurman poorly near the end of its production and it’s executive produced by a known abuser (everyone either booed him […]
https://pickledokra.net/kill-bill-the-whole-bloody-affair/
15 days ago
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Where we go with
@gameboy.bsky.social
and thebanjostring (not on bsky) to Tendon Kohaku in Bellevue.
#blog
#food
#japanese
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Tendon Kohaku
I’ve written once about Tendon Kohaku on here before, pretty early on when I started the blog. Anyways, we decided to go back now that they offer reservations and you dont have to solely stand in line for hours out in the cold on a first-come-first-serve basis. We took our friends Santos and Trent as […]
https://pickledokra.net/tendon-kohaku/
16 days ago
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Every year for New Years Day we cook ozōni for lunch or dinner, as is tradition!
#japanesefood
#ozoni
#newyears
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Ozōni for New Years
Every year for New Years Day we cook ozōni for lunch or dinner, as is tradition! I follow the recipe from Just One Cookbook, sorta. I always end up upping the salt. Kevin snapped these pics of me cooking! People usually eat this as part of a larger feast, with this being the breakfast course. […]
https://pickledokra.net/ozoni-for-new-years/
17 days ago
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Now newly updated with some pics from our gathering with
@justjustan.bsky.social
and
@liamsteckler.com
🎆
add a skeleton here at some point
18 days ago
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Happy new year, everyone! We made it to 2026!
#seattle
#newyear
#2026
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Happy New Year!
We made it to 2026! I hope you all have a wonderful new year’s day and may all your 2026 dreams come true! Cheers.
https://pickledokra.net/happy-new-year/
18 days ago
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Here ye, hear ye! Behold, the 2025 stats of the PickledOkra blog! What do you MEAN I wrote the word count equivalent of a novel?! Thank you all for a wonderful 2025, I truly hope you've enjoyed reading my random happenings.
#blog
#wrapped
#seattle
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The 2025 PickledOkra Year End Review!
Here ye, hear ye! Behold, the 2025 stats of the PickledOkra blog! In 2025 the total word count of all posts was: 80,357I’m pretty impressed with how much I managed to actually write—it’s something I’ve really enjoyed doing and I’m so glad I began this website earlier this year. Longest post: 5 years of the […]
https://pickledokra.net/the-2025-pickledokra-year-end-review/
19 days ago
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Where I revisit my favorite moments of 2025! Join me in reminiscing on the good parts of this year. Frankly there were too many to choose just one!
#blog
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My Favorite Moments of 2025
Where I revisit my favorite moments of 2025—frankly there were too many to choose just one for each month! January: 30th Birthday Boardgaming! For my 30th birthday Kevin planned an all-day session of A Game of Thrones The Board Game for us and four other friends to play. It really was a great highlight to […]
https://pickledokra.net/my-favorite-moments-of-2025/
20 days ago
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I somehow managed to read 1,753 pages in 24 days. Which for me, is a lot. Lol.
21 days ago
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From
@robinhobb.bsky.social
to
@hughhowey.com
, these are the books I read in 2025!
#booksky
#books
#blog
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The Books I Read In 2025
From Robin Hobb to Hugh Howey, these are the books I read in 2025! I enjoyed every moment in these distant worlds and cant wait to voyage further in 2026. Silo Series by Hugh Howey I absolutely tore through these books—they were fast paced, interesting, suspenseful and had a lot of twists and turns that really […]
https://pickledokra.net/the-books-i-read-in-2025/
21 days ago
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Is he…. You know. 💅
22 days ago
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2025 was a year of great food for us, here are my favorite bites of the year.
#seattle
#restaurant
#blog
#photography
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Memorable Restaurant Bites of 2025
2025 afforded us some lovely restaurant outings—so here are five memorable bites from the past year. Grilled Okra at Communion Twice we went to Communion and twice we decided that the restaurant is just too loud to enjoy properly. That said, the grilled okra was incredible. With a garlicky, oniony, charred and crisp texture, this […]
https://pickledokra.net/memorable-restaurant-bites-of-2025/
22 days ago
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birb.
#seattle
#wildlifephotography
23 days ago
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A few days ago we made our way to Snoqualmie Falls to stay at the Salish Lodge—which some of you may recognize from Twin Peaks!
