Slang's Anti-Singularity
  • Slanghome
  • Slangblog
  • Slangpuzzles
    • CurrentPuzzles
    • ScholarPuzzle
    • PastPuzzles

Seattle Thoughts

9/30/2021

1 Comment

 
After being here for a few days, I, not surprisingly, have Some Thoughts.

1. Traffic is nuts. Maybe I hit the more congested parts of the town at the bad time(s) of day, but holy crap. It took me nearly 25 minutes to go 5 miles on the freeway into town. Thank you Apple Maps for giving me an alternate route that probably cut the remaining trip in half. Pretty scenic too, going through some older neighborhoods. Another instance of being stuck - unmoving - for 25 minutes in an intersection didn’t endear me to the traffic situation in the neighborhood. Having to drive AT ALL around UW is an exercise in insanity.

2. A hill-repeat is only steps away, no matter where you are. I’m accustomed to hills, but damn, these are steep! On my posted run, though, I didn’t go out of my way to really hit them. I needed to simply do a reasonable distance of non-stop running. My event in a few weeks is going to be difficult regardless, but I’d rather it not be a total suck-fest. Getting time on already sore feet is necessary.

3. Stamps? We don’t have any stinkin’ stamps. Is there a national shortage, or is it a local thing? I tried to get stamps in three different places and all were out. Out of stamps. Effing weird. I ended up getting what I actually wanted to mail at the third store, and hoofing it back to a UPS Store where they could meter-mail it. Something that I expected to take 15 minutes ended up an endurance event lasting hours. Traffic included.

4. The architecture and landscaping in the area I am in are spectabulous. Most of the houses are (I’m guessing) at least 70 years old, and the variety of colors and textures in both building and landscaping materials is quite something. I’m a little too early for the real color show, but what a show it will be, with the varieties of maple, oak, beech, birch, and a veritable plethora (had to work that in) of understory deciduous plants.
Picture
It’s not quite “Sleepless in Seattle” but similar vibe.
5. The AirBnB I’m in is quite nice. Remarkably quiet given a highway is about 200 m away. I can’t hear it at all. Also includes wicked-fast Internet. Is that a universal thing here? Cozy and comfortable place, good bed; everything I need.

Well, except company. I’m acclimating to pretty much completely solo, though. Having the man-cub a couple of K away is nice and is easing me into the mode. Poor kid has to work though. Sucker. We had legit ramen last night. It’s radically different from the bags o’ ramen I ate in college.

Next stop is going to be Spokane, and a visit with my brother. The man-cub is going along for the weekend as well. He hasn’t seen his uncle in a few years. This should be a fun weekend!

Until next time, take care of yourselves, and if you can, take care of someone else, too. Above all, be excellent to each other, eh?
1 Comment

Dateline: Somewhere, Oregon

9/28/2021

0 Comments

 
A few quick hits from the beginning:

1. Sure looks like I didn’t keep much. The image below is the total of what I’m taking on the plane. I’ve got a bit more now, since I’m going to be in colder weather and I’m dropping stuff along the way. But that’s the pare-down over four and a half years from a nearly 4000 sq ft. house filled with furniture, four cars and plenty of toys.
Picture
2. It’s weird not having a house key for the first time in almost fifty years. (Excepting my brief, one-month stint in the Navy.) Soon, I’ll be without a car key, too. NO KEYS?! Madness.

3. I don’t foresee a return to Carson City except for a visit. The difficult goodbyes made it hard to go, but the only way I would stay has such a vanishingly small likelihood of occurrence, as to be indistinguishable from zero. Okay, let’s just call it zero. Even so, I wrestle with my decision to pack up and leave hourly, if not even more often than that. But in this case, I’ve decided I’d rather deal with the demons I don’t know.

Ciao, my dudes.
0 Comments

Trepidation Reified

9/24/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
This image really strikes home, especially as I embark on this solo adventure. Source: “PostSecret” by Frank Warren.
0 Comments

Glasses, and more glasses

9/21/2021

0 Comments

 
As things wind down to the bitter end, I find that I am probably taking more pairs of glasses than anything other than socks and skivvys.  I have a pair of progressives, a backup pair (really?), single focus for computer/reading, prescriptive sunglasses, and plain sunglasses. Wait. FIVE pairs of glasses?! How did I get here?

