UCDA Design Conference

I filled out my calendar for the summer and fall the other day. I know that the summer will fly by and the annual conference will be here in no time. One of the things I need to prepare for is public speaking! As president of UCDA this year, I'll have to get up on that stage often. Designers by nature tend to be introverted personalities, and I am definitely in that group. Many surveys reveal that the number one fear people have is public speaking. Number three on that list is death. Well I think my number one fear is death by public speaking! Come October, you'll be the judge of how well I do, but forgive me if I seem to be drinking a lot of Merlot that week.

I'm not totally obsessed with the stage-fright thing. Breakfast food has been on my mind too. When we went to scope out Seattle for the conference last year, Tadson and I went for a morning meeting at The Crumpet Shop. It's on 1st avenue up above the fish market, and you must check it out. When Tadson suggested it, I initially thought..."a restaurant selling nothing but english muffins?... are you kidding me?...  OMG. An english "crumpet" is sort of like an english muffin, but these are made fresh—you can see the crumpet guy pouring batter on a steaming griddle through the window. I had one topped with butter and pure maple syrup. It was so good I dream of it still. Go early in the morning and sit outside, where you'll hear fog horns in the bay and seagulls calling. They serve great latte too.