It's snowing in Seattle

I'ts snowing in Seattle this morning. It happens on occassion.

And then we shut down the schools and everybody is happy.

Give Us This Day

My morning view from the Light Rail...

Our daily bread.

Good Morning!

41 Floors

Seattle from Forty One floors up. Way cool.

22.5 Average

The average age of my grown children is 22.5 years. My son and his girlfriend are visiting this week. So far I'm able to keep up with Thing 1, Thing 2, Son and Significant Other during this visit. It's not necessarily easy. No one seems to get horizantal, as in bedtime, until 2 am or so. I wonder by putting in an 8 hour day at work and then going on to play with them in the evening if I may actually be "besting" them at the stamina game.

I remember playing like my babies when they were still in diapers, lying on the floor kicking their feet in the air. So, I'd try it. That stuff wore me out (never mind looking silly). But I kept up with them. Geesh, here I am 20+ years later still keeping up with them.

Last night was home video night. I've not heard my offspring laugh so hard, so completely, in years. They thought their dad's mullet was hilarious. They laughed even harder to see their brother with a mullet of his own (at age seven) in the very next scene. They howled in laughter at the dog pushing one of them off the sofa. All three were riveted to the tv for the next scene, entranced. Amazing stuff. I enjoyed watching them laugh more than watching the video they were watching.

Oh, I want to go home and crawl into bed. Yet, more than that, I want to arrive at the restaurant fresh and full of pep for the great dinner we have planned. Time is too short. I'm grabbing every speck laid before me.

Bifurcation vs. Articulation

We have buses here in Seattle that carry me from one county to another. They are usually wonderful, warm, comfortable places to be in traffic or otherwise. Lately, and after some rather harrowing bus rides, I'm finding the bifurcated buses not as comfortable. It's beginning to flavor my decisions on how I get home. I prefer to wait for a non-bifurcated bus.

The buses are not actually called bifurcated. They are called articulated. I've attached the dictionary definitions to these two words. Essentially, bifurcation means pretty much just one thing - divide or fork into two branches. That's it. That's what these buses are like. They are two part buses - with the back end swinging separately from the front to enable it to negotiate corners more effectively.

Articulated - this throws me for a loop. What does articulation have to do with a two part bus? I mean these buses belch. But, they don't speak. They don't use language at all, never mind articulating clearly. Okay, the belch counts - but is that truly articulate?

So why, for gods sake, are these buses called articulated buses and not bifurcated?

I do understand why, in today's liberalist society, we do not call these buses "jointed". That term may never work (with a straight face).

Have I whined about this already? That's how much this bothers me...

Bifurcation = to divide or fork into two branches.

Articulation = 1.uttered clearly in distinct syllables.
2. capable of speech; not speechless.
3. using language easily and fluently; having facility with words: an articulate speaker.
4. expressed, formulated, or presented with clarity and effectiveness: an articulate thought.
5. made clear, distinct, and precise in relation to other parts: an articulate form; an articulate shape; an articulate area.
6. (of ideas, form, etc.) having a meaningful relation to other parts: an articulate image.
7. having parts or distinct areas organized into a coherent or meaningful whole; unified: an articulate system of philosophy.
8. Zoology . having joints or articulations; composed of segments. (Oh - this one....got it. Hmmm, still don't like it.)

Fireworks of Christmas

Is it Christmas or is it Fireworks? Ah! It's Seattle Downtown on a lovely December Friday Night.I dallied downtown on the way home tonight. Life is good.

I'm on a Boat

So are Thing 1 and 2 - I'm going to have to beat them with a stick today to get them to send the photos they took of me...(yeah, right...like that would work.) One of my favorite things to do is to ride the ferry across Puget Sound and back. I love the view, the feel of a boat (albeit a big one), the people watching, and the feel of going nowhere - just going.

If Hell freezes over...

It will look like Seattle yesterday.

I've searched YouTube this morning already. During my six and a half hour bus ride home from work yesterday - got on the downtown bus at 5:17 p.m., got off the bus at the Park and Ride at 11:48 p.m. - the bus driver asked for volunteers to push the bus to get us up a slight incline so we could get on the parkway (oh, I mean freeway). "Anybody wanna push?" We all laughed with the bus driver. Then he said, "I'm serious." and opened the back door. About 15 or 20 young men unloaded from the bus and went around back to push. It was making a difference - believe it or not. (Twenty young men pushing a massive articulated bus, this still blows my mind.) But not enough of a difference.

The driver then said, "Anyone wanna move to the back of the bus? We need some weight over the back tires." I left my seat, I had felt so lucky to actually have a seat, and stood over the rear tires with so many others on the bus. I watched a young man put his hat under the rear tire to give some traction. It actually helped. Out the other side of the bus I saw two young men standing in the sideways sleeting snow filming the event on their phones.

I'll keep searching YouTube. It's got to show up eventually.

(Yes, I got my seat back. Yes, we got going and the young men had to run up to the ever slow moving bus to jump back on board. Yes, I am staying home today. I had enough yesterday.)

Family Challenges

My little brother has e-mailed me the challenge. He made it clear that this is serious business. Actually, he posted it to me as a "Dare" (as in double-dog-dare me.). This was a little daunting when I first read it. (Little Brother - hahaha, damn that's funny. He's a full foot taller at least.)


The challenge, the dare, the project - should I decide to accept...gain entrance to the Suzzalo Library on the University of Washington campus. Pshaw! Easy-Peasy...I'm in, dude! Will send photos, so there!

Picasso is Coming

Picasso exhibit is opening the weekend at Seattle Art Museum. I was downtown playing tourist with the gang and as we walked past the SAM. On the front walkway is Danny. He is doing chalk art on the sidewalk.

Much like sand castles the work will only last a couple footsteps (waves). I won't be here to see the finished project. I hope Danny got the contract to keep up his images through the exhibit's end in December. When I get back to Seattle I will have to walk down to the SAM again and see if it is still there. What a way to make a living.

The Good Run

Every day that I run is a good day. Every run is a good run, for one reason or another (even when I feel like lead, and it's cold and windy and the ground is wet). Today was a good run; it was dry and the wind was calm. I needed some activity. My brain is playing games which is always a good reason to get outside.

On my way back today, during the second half of the run, I looked up to see a far off ridge of trees to the east of me. The ridge was green spires of cedar, firs and maybe some pine...who knows. Beyond the spires of tree tops clouds were building into giant cumulus marshmallows as they butted up against the Cascade Mountains. I am hit with the knowledge that I live in the Northwest. How totally cool to have chosen a home and here I am.

On another level as of late I feel as if I am running toward something; running to meet it. This too is a great feeling.

Washington Speak

"Rain changing over to showers by afternoon."

I just find this interesting...

Tradition

I know it's supposed to be Monday with all the requisite whining about work and traffic and such. Sorry to disappoint you. I'm feeling pretty refreshed these days, today included. I am still internet access-less at home. I will have this rectified by Thursday or Friday at the latest. At that point I can again add photos to my posting. These "No photo" entries drive me a little nuts. I love the visuals.

This may be slowing me down...or (almost better) it is giving me time to read. I've been reading things like books and newspapers and I've even been doing these amazing feats sitting in a living room comfy chair in the afternoon; as opposed to propped up in bed half an hour before lights out. I got a batch of cookies made yesterday morning - and promptly left them all with my friends and family up in the mountains. They are very very lucky, and now I have to bake a whole new batch for me. (oh yeah, oh darn)

It's a good thing I'm running these days. I say that for all the cookies I've been ingesting. Running has been good. We ran as a team on Saturday - as scheduled. The slow team (over twelve minutes for a mile - that's me) is scheduled to run 160 minutes. I admit it. I cheated. I ran (or walked really really fast, by my standards) for 120 minutes. I'll get the other 40 minutes on there soon.

I found it synchronistic that last year on Easter Saturday (my first year in Seattle) I visited West Seattle and Alki Beach for the first time. It was during that visit that I found rosemary and sage are used as ornamental bushes - and how cool is that! This year on East Saturday, as scheduled, I ran from Lincoln Park north to Alki Beach, and the rosemary and sage are just every where. Without trying it appears Alki has become my personal Easter Saturday tradition. I can live with this. I'd be happy to live with this. Traditions.

At the Brewery

Every week the team runs from a new location. I am getting my sightseeing in at the same time as training for this marathon. This week we met at the Redhook Brewery. I find it interesting it is right next door to the St Michel Winery. Why couldn't we meet there?

Have I mentioned I like my coaches? I love my coaches. Here's some of our coaches reminding us this is an endurance run, not a speed event. They are probably taking about hydration or nutrition here. I appreciate the reminders. It's still cool out and I do forget to drink more water. If it were hot I would be hydrating without being reminded (I hope).

This week my legs have been feeling like Jello during the day. The runs have been great. I warm up slow, the second half is strong - and a little faster. But, during the day when I stand up it takes a moment for my legs to warm up under me. I mentioned this to Coach yesterday and she asked me if I am doing any strength training. My initial reaction was, "Well, yes. I'm running." But, nooooo. According to my coach I'm supposed to be doing strength training on top of all this running. When I'm done exercising I should be getting in some exercising. I'm still mulling on that one. Maybe I'll take that beer after all.

Here I was doing so good too. I ran 5 miles in 60 minutes. This is very good. This is grand. I'm working up to a 10 minute mile. This half marathon is still going to take me 2 hours. And the sight-seeing has been lovely.

Time management

There is a gentleman here at work that has run several marathons in his time. He doesn't run them anymore. A couple weeks ago (a month or two now) when I was asking him about running marathons I asked him why he doesn't run them anymore. He answered that he doesn't have the time. "There's a lot of preparation in getting ready for a marathon. I just don't have that kind of time these days." He shared that he used to take his lunch hour and jog - he had an entire hour and access to showers at work back then. He lived close enough to that job that he was able to run to work. And the final piece that seemed to make it all work for him was that his supervisor was also a runner, therefore taking the time to achieve his goals was more available then than now.

My coach was running along side me on Saturday morning as she does for a bit of each of our group training sessions - I love that she checks in on me. As we ran I was asking questions about the run, the course, we chatted about interval training, all that good stuff. I told my coach that I appreciate that she takes the time to slow down her own run to jog along with me and that's when she let me know that the coaches on the team do not run this event that we are training for. On the event day she and the others will be jogging along offering support and assistance just like they do now during training. Then she added that she was pleased to be running slow today; she had done her hard run the day before and has another big training run coming up the next day. So, she is running a marathon, just not this one? Iasked. Yep, she'll be running the Boston Marathon...she and her husband (whom she can barely keep up with - and here I thought I was the only slow one). This is what she does. She runs.

I am finding this training does take up time. The Tuesday night and Saturday morning training sessions, even though the run itself is only 40 to 50 minutes (and growing), it is a 3 hour chunk out of my day to go do this. This is not whining, this is pride. I actually can't think of anything I would rather be doing. I look forward to the time spent doing exactly what I'm doing. And now I can see what the man in my offices is talking about. The more I put into it, like anything, the more I get back out of it.

On a side note - Fundraising has been interesting too. If you'd like to help please go to Sarah Runs and help us fund cures for cancers - something we can all help with.

Seattle Architecture - Somewhere

Downtown Seattle

Somewhere between 3rd and 4th Avenue

Somewhere between when I get off the first bus and get on the second one.

Somewhere around 7:30 a.m.

Sunrise/Sunset

Pink clouds, pink skies and little bits of blue skies just to make a show - the baby shades of those two colors. That's what the sky looks like as I drive into work and as I drive home these days. The sun is just rising as I go in, and just setting as I come home. (I'll be back on the bus tomorrow. In the meantime,) The sky here is pink, a salmoney pink, the whole sky it seems. It's not unnatural, yet I don't know that I've ever seen this phenomenon for so many days anywhere else.

The sky, the sunrise, reflects on the mirrored exteriors of downtown buildings. At the right angle one can see the rising sun and Cascade Mountains and pink sky all reflected on the eastern side of the building - little boxes of mirrored moment making a canvassed building. I'm driving. It's wonderfully distracting.

