Friday, July 08, 2005
One of the compelling things about Seattle is that it really is a laid-back city with its priorities mostly in the right place.
This is on the book drop at my local library branch, clearly demonstrating that the librarians get it. A dry, late book is better than a stolen book or a wet, on-time book.
11:37 PM
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Saturday, I took a random drive out to the Washington shore without a map. I inadvertently followed 101-South once I got to Aberdeen, having seen 101-North in Olympia, and I figured it would bring be back home.
WRONG!
If you look at a map, you'll see that 101 starts in Olympia, runs north to Port Angeles, hooks west over to the Pacific and then runs south all the way to LA.
So, WA 8 crosses 101 North twice, once in Olympia and once in Aberdeen, but they are not really parallel, unless going way north, cruising east and turning back south counts as parallel. It didn't take too long to realize I was moving south along the coast towards Oregon, but at that point, I felt committed. So I gassed up the car and continued on to points south, with a slight detour for Brooklyn, WA. Unfortunately there wasn't a there there, so no photo op for my car in front of a "Welcome to Brooklyn" sign. Coastal Washington is pretty sad, and Aberdeen is just plain depressing. Makes me wonder if it was a contributor to Aberdeen native Kurt Cobain's eventuall suicide. The bridge across the mouth of the Columbia River is this spectacular cantilever and pilings affair that goes on seemingly forever. At the Golden Hour on a balmy summer day, it was lovely, but I don't think I'd want to be on it during a howling winter storm. The photo to the right is the Astoria Column. It turns out that Astoria was founded by Jacob Astor (although he never visitied) as a port for beaver skins and other woodland products. Unlike other bedraggled coastal mill and port towns, Astoria is a gem, filled with stunning Victorian and Craftsman homes and a charming 1920's downtown.
8:03 PM
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Which Revenge of the Sith Character am I?
Hmmmm. I haven't seen the movie, but I'm quite happy to be Obi Wan.
11:42 PM
Friday, April 08, 2005
Funny Dream
Last night, I had the oddest dream. I was trimming my toenails, and they simply shattered and separated from the nail bed. It wasn't painful, but I was afraid it would be. Despite the shattering, I continuned until all of the nails were gone.
Go figure.
6:59 PM
Monday, February 28, 2005
Just a Quick Update
Well, I found an apartment in Fremont, not far from the statue of Lenin. Oddly I'll be living closer to the father of the Soviet Union than I did when I was in Berlin.
Fremont is a hoot - it's Seattle's answer to Berkeley, only mellower.
Work is really busy, and I'm starting to adapt to the early schedule (hence the short post).
Added to the reading list:
Cookwise by Shirley Corriher. An insightful, science-oriented perspective on cooking.
The Fabric of the Universe by Brian Greene. More popularized physics. Greene is a talented writer and physicist, who can give you an understanding of exactly how much you don't understand. (This is a good thing.)
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. 'Nuff said.
9:47 PM
Sunday, January 30, 2005
Movin' on up!
To a dee-luxe apartment in the sky-y-y!
Last Wednesday, I moved temp housing assignments. The relo firm had put me in a relatively red-neckey section of Redmond, WA (I don't even think it was really in Redmond). My first impression of the place was that someone was half-parked in my reserved spot, and the hovering car playing loud music, and the skeevy looking teenager picking up his pregnant girlfriend.
Then there were the bottles, shoes and other garbage on top of the carports.
And the parade of cars, all with loud stereos, coming and going at all hours.
And the ratty cars.
Not where one would expect a corporate apartment to be, so I complained vehemently and consistently to the relo firm. Their solution, moving me to a really swank high-rise in downtown Seattle, right across from the Seattle Art Museum and the Pikes Place Public Market.
Or, in short, I can't complain. I only wish I could afford to live here permanently.
I've also discovered the joy of the bus. Microsoft gives away free bus passes for Sound Transit and King County Metro. I can grab a cofffee, wander up to the bus stop, board, veg out for about 25-35 minutes, alight and then stroll to my office. Yet people are still astonished that I'd take the bus. And it's a really nice bus, too.
Living downtown is giving me more freedom to explore, which is a good thing, and it's quiter here, so I can sleep better. Tomorrow, I'll neighborhood shop a little more, and then I'll need to do some work. Boy, am I ever slammed. Straght off the blocks there's a lot to do and a lot of uncertainty. But, I'm on a good team.
I suspect that once I get my work ecosystem figured out, I'll be moving along to a new role and will have to figure everything out again. But, that's life in the big city!
1:52 AM
Monday, January 24, 2005
Fashion Statement
Update: Here's another photo.
As promised, here's the photo of me in my new Utilikilt. I wore it around town today.
Most people didn't even give it a second look, but I did get three positive comments. I've got to say that it's one of the most comfortable garments I've ever worn. I don't know why they aren't a standard wardrobe item for men. It's far less restrictive than pants, and doensn't even begin to fall off the way that most jeans do.
I suspect that it will become a regular feature of my weekend wardrobe.
2:30 AM
Sunday, January 23, 2005
Wacky Consumerism Day
So, today I went neighborhood shopping and wound up buying a distinctive Seattle garment.
I checked out Ballard, which seems a bit to distant and inconvenient, but was otherwise nice.
Queen Anne was nice, and I'll definitely look at some apartments there. Same for Fremont (although it's somewhat less convenient).
Green Lake is also a possibility.
Montlake was a bit too bourgeois, but it's convenient.
Belltown is way too yuppified. It's trying too hard to be Manhattan.
The U-district may also be a possibility.
Still more neighborhoods to check out.
So, for the odd bit of consumerism, as I was driving from Ballard to Queen Anne, I went past a shop I had seen on the web, and what did I buy there? A kilt. I may just post a picture on my fotolog.
2:06 AM
Saturday, January 22, 2005
I Met Spongebob!
Only Spongebob is really a girl, and instead of the Krusty Krab, she works in a Starbuck's in Olympia, WA. I walked into her shop in search of a coffee to give me a little early-morning zap, and there she was - Spongebobette.
There was one woman ahead of me on line, refilling her card. Spongebobette immediately started gushing about the contest of the moment that you'd be entered in if you surrendered your marketing profile.
When it was my turn, I was asked if I wanted the "Fair Trade blend, which is harvested by family farmers in Central America and carefully blended to produce a light and satisfying coffee experience, or the Cielo Something-or-other, which means something of heaven in Italian. It's really delicious - you'll love it!!!"
Once I parsed her enthusiasm, I asked her for which ever one wasn't the light one.
She then asked me about my California license plates, and whether or not I was visiting Washington, and what broght me to Olympia, and how I liked Washington, isn't it beautiful. So I told her I was moving here to work for Microsoft.
So she asked me if I knew "Chris." Just Chris. I politely said that I didn't think so, and she answered that she was sure I would and that he was a really nice guy.
Escaping her verbal clutches, I made my way over to the milk and sugar counter, only to discover that there was no whole milk, only skim and half-and-half. So I asked Spongebobbette for some. She informed me that almost nobody in Washington uses milk in their coffee, and that they only provide whole milk upon request, and that I should try the coffee black as the flavor is more true to Starbuck's careful roasting and brewing process - isn't it fantastic? I persevered and was rewarded with my whole milk.
As I was fussing about with the cover and such, Spongebobette was chatting with one of her co-workers. The last words I heard her say were "Yay! Starbuck's!"
Meeting Spongebobette was actually a rather pleasant experience, and I suspect that she's a pretty good employee to have around. I just hope she moves faster when the place is busy!
11:54 PM
Back!
It's been suggested that I resume the blog thing, so here goes. I think I'll start with the rather innocuous What I've been reading in 2005 topic.
The Color of Magic and Small Gods by Terry Pratchett.
Perdido Street Station by China Mieville.
And I've been re-reading Bill Bryson's The Mother Tongue, which is a brief and, I think sometimes apocryphal, history of the English language.
As you can see, I've been keeping things light. I'm just not up to reading anything serious or seriously long right now.
I'll update this as I start new books.
11:42 PM
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