#blog
#photography
#twinpeaks
#seattle
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A Stay at the Salish Lodge
As a little mini staycation we drove up to Snoqualmie Falls to stay at the Salish Lodge for an evening. We’ve benefited to the falls several times but never to stay at the lodge itself. If you’ve seen Twin Peaks then you’ll recognize the hotel from the show. We’ve had a lot of rain lately […]
https://pickledokra.net/a-stay-at-the-salish-lodge/
23 days ago
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Join me for a photoblog of various meals from Christmas this year!
#seattle
#blog
#photography
#food
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The Meals of Christmas 2025
Join me for a photoblog of various meals from Christmas this year! After all our cooking at the Christmas soiree we chose to go out for Christmas Eve and Christmas dinner. First up was Carrello, which is an Italian restaurant with a Pacific Northwest bent. They were having a Feast of the Seven Fishes service […]
https://pickledokra.net/the-meals-of-christmas-2025/
24 days ago
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Some Christmas morning cinnamon rolls from earlier today.
25 days ago
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reposted by
Grant
Snicket McG (Comms Open!)
25 days ago
THE THING HAPPENED
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Wishing you all a very merry Christmas and a warm holiday season!
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Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays
Ho ho ho. Wishing you all a merry Christmas and nice holiday season! Whatever you celebrate—I hope you have a day of merriment full of the things most important to you. Cheers.
https://pickledokra.net/merry-christmas-and-happy-holidays/
25 days ago
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I hope everyone has a merry Christmas Eve today! Join us for a recounting of our annual Christmas soirée.
#christmasparty
#photography
#food
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The 2025 Christmas Soirée
I hope everyone has a merry Christmas Eve today! Enjoy the pics from our Christmas party! Preparations began days before the party actually started—Kevin was on cookie duty and spent a few long nights baking enough for the entire evening and take-home bags. A couple of years ago I started doing a champagne tower (although […]
https://pickledokra.net/the-2025-christmas-soiree/
26 days ago
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A beautiful day at Snoqualmie Falls.
27 days ago
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Where I string up garland for the holidays! Join me for some garland making tips.
#blog
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Making Garland
Every year (mostly? I cant remember a year I did not) I make garland. It’s not too difficult to make a light and thin stand—obviously if you want a very full and thick garland then it will require a lot more foliage, but I tend to want something I can hang on my door without […]
https://pickledokra.net/making-garland/
27 days ago
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Quote with a game released the year you born! Yoshi's Island seems appropriate, lol.
add a skeleton here at some point
27 days ago
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I learned that people dont love kizuki like they used to, but maybe I'm just tacky. lol
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Kizuki Ramen
I learned that people don’t love kizuki like they used to, but maybe I’m just tacky. lol, I think it’s still the better of the ramen places around—as someone who has eaten a lot of proper ramen, but what do I know? I ordered the yuzu shio (think like lemon and salt) ramen and Kevin […]
https://pickledokra.net/kizuki-ramen/
28 days ago
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My husband gifted me a Nikkor Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S for Christmas so of course I had to take it for a spin at the Woodland Park Zoo.
#photography
#animals
28 days ago
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Every year
@nunivek.bsky.social
and I get each other an ornament, which means our tree is now solely unique ornaments! I share some pics on the blog.
#christmastree
#blog
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Decorating the Tree
Every year Kevin and I get each other an ornament, which means our tree is now solely unique ornaments! Although the ones we got each other this year haven’t arrived yet, soooo. These aren’t all of them but just a selection. I like that we have this tradition because it means each ornament has a […]
https://pickledokra.net/decorating-the-tree/
29 days ago
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Join me as I go on an errand fun! How riveting.
#blog
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Some Errands
Join me as I go on an errand fun! How riveting. We had kind of an early morning as we made our way to brunch before running errands for the day. Naturally we found ourselves at Harry’s. Also naturally we found our way to ordering what we always do—two breakfast plates, although one with sausage […]
https://pickledokra.net/some-errands/
30 days ago
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As we do, we got up to some gaming with our friends—this time playing the out of print boardgame, Broom Service.
#boardgaming
#photography
#blog
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Broom Service
As we do, we got up to some gaming with our friends Taylor and Taylor. This time we played Broom Service, an unfortunately out of print game where you command witches, druids and gatherers to drop potions off at wizard towers around the land. The basic loop is you have different terrains you can go […]
https://pickledokra.net/broom-service/
about 1 month ago
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