I Would Walk 5.00 Miles...

The last three days here in beautiful Seattle have been a serious challenge for me, but one I was made fully aware of ahead of time by my gracious host. In short, I have been walking everywhere. Why is this a challenge, you may ask? Because in general for the last 15 years or so I have made a concerted effort to avoid physical exertion. To be honest the longest I've walked was about half a mile back and forth getting my daughters to school for a month or two several years ago, and lately it's been limited to the short distances between my car and the accounts I service for my job.

But it's been good for me. The first two days were punctuated with pain in my legs, but today was relatively easier. This pain contributed in part to my lax writing schedule here, the other part being that since one host went out of town while the other had to work, I was left to my own semi-guided devices and I'm a bit boring and not good at taking decent pictures of myself.

In any case, let's recap my adventures of the last few days...

Monday started off with breakfast at the house of a couple of eggs and leftover pancakes, then out the door to Google's Seattle campus. Because of the sensitive non-public things they're working on, my friend could not give me a tour, but he did give me directions for exploring the nearby Fremont neighborhood. It is wonderfully weird. Home to several craft brewers and a bridge troll with a dislike of VW's, there were many things to see. There's also Gasworks Park, one of the first examples of reclaiming a toxic site and turning it into something useful:

It's a steampunk's wet dream, really, and affords one of the best views of Lake Union and Seattle itself. Lots of people were there, mostly catching Pokemon. Admittedly I was one of them.

The morning got a little drizzly, so I made my way over to the Fremont Brewing Company to try a few local brews. Their witbier was excellent, as was their 13.2% Rusty Nail Imperial Stout. Very rich, almost like a liqueur. Definitely not a brew to slam, or have more than one of in a sitting.

I then wandered around some more, looking at the various artwork, statues, and unique bits of storefronts. For example:

Lenin...

A sign post marking the Center of the Universe...

And this mural on a highway exit...

I went back to The Googs to join my friend for lunch. The cafeteria was a place I could venture into, and it was amazing. All sorts of amazing options for every kind of diet. I had agreed to not take pictures as part of signing in for a guest pass, so I didn't get a snap of what I had (my friend later told my could have taken a picture of my lunch) but nevertheless it was delicious. Barbecue chicken, asparagus stir fry, steamed carrots, smashed cauliflower, and collard green slaw. I know, sounds strange, but it was unbelievably tasty.

After we finished eating I went back to exploring. This is where it gets boring, as I returned to 

Ballard and Cafe Mox both to get some more walking distance and check out it's attached gaming

store. After that I walked back to Google, walked some more with my host and another friend of his then made our way to Brower's Cafe for an incredible lamb burger and a sour beer. From there it was back to the house for conversation and sleepy time.

More in the next installment...

Crossing Bodies of Water and Oceans of Biomass...

My Seattle adventures continued yesterday with blueberry pancakes. Sweet, buttery, blueberry pancakes.

I tried to take the weight of decision making off of my friend's shoulders, but my idea fell through. I had wanted to head down to the Center for Wooden Boats for their free Sunday boat trips. Unfortunately, even though sign-ups did not start until 10:00a, some people had been waiting in line since 8:30a, and there was a hard limit to how many the center could accommodate for the day. Lesson learned.

So decision making fell back to my friend. I tried, I really did. So he opted for the next best thing: booking a tour with Ride the Ducks of Seattle. I admit, I did think for a moment that he he meant boats shaped like rubber ducks, not a DCKW:

Like this, but more touristy...

Though the first mate/tour guide certainly fit the mold:

His name is, no lie, Wade Forrit...

The excursion was pleasant, informative, and just a little bit goofy. Wade was quite adept at dropping 

puns, and useful information. My takeaway (besides a nifty duckbill quacking device) was that once again my Shadowrun jokes are becoming less and less geeky quips and more and more reality. The corporations that call Seattle home are buying up large adjacent areas of town for their various divisions, most notably Amazon. 

