The Next Dark Age
We're in it Now
I Went to Seattle and It Was OK
Although whoever designed the Convention Center was nuts. Six story building and the first three or four floors are public space. Each year we invite the President to speak (and each year since Bush41 we have been turned down), and this year we were told not to expect him because the Secret Service hates the Seattle Convention Center. Difficult to secure or something.
We did go on a lovely dinner cruise on Lake Washington. Like the Lake Michigan cruises, the food was lame but we had a great time. My boss was the guest of honor because he is retiring next month. In his speech, he declared that retirement dinners were “just this side of waterboarding”. Before he got up to speak, a lady to whom I was just introduced demanded to know if I was going to cry. I gave her my honest answer, “Not unless they try to make me speak.”
Then we saw Bill Gates’ house. It was very pretty. I refused to take a picture; it seemed impolite.
Speaking of not looking like a tourist, I was asked directions while in town. Twice.
There were three coffee shops on every block and only one McDonald’s in the entire downtown area. And check this out:
I had forgotten that half the world’s Alaskan cruises leave from Seattle.
I had breakfast at The Crumpet Shop. Twice. That was good stuff, and the funny part was that their Happy Hour is something like 7-8:30 am, when the lattes are $1.80. I had skim milk with my crumpet, thank you.
So. I will be back in January and then again in April. I hope I will remember to take better pictures. At least I will be done with school by then. I hope.
Seattle
I am just beginning the heavy travel season again with a trip to Seattle for a pre-conference planning meeting. Here is the requisite photo from the hotel room window:
I have never been to the area before and I must say that my midwestern sensibilities are rather struck by the …um… hippies.
I went down Pike Street to the market where I found a darling little book store. At least I thought it was darling until I saw the selection of books. There was an entire section for extreme feminist writing. One for sexuality. The people behind the counter were all face-pierced and the one other customer in the store was dreadlocked. It was not attractive. I looked for a section on local authors but was turned off before I found anything.
I did find the fish-throwing place. Wait, there must be a video somewhere…
There was quite a crowd when I went by. Then I picked up Jimmy John’s and went back to my room to do my homework. I had to turn the heat on.
I Know My Car
For the past few weeks, I have thought I noticed a weird noise in my car. Actually, it wasn’t a noise, it was more like a vibration under the foot pedals. I was half sure I was imagining things until I took my nephew out and he said (with all of a four year old boy’s authority) that my car sounded like a boat.
So then I was paranoid. But I was about due for an oil change, and my mother was leaving town for the weekend and I left for Seattle this morning so we took my car to the mechanic last Friday and I told him the story. He changed the oil, said he couldn’t see anything going on under the pedals, but he was going to have someone go drive it to see if they could systematically prove that I am insane.
Not so much.
Something about a ball bearing and my tire could have fallen off and $600. Is $600 a good price for validation?
I Had the House to Myself
For three and a half days. Want to know what I did?
Played Wii Tennis
Read a book
Did my homework
So. Exactly what I would have done if I hadn’t had the house to myself. Except that I was also responsible for giving the dog his pills.
How lame.
Gordon Salon and Spa
Friday, after I dropped my mother off at work, I went to get my allergy shot. The office is in Highland Park and I arrived before the office opened, so I took a walk around the block. The Gordon Salon and Spa was open, so I went in to take a look. A nice man asked if he could help me and I asked for a menu of the services. He handed it to me and said the Express Facial was 50% off.
I have only had Express Facials twice before. The idea, I think, is to clear the palette of your skin with none of the fancy stuff.
How convenient. I was just thinking that I had about..nevermind how many break outs that I can’t seem to get under control. My skin has been making me crazy this summer. The aesthetician said she could take me in an hour, so I made the appointment.
Gordon Salon & Spa is much more salon than spa. I think I only saw two treatment rooms, but they looked fine to me. I wasn’t terribly impressed with the bathroom, though.
Sitting in the allergist’s office, I read the list of services. The Express Facial is regularly $50, which is pretty darned expensive. The standard one is $80, which is comparable to Mario Tricoci.
At the appointed time, I arrived and the aesthetician was ready for me. She had me fill out the information form, which may be intended to get to know you better, and may be to have in writing what you had disclosed. Whatever. I told her about the mold and how I couldn’t seem to find a moisturizer with any SPF that my skin doesn’t hate. She looked at my skin and said that it was really very healthy, and suggested that my skin might be pissed at me because I keep changing up the products.