I need the dailies, well, because daily. A backup pair is a nice-to-have, but probably not really needed. Those go to the bottom of the list. Computer/reading? Yeah, my progressives have that prescription at the bottom, but I am finding myself looking down my nose at the computer when I work. I guess I could sit up straighter, but I'm fucking retiring, and you can't tell me what to do, MOM.

I guess it depends on how much time I may spend on a laptop. I plan to update this folderol semi-regularly, and I do have a couple of work contracts that I may get some work out of, so...I don't know?

Prescription sunglasses? How else am I going to read on the beach, and still be able to people-watch properly behind dark lenses? Pretty much a necessity, don't you think? 

Non-prescription sunglasses? Definitely necessary. Anyone ever tried running a technical trail wearing progressive lenses, where the bottom of the lens is for close work? Yeah, trip and fall likelihood just went up by a factor of 100. I guess for as long as I plan on running (or cycling for that matter), non-script sunnies will be tagging along. Although, they are cheap and easily replaced wherever I may be.

I may have to forego a shirt or something to accommodate the multitudes of lenses. Thankfully I take no meds. That'd take up way too much room, and I'd have to leave them behind.
0 Comments

Mumbo Gumbo Bookends

9/12/2021

0 Comments

 
Last night I attended an outdoor, free concert here in my (current) home town featuring Mumbo Gumbo, a band that has been playing the area for thirty years. Of course I went, since I'd seen them play probably eight or more times since I've lived in the area. What made this experience especially poignant to me was how it bookeneded (if that's not a word, it now is) my living here.

Mumbo Gumbo played my wedding way back in 1997. That was really the cement on my adherence to the area, as now I was married, had a good job and had plans for kiddos. The ceremony was a blur - ask anyone who attended, since I mispronounced my future wife's name - but the reception was memorable to all: it was a party for the ages. Everyone, and I do mean everyone, who attended had the absolute best time: great food great music, plentiful alcohol and the dancing went on into the night.

After last night's show, I had the opportunity to meet and chat with the two lead singers (Chris Webster and Tracy Walton).
"1997, a wedding at Edgewood. Do you remember?"
"OMG! We were just talking about that yesterday! Who stole a piece of the challah bread?!" I jokingly pointed to Chris.

They remembered. I was disproportional happy about that. We chatted about how they were at the beginning of my life here, and now, at this particular concert, they were at the end, since I'm on  my way Walkabout. I'm pretty happy they remembered playing the reception; I always will. I'm glad they played at the end of my stint here in this town as well, as it was less bittersweet and more rockin' an exit. I'm going out with a bang.
0 Comments

The Results of the Practice Packing Are In

9/8/2021

0 Comments

 
 Over the weekend, I did a practice packing with the minimum of stuff I planned to take. Wow. I didn't realize I had such bare minimums. I was able to add a fair amount of additional clothes.
Overall, things are progressing nicely, and the countdown inexorably continues. I've turned over nearly all work to my replacement, I've put ads out for all my furniture, and what doesn't get given away, I'm making arrangements to have taken. What I plan to keep is containered and scheduled to be housed in a friend's storage shed. The photo below is the bins of keepsies, and the two packed travel bags.
I'm going light. If I find I need anything along the way, I have a suspicion I can get it wherever I happen to be.
Picture
​All that's left is to arrange for turning off my utilities on the day I split, party before I split, and split.
0 Comments

