So where are all of these militant Muslim websites that keep talking about Osama Bin Laden? Why don’t they give us the URLs so we can check for ourselves? And is it just me or has Bin Laden not changed clothes in like 6 years? Maybe I’m just not sufficiently terrorized but I really just don’t believe that every single terrorist suspect ever caught in Europe or North America must be Al Qaeda. I wonder if the timing of all these announcements are being driven by the supposed criminals themselves or as part of the “War with Iran” brand roll-out. I like how with the latest terrorism-related arrests in Germany nobody is asking why the hell does the United States have a military base in Germany? Why do we still need all of these bases all over the world? I just never understood all of that. What other countries have military bases outside of their own territory?
If I went to work for Homeland Security I’d want to be part of monitoring the militant Christian groups here in the US. I think that is really where a lot of potential terrorism can come from.
Another busy day today. A lot of things to absorb from many different sources. Trying to get a handle on the ‘way things are done’ but also understand how what I do will be different.
I love my new shoes. They are a brown pair of slip-on Cole Haan shoes. The dress shoes we bought wore a blister in my right heel – I think because of my strange gait and bad alignment.
(it is now Sunday)
I went in to work today to get things ready for tomorrow and be able to review last week’s notes and such without anyone around. Turns out the building is closed on Sunday but the security guard let me in and I was able to get upstairs and work in the stale air. I’m antsy to get back to Chicago. I’ve been here for almost a week now and it is just a bit draining to have the extra logistics of deciding what/where to eat and what to do. I worked for about three hours and then walked back through the throngs on their way to the stadium for the Seahawks game. I stopped by at Cow Chip Cookies and had 2 big cookies. Very yummy.
I am still a bit surprised by the hills here in Seattle. I guess they don’t often have to drive down these streets on ice but these are pretty steep grades. I went back to the Crowne Plaza (which I kep wanting to call the Crown Royale) and picked up my bags and am now at the Hotel Max for the rest of the week. The room wasn’t ready yet so I am sitting here in the lobby for an hour or so on the wi-fi waiting for my room to be ready.
Even the bums here go to Starbucks. I stopped by one on my way up the hills last night and there was a smelly dirty guy in front of me who had a garbage cart outside but still found the resources for a latte.
‘Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap’ was just on the lobby sound system. I admit that when I was younger I thought they were saying ‘Dertee Dee and the Dunder Chips’ and I had no clue what the hell the song was supposed to be about. I am always really bad with song lyrics. Or maybe I just listen to too much Tori Amos. Could she possibly slur her lyrics just a little bit more?
On Friday night we had a barbecue at a co-worker’s house. He’d been married in the past year and was eager to show off his marital bliss and new home. The Mrs. had prepped kabobs/skewers that were grilled on the gas grill and then served along side a nice avocado/tortellini antipasto salad and a mixed greens setup with pine nuts. We must have polished off about 5 or 6 bottles of wine. These guys are really into eachother. “We love eachother here and we are going to love you. I talked to [so-and-so] and he asked ‘Do you love Andy yet?’ and I said I wasn’t sure. I hope I will.” I reassured them that I am always highly adored in any workplace or venue in which I worked so I have no doubt that this will be any different. Maybe it is a West Coast thing. They are just really personally connected to eachother. It is different. in Chicago you really don’t give much of a shit about your co-workers.
I think the downtown area of Seattle is essentially just cafes, bookstores and art galleries. And I guess hotels, too. Everyone seems freshly exfoliated. Lots of tattoo ink walking around. The free buses in the downtown area are surprising. Sort of seems like a ghost town on the weekends.
I went to the Seattle Art Museum yesterday and my favorite two pieces was a huge 30-foot diameter imperial robe made of dog-tags (a perfect cape for Cheney or Bush) and a piece from a German sculptor that was a 10 foot tall mouse sculpted in pure black standing on the chest of a sleeping man in a bed made entire in white (I think it was called ‘Maus und Mensch).
After that I walked down to the Pike Place Market, the country’s largest open-air (or olderst?) market. A mix of a farmer’s market, a crafts fair, a mall and a fish market. Massive fish and crabs packed in ice and ready for cleaning.
After that I walked down to the aquarium and walked through that. My favorite thing at the aquarium was a large circular ring tank that you could walk through and jelly wish floated up and over and around it and you could see them from all angles. And seeing a huge octopus suction across a glass wall so you could see it from underneath. I did like seeing the sea lions but felt bad they had such a small tank to swim in.
The air is crisp today and it is sunny. I have only had 1 day of torrential rain like I’d expected
Leave a Reply