Raincharm’s Weblog

Ashlan has decided to try working 4-10s this week so she can have Wednesday off to go to a day game. This, of course, means that I am also working 4-10s, plus Wednesday. But since I am planning to take a few days off next week, this is necessary work time anyway. And I don’t have to explain why I am staying late everyday.

But that got us home a bit later than usual.

Relatively nice, so we decided to take a walk (Carl & I).
So Ashlan drove us to Northgate.

We usually just set out from home. But it was a later start than usual (4-10s), and we didn’t need a really looong walk, just 3-4 miles, and dinner was cooling in the kitchen already (meatloaf).

Northgate is a mall, one of the oldest in America (“indoors”, with public restrooms). Our goal was not the restrooms, or one of the many stores with walls, but a kiosk for Comcast Cable Television everything you could ever want to pay a monthly bill for.

It is 2010 and that means the World Cup, the every four year soccer celebration. Also the one time we feel compelled to get not-over-the-air TV so we can watch more than just a few games. So we sold our soul for the multi-channel bonanza, being installed on Thursday.

The World Cup itself lasts less than 2 months, ending July 11th, but we will probably keep the cable through the summer. By the end of a few months we usually have realized that we don’t need all those channels, there is not that much more to watch than the few channels we get over the digital air.

We did not opt for the movie channels.

But Ashlan & I did have a movie night last night, after the cable purchase, walk home, and dinner (meatloaf – it’s a turkey meatloaf – mmmmm). We saw “Being There” staring Peter Sellers. It is an older movie, but really good. I had seen it before, and it turns out Ashlan had as well. That didn’t matter, it is full of nuance and little bits that can be found if you watch, and more importantly, listen closely. We highly recommend this picture be added to your Netflix, Blockbuster or Scarecrow Video account.

Whether to talk about the weather.

It certainly has been keeping us on our toes.
I don’t dare go out without gloves, jacket (or two), hat for rain.
And then I get too hot, except when I am shivering.

Today has been more work than play.
Work, play soccer, work (finished a task), work some more (finished a sub-task, plus most of another sub-task).

I am now ready for dinner, and then some time to sleep.

We walked to the match today.

The Seattle Sounders have a March to the Match before each game. It is about a 5 block walk with the band and boosters and anyone who shows up. Today we marched 6-7 miles and then joined the march for the last 5 blocks.

On the way to the March we stopped at the Seattle Art Museum and got a membership. A Picasso exhibit is coming in the fall, and I think being a member will work in our favor at that time. I like the museum for other exhibits as well, and this will get us there more frequently.

Before reaching downtown we walked near the east edge of Lake Union for a bit. As we passed an older couple picking up trash along the road, a blue heron soared past in landing formation. Three of the four saw the heron, I did not.  We walked a bit further and spied the heron, on a dock that was attached to some working building (e.g. not a houseboat).

The heron stood for a bit. I tried to take a picture with my very old school cell phone. Found the correct button, only to be told that my memory was full. Now, the fact that I had to find the correct button should alert you to my non-use of the picture taking ability of the cell phone. Memory full?!? Yes, full of 200 pocket pictures.

Back to the heron. He/she started to watch very carefully to one side and took a very slow, ginger, set of steps to the end of the dock where the building was attached. The last steps were very slow, and very gentle. It was much like watching a cat stalk his prey. The neck “coiled” by compressing into a tight s-curve. The heron had been up-right to this point, and I expected to see a strike once the neck was compressed. But instead, the heron pivoted around its hip joint, bringing its head closer to the water. Finally the head sprung forward, beak first, the final foot to the water and nabbed a small frog. (I think it was a frog, but was not close enough to get a true verification.)

It was really something to watch unfold, literally. The time from the landing to the strike was probably less than 5 minutes.

Back to the match. The Sounders lost 1-0 to the San Jose Sharks. It was an exciting game, and sunny. Ashlan and Carl are at the baseball game now, it is raining, but they have a big umbrella called a roof.

I have not been here because most of the time I have been distracted by other things, or too tired (lazy) after being distracted to turn on the computer. Last night I was finally home after being distracted by work all day. However, with the house to myself I found that our internet access was on vacation. So … I tried to do the Soduko (Sudoku?). [Maybe that explains why I always say it wrong too.] I could not even finish that! I did manage to have some dinner (leftover stir-fry), watch Jeopardy and get into bed early.

Carl & Ashlan were at the Mariner’s game. The Ms finally managed to score more than a few runs and won!! Ashlan is very pleased as this will be only her third win of the season (3-8 I think). I generally enjoy the Mariners games, but it was nice to just be home for a change. And, many of my plans were thwarted by the lack of internet, so really a quiet evening.  The others were thwarted by the pouring rain outside.

Up now, a little breakfast, and Carl & I are walking downtown. Our plans are to sign up for an annual pass at the Seattle Art Museum (Picasso later this year), and then on to the Seattle Sounders game at noon.

Later!

You know the mornings where you pour the orange juice on your cereal instead of milk?

Kind of like that.

I noticed that Carl had found a different lid to put on our kitchen compost holder. Instead of the flat lid that had once been the top of a feta cheese container (on top o f the bottom of a feta cheese container), the compost now bore the Sabra humus lid, with its distinctive red edge.

I mentioned my surprise that it matched the size.
Carl responded with an, “Oh, no.” Or something similar, and retrieved the humus from the refrigerator.

Always good to start the day with a little comedy.

Some days I feel full of energy.
Today, about an hour ago, I felt OMG old.

I need to get my butt (and other parts) in better shape to do what I want to do.

Maybe later I will put in a more youthful comment.
Or maybe now – like, even though I felt twice the age of the players on the other team, and probably was, I was out running around. No complaints.

Carl showed up to watch and played goalie for the second half.
He does not like to join in usually, because he can not do it on a regular basis.
But we were really short, and did not have a “real” goalie.
No game on the line, so he stepped in.
It was great fun to watch him do his thing. He has not lost much even though he has not played for several years now.

6.5 miles.
Let’s start with the important news.

We got up at a reasonable time, coffee, paper, and out the door.
The walk was to go through the University Street Fair.
This is the first of the many street fairs throughout the city, and the one closest to our house. It used to be quite large, but has shrunk about 1/2 in size over the past 20 years. Still, it was sunny today and we actually made a few purchases. One vendor had some beach glass jewelry that I found intriguing, but I did not spend at that booth.

Rey – I did get my Elephant Ear, which I shared with Dad. Miss you.

The walk included about 6 miles before the street fair including a brief walk through greek row (bud light was the first beer can we saw), down the 45th Street viaduct – scheduled to be demolished and replaced over the summer, through the UW sport field area to the Montlake Marsh and Cut, into the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI), an attempt at the Arboretum Foster Island trail – where we turned back due to high water (wimps), instead went along the south side of the Montlake Cut to its terminus and back up through the neighborhood, across the Montlake Bridge (again), around the hospital, to University Way and up the hill through the Street Fair and home.

Vacation 1 – booked, more or less.
Plans are a bit fluid, but the important first day items are identified.

Mileage = 1 mile at lunch
30 minutes on the bike post work.

Working on vacation stuff seems like a chore.

Perhaps I should not have been so into my walk yesterday that I promised to post mileage.

1 mile

at lunch

Way too much work being done today. Not that I begrudge my 8 or so hours at work. It is those after work I find myself begrudging.