Less than a month

9/3/2021

0 Comments

 
It's the final countdown. This holiday weekend I will be doing a full practice packing to see just how many pairs of socks and shirts I will be taking along. It's pretty remarkable how many can get packed into a small bag with the new fabrics. What gets bulky and requires more concentrated decision-making are bulkier items like warm outer layers and, most especially, shoes.
Shoes tend to be the biggest problem - pun intended. I'm not intending to get all stereotypy, but from personal experience, women tend to think to bring along multiple pairs when traveling: day, night, beach, casual, exercise, etc. At least my ex did. Me? I've never gone in big on shoes, and I'll be addressing this with a single pair of shoes that can be used across all situations: running shoes. They are only optimal for running (which I plan to do, definitely), but, and I stress this, can be used in virtually all the situations I envision myself in. I can sightsee and visit museums, I can walk the beach, and I can go out to restaurants wearing them. Since I'm not taking any kind of even semi-formal wear, upper class restaurants where I'd need something a bit more classy, are not on the docket at all. I'm also taking along flip-flops, because my dogs need to breathe.
I'm addressing the problem of bulky outerwear with a decisive two-pronged approach. The first prong is the easiest: since where I go and when is completely under my control, I'm not going to go where it's really cold. Boom, done. The second prong on this is to go with multiple layers: layer one is a Houdini windbreake that is ridiculously compressible. Layer two is a puffy jacket. Not an expensive one, like a Patagonia, but one I've had for a few years, and quite serviceable. Layer three is a rain jacket. I spent some coin (for me not my Witcher) on a Nike Hypershield Flash a few years ago as well for quality and visibility. (It appears this is no longer available. Huh.) When I'm out there in the dark, I look like a running disco ball when lights hit me.
Picture
Top that off with a beanie, gloves and neck gaiter, and I'm good to decently bad weather. Stay tuned for how well the packing goes.
0 Comments

    RSS Feed

    Author

    Just a guy out exploring the world. Former world-class never-was endurance runner.

    ​Hit me up, and we'll catch a beer or coffee in your town.


    Follow @slang4201

    Archives

    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    May 2021
    October 2020
    September 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    July 2019
    October 2018
    September 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    June 2015
    August 2014
    January 2014
    October 2013
    September 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    August 2011
    March 2011
    October 2010
    July 2010
    January 2009
    December 2008
    October 2008

    Categories

    All
    2011
    Alfama
    Alternate Energy
    Android
    Angela Sullivan
    Animals
    Antiques
    Apple
    Ash Canyon
    Astronomy
    AT&T
    Australia 2022
    Bailout
    Battery
    Bicycling
    Biometrics
    Books
    Brisbane
    Cairns
    Canary Islands
    Carrier Iq
    Carson City
    Cascais
    Centennial
    C Hill
    C-Hill
    Christmas
    Climate
    Clothing
    Coding
    Colorado
    Columbus
    Cramps
    Curiosity
    Dad
    Dardanelles Lake
    Dell
    Dick's Lake
    Dilbert
    Diving
    Eagle Lake
    Earworms
    Eating Problems
    Eclipse
    Economy
    Ecuador
    Education
    Eldorado Canyon
    El Valle
    Energy
    Errors
    Espionage
    Europe 2019
    Evi
    Fallon
    Family
    Fontanillis Lake
    Food
    Gamboa
    Garmin
    Geocaching
    Goals
    Google
    Google Earth
    Grouse Lake
    Hiking
    Inov8
    Investing
    Ipad
    Iphone
    Iron Mountain
    Lanzarote
    Legislatures
    Lisbon
    Mac
    Market
    Market Drop
    Mars
    Mctarnahan
    Medicine
    Microsoft Word
    Motivation
    Mountain Biking
    Moving Minutes
    Music
    Nevada Day
    Nfc
    Ohio
    Olympics
    Openoffice
    Opportunity
    Panama 2018
    Panama 2022
    Paper Airplane
    People
    Playa Coronado
    Politics
    Portugal
    Prison Hill
    Privacy
    Puts
    Puzzles
    Quito
    Race
    Rant
    Reno
    Retrospective
    Roosevelt
    Running
    Running Dynamics
    Saddest Cities
    Safe & Sober
    Science
    Scuba
    Shoes
    Shopping
    Sicily
    Sierra
    Sierra Canyon
    Sintra
    Slangsploration
    Snl
    Soccer
    Software
    Spasms
    Spirit
    Sullivan Canyon
    Svn
    Tahoe
    Tahoe Rim Trail
    Taormina
    Taxes
    Technology
    Transit
    Travel
    Trees
    Vba
    Velma Lakes
    Venus
    Verizon
    Violin
    Watches
    Weather
    Wolframalpha
    Words
    Wrestling
    Writing
    Xkcd
    Yawbe
    Yoga

This is ALL MINE, I tell you! copyright 2010-2022