Hmm. I’ll have to think about that one.
She did everything right. The appointment was 45 minutes, which explains why it is more expensive. Also, they are with Aveda, which means the aromatherapy is a big deal. Would you believe that my blind pick for a scent was sandalwood? (The other choices involved cloves and tea tree oil, so perhaps not.) Nothing felt rushed and there was no hard sell on the products, which I appreciate. And three days later, my skin is much better. That’s what it’s all about, Charlie Brown.
I could go back.
Marley on TV
Somehow I missed that Rich Weiner, the Executive Director at the Refuge, was on WGN News. Dina Baird interviewed him. And it seems that Marley the Macaw pooped on her.
http://wgntv.vid.trb.com/player/PaperVideoTest.swf
Things I Learned about My Dad (in therapy), edited by Heather Armstrong
Book 35
I had a Barnes & Noble gift card, so I found a copy of Things I Learned About My Dad (in therapy) from an Ohio library’s used book store. Heather Armstrong (aka Dooce) edited this series of essays from a variety of bloggers on the subject of fatherhood.
The themes were of understanding and forgiveness of the “Now I get it” variety. There were chuckly moments and teary moments. I liked Heather’s piece the best, but that is probably because I read her blog and know some back story about her old man. I would say that he is my favorite character in her blog but that might be revealing my own daddy issues. Again. Anyway, I really like Chuck the Dog best.
That was a funny piece, now that I am thinking about it. In Sarah Brown’s “The Best Man” she suggests that we all have daddy issues and hers is that she thinks her father is the most perfect man in the whole universe.
Overall, this was a pretty light read, and a pretty good mix of some of the better writers on the Internet. On this particular subject, anyway. How is it I have read Wheaton’s books yet?
Back to School
I am watching too much NCIS. (damn USA Network)
Playing too much Wii. (dumb brother)
Spending too much money. (stupid mold)
It’s football season.
And school starts tomorrow.
No. Please. No.
Variety is reporting that some Hollywood geniuses have picked Heathers as the latest thing to turn into a crappy TV show:
Fox is developing a contemporary take on the 1989 Christian Slater/Winona Ryder feature “Heathers.”
Dark comedy will be adapted for TV by scribe Mark Rizzo, with an assist from “Sex and the City” alum Jenny Bicks. Sony Pictures TV, where Bicks is based, will produce, along with Lakeshore Entertainment, which holds the rights to “Heathers.”
I was going to write something about how those of us that loved it will hate a remake and those that hated it will harp on the post-Columbine inappropriate…whatever.
It reminds me of a line that I am going to butcher from another great Christian Slater film. It went something like:
Everything good has already been done. All the great themes have been turned into theme parks.
I thought that reality TV took over because people will watch anything and it is cheap to produce. But it seems that Hollywood really has run out of ideas. This was good stuff, though:
Here We Go Again
The last leg of the Great Mold Removal of 2009 begins tomorrow. We are gutting the Master Bathroom, which was to be the Summer House Project before we found the mold, anyway. The other projects were painting the exterior and Taming the Jungle (the backyard), which we thought we would have to put off until next summer. At least.
Once we decided to put off getting a new fence, the backyard project was not as expensive as we had feared. So we contracted with our awesome landscaper, Mr. Torres. The downside of contracting with the landscaper is that they have to squeeze in the project work in between their regular maintenance work. The regular maintenance work is, of course, beholden to the weather. So our project has been half done since last Tuesday. Check it out:
If I remember correctly (from Alex’s picture books) this is called a skid steer. It is sitting in my backyard because it was used to remove the pond my dad built in 1985.
Yes, I said a pond. I don’t know if he was for real, but I remember him telling me that he would put fish in the pond. There were never fish in the pond, but I seem to remember seeing water flow that first summer. I don’t really remember because that was just about when we first got cable.
These are the remnants:
Oh. And these stones. We are going to use them to reinforce the remnants of the old garden so that the mud doesn’t run off and flood the neighbors:
We are also taking out various bushes and a couple of trees. I will spare you the pictures of that mess.
Here’s what I have learned about landscaping – less is more. You can have grass. And maybe a tree. But make sure the tree is nowhere near the house. You don’t know what those roots can do to the foundation. Wait, they can still get to the sewer line. Forget the tree. Go to the park if you want to look at a tree. Just grass.
So. Tomorrow morning Kiwi the Grey is going back to board at the rescue. She is still on the anti-fungal meds. My mother is taking the dog and going back to the hotel. