Another tale of my day off

First off, Ginger and I have signed the appropriate papers and our house is officially "our" house. We move next week. Secondly, Ginger and I had the pleasure of listening to author John Mcphee read from his new book and field questions recently at the Seattle Library. It was well worth the free admission, especially when he described a typical working day. "I sit in my office until panic sets in. I'm not trying to be funny here. Once 5 o'clock comes around and I think that I may not write one word today, I somehow manage to get a couple of hours work in. Then I go outside and people tell me that I'm such a prolific writer." If this is how a guy with 42 published books operates, there may be hope for the rest of us.

Today, the weather being about as good as it gets in Seattle, I decided to go for a walk. I took my usual route, winding my way down Queen Anne hill to the park that runs along the Sound and into Downtown. My current neighborhood is one of the richest and, oddly enough, nicest ones in the city. I could walk all day and never tire of gazing at the amazing houses and beautiful, lush gardens. My new neighborhood of South Park is not quite the same. It is one of the poorer areas of the city, but is making some great strides. Today the Port of Seattle voted to clean up an industrial site along the Duwamish River, bordering South Park, to beyond EPA standards. There is a good possibility the area will be turned into a park. We'll see. Our solice is that we will be living away from the neighborhood center where two days ago a guy was shot and killed. He was thought to be a pimp and a drug dealer, so I guess it's okay? Just keep your nose clean, I guess. Anyway, it being possibly my last day to not be packing for the move, I took in the sights of the current surrounds one last time.

Like the upscale neighborhoods of San Francisco, Queen Anne is a place where streets abruptly end in stairways. A drive around the neighborhood is not quite as nice as a stroll.



The other striking feature about Queen Anne are the gardens. Rare is the yard that has fallen into disrepair.




The walk down the hill eventually leads over the railroad tracks and onto a strip of land that meanders along the Sound and into downtown. The park is nice, but activity in the Sound reminds one of the "industrial" side of Seattle.




My walk ultimately took me back to the library where John Mcphee spoke a few days prior. From there I caught the bus back home. The bus smelled like babyshit.

It's this time of year that I think about it

I live pretty close to the North Pole. The first sign is the sunset at 9pm during the summer. The second sign is the 3pm sunset during the winter.



Once again, the sun setting at 9pm.

Sheesh.

I work retail. This means one really big sacrifice in my life; If it's Saturday or Sunday, I'm usually working. And my wife and friends are not. But there is another side to this lifestyle. I get a firsthand glimse into the world of A LOT of weird people who wander the greater Seattle area during the week. (I realize the implication that I am probably a member of this club so please do not call attention to it)

Today I found myself at Safeway purchasing light bulbs and antacids. (Case in point) My adventure began when I rounded a corner and was greeted to a very beautiful woman bending over (and not at the knees) placing us both in a very compromising position. I should at this point clarify that most people I encounter in my neighborhood during the week are 1. Women 2. Beautiful Women and 3. Married to Rich Husbands explaining their not being employed when we cross paths. This particular woman, upon realizing the levity of the moment, turned beet red and apologized. I replied that it was quite all right and that "these things happen." I continued on to registers.

Upon my arrival in the checkout line two women stood before me. And they were doosies. It was obvious to all that the first woman had jogged or walked briskly to the Safeway. She was sporting bicycle shorts, a windbreaker, new running shoes and a decent gleen of sweat. Her purchase? Two packs of Marlboro Reds. At the moment, the transaction didn't seem quite right and having the entire day to consider it, it still doesn't.

Lady number one, barely exiting before lighting the fruits of her labor, made way for the next mind-boggling customer; A woman wearing a thick parka. Okay, I will admit that I live in Seattle and it can get VERY cold, but not today. It is safe to say that the weather was pretty nice as I was wearing shorts and flip-flops. Not only was this woman wearing a winter coat, she complained to the checker that it was TOO COLD today. Most supermarket cashiers will buy into any conversation you throw at them, but ours was visibly shaken by the comment. She didn't know how to respond and therefore didn't at all. Instead, she stared at the woman for a few seconds and then looked back at me. My raised eyebrows seemed to put her at ease.

What does this all mean? Hell, I don't know. Maybe it just another chapter in the life I have created for myself and, honestly, I don't know how much longer I can take it.

Lists

I've been thinking a lot about lists recently. It started a few weeks ago when I began mentally ranking the top five overrated Seattle Mariners. Later it was the top baseball movies of all time. And today, it was thoughts of the worst Presidents. In the spirit of thrift, I present my combined overrtated Seattle Mariners/Best Baseball Movies/Worst Presidents list for your consideration.

1. Richie Sexson
2. James Buchanan
3. Pride of the Yankees
3. Adrian Beltre
4. Major League
5. George W. Bush
6. Eddie Guardado
7. Little Big League
8. Herbert Hoover
9. The episode of the Munsters with Leo Durocher
10. Richie Sexson again
11. The episode of the Brady Bunch with Don Drysdale
12. William McKinley
13. Felix Hernandez
14. The Rookie
15. Ulysses S. Grant