After the ride, we wound our way down to the world-famous Pike Place Market. The sheer number of people amassed there was amazing, especially near the fishmongers where all were waiting to see the fish fly as they were thrown between workers. I'd offer a picture at this point, but there was no way to get a shot comfortably, even a selfie.

We did stop for some real Turkish Delight. If you've only experienced it through C.S. Lewis think rose water flavored gummies drowned in confectioner's sugar. Very tasty.

We hiked back uphill to the car while my friend debated dinner, both out loud and in his head. We finally ended up at a ramen restaurant. To put it bluntly, it was amazeballs. See?

Complete with chicken genocide...

Then it was back to the apartment for tea, whiskey, and socializing with a few of my friend's acquaintances. This was certainly an epiphanic moment, as he has extremely well-informed friends, and my isolationist news policy kind of left me a fish in low-earth orbit. Still, I learned some things, met some interesting people, and after everyone was gone my friend, his wife, and I shared a few minutes of guided meditation thanks to a phone app. Technology is truly grand.

Like a broken record we we our separate ways to bed. Six and a half hours later I was up again and typing away to share this with you.

See you tomorrow!

Have to Do All the Things...

I was up and about late Saturday morning... If I were still in the Eastern Time Zone. Locally it was relatively early, about 6:30am. Grabbed some water, sat on the balcony, medicated, and punched out yesterday's entry.

It was quite the adventure yesterday. We had a late breakfast at Serious Biscuit, a beautiful restaurant nearby. The sticker shock was a bit jarring. $11 for just one biscuit? I could get a steak, egg, and cheese combo with a large tea for half that back home. But it was so delicious. Piled high with ham, egg, and cheese along with some greens and apple mustard. Not what you would typically find in the South, but it was a tasty way to find out old dishes could have new tricks.

Eating complete, it was off to the EMP museum for us. It's an incredible collection of pop culture, featuring galleries devoted to science fiction, fantasy, music, and art. The highlight was easily the Star Trek exhibit: interactive displays, original props and filming models, even a fun little thing where you and a few others get pseudo-green screened and act out a campy little scene which displayed on a tv in front of you. Oh, and You can crawl through a Jeffries tube:

Totally not special effects.

After touring the galleries, we left the museum and walked around Seattle Center for a bit. Huge food festival going on this weekend, but we didn't try anything except some funnel cake because the lines were insanely long. We eventually wound our way back to the car, drove around for a bit, and then I was introduced to this guy:

Yeah, I take horrible selfies...

So, for all my Shadowrun jokes it turns out there is at least one troll in Seattle. Speaking of games, after a quick stop at ye olde liquor store we made our way to the Ballard neighborhood and Cafe Mox for a late lunch/early dinner. This was a really cool place where you could get something to eat AND borrow a game to play from the attached gaming store next door. We ended up playing original "Ticket to Ride" and while I completed two out of three route, I still came in last. Most fun I've had losing in a while.

We walked for a bit through Ballard, my friends playing Pokemon Go as we went. Browsed an actual music store (a dying concept back east) and sampled some gourmet popcorn at KuKuRuZa. Ended up taking home a mixed bag of Sriracha and Salted Caramel because the flavors worked so well together.

Back to base for naps. I was still wide awake though, and started into one of the books I brought with me: Forrest Aguirre's "Heraclix & Pomp." Once the sun went down we fired up their projector and watched the original Star Trek pilot "The Cage," inspired by our meandering a through all things Trek at the EMP museum.

Six hours of sleep and two hours of writing brings us to a new day, hopefully filled with more adventure.

Learning to Fly...

It has been a long time since I've written anything for this blog. Too long. I'm planning on doing a series this week that isn't my usual woe-is-me, doom-and-gloom ramblings because I've embarked on a unique opportunity for a bit of adventure. An old friend invited me to get out of my comfort zone and stay with him and his wife for the week in Seattle, Washington.

