Seattle - 7 a.m.

3rd & Pine at 7 a.m.

Bus ride through Seattle yesterday and today is a tad bit chilly these days. This morning it was 21F/-6C. Thank goodness there was no wind to speak of. Yesterday I wore a skirt and a long coat. The long coat did me very well. Today I wore slacks and a short coat. Oh baby, those bus seats are COLD! Gloves are now a necessary evil. I love my scarf. I wear a big, wide, colorful scarf to wrap around my neck and stuff into the front of my coat. It's wide across the back of my neck. It's not even winter yet. I'm wondering about hat hair. I don't wear a hat. That will change. I don't know when, but soon.

Jackson and Main (?) at 5 p.m.

The buses this time of year keep on their interior lights only on the drivers side. The seats on the other side of the bus do not have the overhead lighting on. I find this interesting. I lot more people are getting on the buses and shutting their eyes, either relaxing before the day begins (for the morning crowd) or decompressing at the end of the day (for the evening crowd). Yesterday I was on the decompress side of the bus. Today I sat on the luminated side and got some reading done.

Alleyway from Howell and 8th

I'm so glad to have someone else do the driving. I leave the house at 6:30 a.m. and don't get home until 6:22 p.m. and that is fine with me. I start my car at 6:15 in the morning - two reasons. One is to make sure it will start, I'm having battery issues. If it doesn't start I still have time to walk to a bus stop and, with a couple adjustments, still get to work on time. Two is the car is reasonably warm to drive after 15 minutes of chugging away in my driveway to get me to the Park & Ride for the easiest bus to work.

This contract is only until the end of January or so, the coldest months of the year probably. I may be investing in warmer socks, or boots, or parka. Update will follow, I'm sure.

Freecycle - Amazing!

I am now the proud owner of two semi-lovely chairs that I previously did not have. Interesting things about the two chairs, they are both ladderback, rattan seated chairs. Even though the backs are different heights, the seating is at 18" for all of my chairs. My last apartment had such an ecclectic mix of chairs - each uphoslstery was fabulous - that the seating height did not match. I paid for those chairs...so far I've not paid for any of my current chairs. That may catch up with me one day.

Freecycle.org is a pretty good deal. I appreciate the moderators. Freecycle is set up as a posting "group" on Yahoo!. If a person wants to get rid of something - say a chair - and it's not worth much, or the bother of ebay or craigslist, they can post it on the freecycle posting board. Someone like me will see that as long as I can go get these chairs they're free. I did see photos before I responded. I e-mailed the posting person only, and not the whole group, and arranged a time to swing by. So this morning...I have chairs.

I'm a little bummed. If I had gone by about half an hour earlier I would have brought home a free loveseat too. It wasn't posted on freecycle. It was being hauled out of a house a couple blocks from where the chairs came from. I stopped to chat - to no avail. It's worth an effort once in a while to see what's going on. It was dark blue. I still think a red sofa is the way to go.

I'm keeping my eyes on craigslist too. Maybe in January I'll walk through another furniture store. Just for giggles.

***UPDATE _ EDIT***

Picked up a tall lighted curio cabinet this afternoon - unfinished wood - glass shelves - this stuff is amazing.

General Life Conditions of a Wizard

I was going to share the fact that Tuesday my windshield started to crack. If I'm lucky it will stay low on the glass. I was going to share that I have a slow electric "leak" on my truck. If I don't start it everyday I require a jumpstart. If I unhook the radio I'm betting this problem will go away. But, then I would have no radio. I prefer to go out and start my truck every day. I was going to share that my children are making their lives difficult right now and there is nothing I can do to stop it, other than counsel them firmly to stop it.I don't know why all these things have come to the forefront today, or this week even.

Putting the mirror up to me it's fairly obvious; I'm not feeling well. Physically yes, spiritually not so much. I've considered myself an optimist for so long it is disconcerting to have things fester (?) below the surface. I may be a little scared at what I find if I pull at the curtain. We all know, "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain." When in actuality, he was just a person, as any of us. That poor wizard had hopes and aspirations that as a normal person, and not a wizard, were difficult to live up to. And yet, he made things happen. I've been working behind the curtain lately. I like it here. I don't want to come out from behind. I'd prefer to stay here and work on all my little wizardy projects for a while longer. I'm not "done" yet. Ahso, I go back to work on Monday. I better straighten up for the "real" world. Here I was beginning to believe I lived in the Emerald City (that's a joke folks, regarding Seattle's nickname).

I realize it's 1:30 in the morning, but my days and nights have been running together as my brain has taken over my body. I've released control of time in a normal scheduling sense. While I feel "good", it's made a mush of "normal" life. Normal life is calling.

My job coming up will be to integrate some time behind the curtain with the time I am required to work on other people's projects. Sustainability of one's purpose while sustaining an income is an excellent exercise in life. I'm experiencing a bit of dread that I may have atrophied a bit during this time off.

When the wizard was called on to show his true colors, he did okay. He stepped up to the plate. He didn't "save" everyone as he wanted to, but he got them started. An important tangible moment was the hot air balloon worked. He wasn't so bad, just flustered. Someday I'm going to have to read that book.

(Okay, maybe he was a pompous ass)

Jonesin' for a steak

This is just your run of the mill whiney post. I'm sure half an hour after posting I will be on to something else, forgetting that I have a whiney streak in me today. What you see above is my bacon cheeseburger with homemade potato chips. It's just not the same. It's not the same as walking into some restaurant with ambient lighting, being guided to an open and usually inviting table and being asked to please take a seat. It's not the same as someone coming around, just out of the blue, to fill your water glass. It's not the same as the basket of bread with honey-butter being delivered to the table just because. This bacon cheeseburger with homemade potato chips is not the rib eye steak I am craving right now. It is not the massive house salad or side of green beans, or baked potato or any of it. This homemade bacon cheeseburger with potato chips is not even McD's where one just drives up to a light up board, talks to a screen and then drives around to another window where one gets handed the most heavenly smelling paper bag.

This homemade bacon cheeseburger isn't even on a bun - although I like the dark sweet whole grain stuff better anyway. I am jonesin' to not eat at home. I am craving almost any restaurant. The funniest thing is, I can't bring myself to go do it. Cash is available. Time is available. I've been out driving twice today thinking about eating and haven't stopped anywhere except the grocery to pick up the burger. I've definitely got issues.

(The photo is to remind me I've got nothing whine about)

Deadlines

I'll be back to work on Monday. I'm told it's a furshure thing this time, funds have been allocated and everything is a go. Somehow, by having an end date on my time I feel called into action. This afternoon I found myself walking/jogging until just before sunset (which is horribly, terribly early).

And came home to use the "bowflex" thingy for awhile. I love the way my back feels after even just a couple repetitions. If the Weider/Bowflex hadn't been left on my balcony I wouldn't miss it. While I've been off work this last stretch I've learned a couple of moves on it that always feel good. (Yes, I'm showing off a bit - hey, I'm even showing off to me!)
I've been consistently working on the book for my mom and the quilt for my daughter. Today, it felt good to get outside for me. I've only 4 days left, for me.