Raincharm’s Weblog

Not RANDY Johnson. He’s a pitcher (ex-pitcher). Not even Mark the Bird Fidrych. Also an ex-pitcher.

Yesterday I watched two robins outside my window at work.
I am fairly certain they were fighting, or at least trying to demonstrate dominance.
The other choice was one gender trying to fend off the other gender.

The contest involved a bit of dancing around face-to-face, and the jumping into the air with each bird facing the feet to the other, and trying to 1) scratch each other, 2) gouge each other, 3) grab the other’s foot and swing them around – do-si-do.

Today, as I was wandering around the empty office, I heard a noise as I approached a different office, I heard a strange noise. At first I thought it was branches from the adjacent bushes hitting the window in the wind. But after waiting for a gust to repeat the performance (and confirm my theory), a robin appeared at the bottom of the window – having jumped/fluttered up from ground level – attacking the window. I suppose it could have been attacking the cute little figurines (poke-people I think) located adjacent to the window. No – more likely a reflection of an offending robin.

Ain’t spring great.

So I am at work this morning, reviewing a Sewer Plan by a consultant we are considering hiring to do a similar task. Straight forward enough – and I should be able to focus and move through the plan.

This particular plan is for a City that includes a college.
It is a college town in the true sense that I think the college population represents more than 1/2 of the total population.
Anyway, several years ago we went on a college trip to this town.
We got a hotel to spend the night during our visit.
The hotel was, well, a bit strange and a bit ookey.
Carl has a college reunion of sorts (Soccer Team) planned for the fall, in Champagne-Urbana.
It is going to take place during Homecoming Week.
The planner has alerted all that hotel rooms could be hard to come by.
Carl is trying to determine whether any friends were planning to go, that we might want to try to get a joint room/suite.
If we don’t act relatively soon, and even if we do – we could end up in another slightly strange or ookey room.

It is lunch break now – but I need to get back to my plan review, and rein in my mind from wandering.
The planner of his

My work day started at 8 AM. (Really 7 AM if you count waiting for your carpooler)

My work day ended at 10 PM (Really 9:55 PM, and there was a driving, dinner and e-mail break from 5:00 to 7:30 or so)

So it is about time to catch up on the March Madness, before it is done. I am posting our families updated bracket. The colors again, for those that care:

• Ashlan = Yellow
• Rey = Purple
• Carl = Green
• Jay = Blue

Our Final Four Bracket

Those that are astute may not that Green did not advance to the Final Four.
Yellow is guaranteed a spot in the Final Two, but prefers her #8 seed to her #3 seed.
Blue is still alive, barely, with a #4 seed.
Purple is hanging on with a # 11 seed. This must be everybody’s favorite team at this point. Come on, Virginia Commonwealth University? Except, perhaps there are some that are a bit perturbed at this bracket breaker.

I would be in their camp, except that for Purple to complete the Cinderella run they must beat my team. Not quite ready to go there yet. But if I am vanquished, I will root for them to take it all.

I know I have written this blog before.
Today’s trip particulars.

• Time to leave in yesterday’s conversations: 6:30 AM
• Time actually left: 6:45 – 7:00 AM
• Passengers – 2 (Ashlan in front, Caitie in back)
• Border crossing – <5 minutes. There was one lane open when we drove up, with about 5 cars. And then a second lane opened up. Nice man, no hassles.
• Trip time – 2:40 minutes (2 hours to border, 40 minutes to the City)
• Time before passengers fell asleep – Caitie = 1-1/2 hours. Ashlan = 2 hours 35 minutes.
• Vancouver events
  • Ashlan’s indoor soccer game – league semi-finals. The lost by 1 or 2 goals, but had no substitutes and played very well together. A close game. (The other team had about 4 subs)
  • Lunch at Boog-something or other. Cranberry orange scones and salmon & potato cakes. Ashlan had a ham and cheese sandwich, but that simple description does not do it justice.
• Trip home – border crossing predicted at 50 minutes. Actual time more like 20 minutes. Like it when it goes that direction.
• One stalled motorhome – about a 10 minute delay.
• About 5-6 eagles. I didn’t keep count. And one hawk landing as though it was catching something. And one really big bird off to the side, on the ground. Ashlan thought it was an owl.

Not too bad, as trips go.

And Carl tried a new chicken recipe for dinner. Good to have home cooked meals after eating out so much this weekend.

NIGHT 1

We went to the Sounder’s game last night, and they did not lose.
At about 80 minutes (out of 90) the Sounder’s finally scored. The place went wild.
Fun game overall. Lots of action.

After the game we met up with Ashlan and her roommate at a restaurant where they were enjoying some nachos. Luckily the train station where they arrived is directly adjacent to Seattle sport’s stadium. So no problem there.

After some food, and convivial sharing, we wandered back to our car, their bags in tow. Dropped the girls off at a more interesting part of town and went home. At some point, later, the girls arrived home.

We awoke at the reasonable hour of about 8 AM, made coffee and started our day. By the time we were ready for night two, one of the bedrooms had this look.

Lego Bed

NIGHT 2

Really this started in the afternoon. Ashlan, roommate and Mom went to the Star Wars Exhibition at the Science Center. Interesting, and they tried to tie in what is shown in the film to what humans can and are doing now. We waited for a virtual reality experience in the Millenium Falcon as well. (In retrospect, we should have timed our tickets more closely, but c’est la vie.)

After a brief stint at home (at which time the lego were shifted to assist in drying), we all headed out for a Saturday night dinner. This time we went to another interesting part of town. And found that there were a lot of other people doing the same thing we were. At the 5th restaurant we looked at, we were finally seated. (1 had an hour wait, 1 had a private party, 1 had no tables for the rest of the evening, and 1 had an uninspiring menu.)