Normally I wouldn't do anything during vacation time except stay at home. Prior to this trip I've been a firm believer that if I can't operate the vehicle myself then it isn't worth the risk of going. Not because of a fear of heights and enclosed spaces that are part and parcel of air travel, rather simply because I'm not in control of the vehicle. Also because I haven't been in an airplane since I was two or three, and have had thirty-plus years to develop all kinds of anxieties and neuroses that could turn into an unpleasant experience for myself and other travelers at thirty thousand feet.

What I've discovered is that flying is exhilarating. For about an hour. From takeoff to about ten thousand feet my thoughts were "Aren't we humans amazing? Look at what we've accomplished!" and "Hey, I can see my neighborhood!" From ten to twenty thousand feet my thoughts turned to "Look at the ground... No lines of demarcation... We humans are collectively insignificant." Once cruising altitude was achieved it dawned on me that "Wow, I am completely insignificant." I imagine the experience is scaled up considerably for astronauts.

As I mentioned above, this train of thought lasted about an hour. For the remaining three hours to the Phoenix Sky Harbor I tried everything I could to keep my mind off the fact that my seat was incredibly uncomfortable. This turned into a bit of a balancing act of distraction, as I had no way to charge either my iPad or phone, and I'd need the phone to call my friend once I landed at SeaTac. I would have liked to sleep, and could have if I'd had the foresight to get a travel pillow and attempted to charge my devices while I waited at CLT. Lesson learned.

Aside from all of that joy and misery in equal measure, I made it whole and hale to what could have been the Seattle Metroplex had history taken a different turn in the early 2000's.

After a light snack of a wing and leftover poutine at his home, I finally crashed after being conscious for twenty-four hours.

Now I'm up, having my first (ever) iced coffee, and this is my view as I punch this out on my iPad:

I think I'm going to enjoy myself...

Learning to Fly...

It has been a long time since I've written anything for this blog. Too long. I'm planning on doing a series this week that isn't my usual woe-is-me, doom-and-gloom ramblings because I've embarked on a unique opportunity for a bit of adventure. An old friend invited me to get out of my comfort zone and stay with him and his wife for the week in Seattle, Washington.

Normally I wouldn't do anything during vacation time except stay at home. Prior to this trip I've been a firm believer that if I can't operate the vehicle myself then it isn't worth the risk of going. Not because of a fear of heights and enclosed spaces that are part and parcel of air travel, rather simply because I'm not in control of the vehicle. Also because I haven't been in an airplane since I was two or three, and have had thirty-plus years to develop all kinds of anxieties and neuroses that could turn into an unpleasant experience for myself and other travelers at thirty thousand feet.

What I've discovered is that flying is exhilarating. For about an hour. From takeoff to about ten thousand feet my thoughts were "Aren't we humans amazing? Look at what we've accomplished!" and "Hey, I can see my neighborhood!" From ten to twenty thousand feet my thoughts turned to "Look at the ground... No lines of demarcation... We humans are collectively insignificant." Once cruising altitude was achieved it dawned on me that "Wow, I am completely insignificant." I imagine the experience is scaled up considerably for astronauts.

As I mentioned above, this train of thought lasted about an hour. For the remaining three hours to the Phoenix Sky Harbor I tried everything I could to keep my mind off the fact that my seat was incredibly uncomfortable. This turned into a bit of a balancing act of distraction, as I had no way to charge either my iPad or phone, and I'd need the phone to call my friend once I landed at SeaTac. I would have liked to sleep, and could have if I'd had the foresight to get a travel pillow and attempted to charge my devices while I waited at CLT. Lesson learned.

Aside from all of that joy and misery in equal measure, I made it whole and hale to what could have been the Seattle Metroplex had history taken a different turn in the early 2000's.

After a light snack of a wing and leftover poutine at his home, I finally crashed after being conscious for twenty-four hours.

Now I'm up, having my first (ever) iced coffee, and this is my view as I punch this out on my iPad:

I think I'm going to enjoy myself...