And it does it again in the evening when I go home. This time the sun plays in the Olympic Mountains and bursts pink onto the skies. It's so easy to smile here.

Girly girl of Marathons

Somewhere along the line it appears women have taken over the marathon circuit. 37 people were at the meeting this evening for Team in Training. Three were men. Two arrived with their significant other girl. Only one entered on his own. I'm just saying if there are single men out there you might wanna try getting involved in a sport. Title 9 has definitely changed the playing field. And then again...maybe men don't train in teams.

I'm still surprised. I walked into a room full of women. Here I thought it would be an every one sport. I made two friends.

Outwitting the Weather AND Metro!

There is construction blocking my favorite bus stop downtown. I will have to walk either two blocks north or three blocks south in order to catch my usual bus. I am so adept at bus riding now, what with knowing the Metro System AND the Sound System I am Bi-metro. (When I figure out Pierce and Kitsap Counties I will be Tri- and eventually so advanced as to be considered Quad-Metro. In the meantime...) I can now pick my bus and my bus-stop to best suit my requirements for either proper Downtown Seattle sight-seeing or immediate pick-up and getting home the absolute quickest way possible. Am I becoming a bus-snob? I never would have thought that possible. Not moi....To most of you I am sure the above scene looks like any bus or transit platform in any metropolitan area you care to name. (Okay, so it is) I would like to point out, dear readers, that this transit platform...pause...wait for it...is dry. Yes, my dear readers. This is a non-wet, dry platform.
So is this one....
And this shiny one is dry too.
And the final transit platform before we come out of the downtown tunnel system - yes, this too is dry.

I get comfort, speed and a veritable plethora of options (okay, just four) for dry platforms throughout this fine city.

Maybe tomorrow I will post the story of the Friday downpour, the speeding bus, the curbside tidal wave and how spontaneous crowd reactions are still available among the commuter crowd.

Until then, please stay dry.

Am I wrong? Bus ride hell...

These people that ride the bus with me each day are absolute idiots. Half-wits, dumb-bunnies, goof-balls, nuts. This would be so entertaining if it didn't drive me so crazy. I rode two different buses this week. Two days on the one route, and two days on the other. Both routes are commuter routes. These buses are filled with people carrying briefcases disguised as backpacks. These people are wearing slacks, not "pants". They wear hard soled shoes that do not come with steel-toes, nor broken in "tennies". These people have earbuds and Kindles(tm) and read newspapers (that one has to pay for) when they are riding the bus. Moreover they ride the bus pretty much every work day. They know the "rules" to getting on and off the bus in a crowd. They understand not to hum along out loud to the music coming from the earbuds. They know how to pay their bus fare efficiently, whether with coins or bills or sliding cards or tap cards, they got it down and they keep the line moving.

My issue is at the end; at the end of the day, at the end of the ride, at the end of the route. I live in the north county. I am "up there". The bus ride from the time we leave downtown Seattle to the time we come to my stop, the last stop on the route, takes between half an hour and an hour depending on traffic. Both routes that serve me best have their respective last stop at the two different "Park & Ride"s in the north where I can leave my truck. What hit me this week is that this same event is happening regardless of which bus I take. It must be happening on buses all around the world. Just think of the implications, this same phenomena is more than likely occurring in Budapest, Hungary, somewhere in Bogota, Columbia and probably even on the Isle of Man. You can't deny this. I will have to get over it. There is nothing for it.

This amazing moment of stupidity happens each night as the bus driver makes the announcement detailing the last stop on the route over the PA system to all of us 10 to 25 riders still on the bus. Yes, folks, 10 to 25 people are still riding the bus after everyone else has already gotten off at their respective stops, and are probably home by now by the way. Each driver says, "Last stop for Route [insert bus number here]." It is not until that announcement and it is always after that announcement that some poor panic'd fool feels the burning need to pull the cord to notify the driver to stop for that next and final stop. Well, duh. Did they think the driver is going to take us home with her? Dipsoid.

"Sanity and happiness are an impossible combination" Mark Twain