Thursday night we dined in the revolving restaraunt in the Space Needle and then took a tour around the observation decks. Good times. Just my boss and our test lead with me this time.

We were lucky to have been spared the loss of power that many Seattle-area residents suffered as a result of the huge windstorm on Thursday [and here we were thinking that was normal weather.]

On Friday, we checked out of our luxurious lodgings after a nice breakfast, and had our wrap-up meeting for our now-on-shelves GBA game [you too can purchase it for only $29.99!]. It was very constructive while still being fun.

For lunch, we were taken to Dixie's BBQ, a literal hole-in-the-wall restaraunt located in a converted auto garage.

Apparently Dixie's is a rite of passage for people at this dev studio, which I will henceforth refer to as KGames. We were debriefed for two days prior to our Dixie's experience:

• Know what you're ordering before you get in line, or you're in trouble.
• Be very respectful of The Man when you meet him.

The Man, as he was called, is the centerpiece of Dixie's. And you arrive at Dixie's, a large, southern black cook - the owner Gene - greets you and asks, "Where you from?" (I answered "Philly", of course.) He then jovially shouts "Philly, put yo'self up on dat map!" He then ushers you towards a world map covered in little pins marking visitor's hometowns.

I didn't notice the 5 completely filled maps up on the wall until afterwards.

The Man is that famous.

But as life would have it, the man I refer to is not The Man. Gene is indeed the owner/proprietor, but the Man is something else.

Once you've ordered and set yourself up in the dining area/garage, Gene will come to your table and ask you if you have met The Man yet.

When he sees that you have not, he says, "You gots to meet The Man!" He proceeds to the kitchen, and returns a few minutes later.. with a small, black, beat-up saucepan filled with a very dark, very thick, very potent sauce.

This, my friends, is The Man.

Starting with the ladies, Gene will work his charismatic ways and ask you how much of The Man you want.

BE CAREFUL! Do not let yourself be swayed by his persuasion! Respectfully ask for "just a small amount, sir."

He'll then take his spoon and then, on average, give you about a quarter teaspoon of the stuff.

"Naow, touch yo' fork to The Man there and taste it. JUST A TOUCH, ah said!"

I covered the tine of my fork with the most infintesimal portion of The Man and tasted it. For a moment or two, I thought "Well, this isn't so hot."

And then... holy Mother of God!

All three women at the table turned bright red. That stuff is caustically hot. (In an interview, Gene is quoted as saying, "I don't touch it. I ain't stupid.")

Now it's on your meat, of course, so you've got to mix it in if you're going to handle it. The BBQ sandwiches are hot enough on their own...but even after mixing, every few minutes one of us would hit a "pocket" and turn beet red, forcing the afflicted to consume mass quantities of root beer and peanuts in an attempt to calm their mouth down. But it's worth it - the sandwich was huge but the meat was very tender and yummy.

After eating about half of my sandwich, my rootbeer was gone and there was literally a rush of adrenaline rushing through me as if I had experience a near-death experience. (If you're not careful with The Man, you just might. ;) )

The end of the meal saw a priceless exchange between ourselves and Gene, the owner. I had my camera with me, and I had taken a shot of the table. The KGames team thought we should get a picture with Gene. He noticed my camera and brought out his assistant cook [it was a slow day] to help take a picture.

As luck would have it, though, the assistant took too long figuring out the camera, and the batteries died right before we took the shot. Gene was laughably perturbed at the camera's audacity, and sent his assistant to get new batteries for it. Eventually, they found new batteries for me and we went ahead with the picture. :)

Gene's request was that we get a copy to him so he can put it on the wall. [He insisted I stand next to him in the photo.] I'll have to remember to send it to KGames so they can send it along.

At the end of the meal, my boss picked up a small canister of the Man [enough for a lifetime, essentially] for our Exec Producer back at SimCompany. We cannot wait to see his face when he tries it.

So if you like spicy food and you're in Washington, go meet The Man. It's a life-changing experience. ;)

Yesterday it was decided that I will be doing a live chat on the SimCompany website next Thursday. That means I'll be officially representing the company and answering fan questions and such. It'll be a huge trip to see my name on the website: "Meet and chat with Assistant Producer Athena!"

I will have to resist the urge to carry on thusly: "Dude! SimCompany ROXORz!!!! 1337 w00t! OMFG!!!!!!" ;)

Well, I'm back at home, anyway. No more turndown service or fireplaces. But we'll get our stuff from the moving company on Tuesday or Wednesday. :) Woo Couches!

Tonight we might be going to a large party in SF, hosted by an old ballroom friend who has unsurprisingly dumped ECE to go semi-professional. Larn and Obi would also be attending. But I can't get a hold of them to find out what hotel they're staying at.

We shall see. In any case, happy Saturday.