The restaraunt was Presse, a small french restaurant. Carl & I had Cote de porc fume et son ragout aux raisins et aux celeris – “Carlton pork chop, brined, smoked and grilled, on polenta with a creamy red grape, sage and celery ragout.” Ashlan and Caitie had Steak-frites, jus a la moutarde a l’ancienne – “Pan roasted Oregon Natural Beef hanger steak, with fried potatoes and grain mustard-rosemary jus.” It was really tasty. Very good, and worth the multi-restaurant challenge that started the evening.

And, as the night before, we left the girls to continue their evening, and went home. Wonder what toys will get cleaned tomorrow morning.

Have you ever noticed that when there is actually something at least sort of interesting to blog about – there is less time to blog.

Just saying.

Short version.
Met with architect last night. Reason for architect is direction, and their wider vision of possibilities.
The girl is arriving today. Very brief stay planned. Figure we may see her for all of 1-2 hours if her plans pan out.

We went out for a night on the town tonight.

The (off)Broadway show – Billy Elliot, the Musical – was in town at the Paramount. It looked interesting in the ads, so we decided to go for it. For $160 total, we now have a great Red cloth bag. Oh – and a great evening to remember.

It was a great show. We really didn’t know what it was about. We did not see the movie. And know precious little about the 1984 coal strike in Britain. Where was I then – moving to Washington. Carl put it (as only Carl can), “I never even came close to dozing.” (Reminds me of something my Dad said once about the Rackham Auditorium.) The story was compelling, dancing was great, and the music was new and fresh. A real mix of ages on the stage, throughout the show. And mixed in with the story, a few show-stopping – and really funny – scenes. A great mid-week outing. Actually, a really great show for any day of the week.

As we were browsing through the program before the show started we saw a familiar name. Todd Gowers – Rey’s bass teacher, was playing the bass in the orchestra. Unfortunately we were not in a position to have a chance at spotting him.

And the red bag – that was for a donation to the theatre program that raises money for the fight against Aids.

Mom that is.
M is for the Million things she gave to me …
But she would not appreciate that song, so I will stop there.

I knew my schedule would make it difficult to connect today, so I connected over the weekend. And as it turns out I am at work – no pictures to post.

But here is to Bubs, otherwise known as, IGFR. My best mother ever.
(Note – my brother-in-law was not quite right with the real name. Just saying)

Which brings up a point about my family and names.
Many people have strong feelings about their names – and what they prefer to be called. There are names you are given. And sometimes names just kind of happen, and stick. In my life experience (as opposed to family experience), the variations of Sue seem to be most set on which one they should be called, or not called. Sue, Susan, Suzie, Suzanne.

Within my family experience names seem to ebb and flow. Some flow “naturally” from one name to the next. Others don’t seem to have much rhyme, although I am sure there is always a reason. Hum a little Gilbert & Sullivan tune …

Anne, Bananne, Emily, Pooh,  Edward, Grinch, Mike, Duke,
Elizabeth, Betty, Lizard, Liz, Joyce, Jay, Jerce, Jerk,
James, Jimbo, John, Jack, Donald, Mac, Inez, Gene and Bubs.
I thought of making a matching game, but anyone who reads this probably knows all the answers anyway.

I still like the Bubs story the best – and that it stuck from day one, all the way through the years.
When I was taking a walk around the Brimley area, Bubs suggested that I could stop in on an old school chum that lived along my route. She said I should drop her name if I needed to stop and use the loo. This was all well and good until I started thinking, “Which name of hers should I be dropping.”

Big man, pig man,
ha, ha, charade you are.

Pink Floyd, Animals

Pig Man

 

The Pike Place Market piggy bank was unceremoniously smacked by a taxi a short while ago. I don’t recall if it lost brakes and slid down the hill or just drove out of control into Rachel. Anyway, Rachel had to take a sabbatical to a spa to rejuvenate. She is now doing a comeback tour around Seattle. By the time the summer tourist season is in full swing, she will be back in her market location to welcome all comers.

Rachel, on tour

I work evenings on occasion. Usually events with people coming together.
But not usually on Fridays. The office does not schedule public events on Fridays, because people want to go out and have fun.

Except occasionally the work staff’s events where people are going to have fun.
Such was a night last night.
Three of us stayed late, and drove into the driving rain to reach the venue.
(A new church – that does not look much like a church from the inside.)

There was mingling from 5-7, followed by the main program – the SAMMI‘s.
This is one of the local community’s opportunity to take note of local do-gooders.
We were sponsoring the Environmental award.

So I dutifully staffed a table and gave away water conservation devices and temporary tattoos. The most popular give-away was our shower timer. It is waterproof, but we suggest to parents of teens that they place it in a location where you have to get out of the shower to silence the beeping. It will not stop beeping until the stop button is pushed or the batteries run out.

I saw a brief bit of the ceremonies while I was cleaning up the booth.
Our primary person was presenting the award, and I am sure she saw the entire show. (And then had to load the cleaned up stuff back into her car.)

While I was working, Carl was keeping tabs on the March Madness.
Our updated family bracket is provided below. You can see how we are each doing by looking at the colors (or clicking and making it a bit larger, then zooming in on your computer).

Ashlan is yellow, Rey is purple, Carl is green and Jay is blue.
We each have 7 teams left out of the 32, except Rey – who has 11.
At this point in the tournament the numbers are not that important.
What is more important is to not be all grouped in one bracket. If all teams are in one quadrant, the most you can have at the end is one. The goal is to have as many of the final four as possible.

Round 1 is done

Just heard from Rey, and will be Skyping soon. Always fun to talk with the kids.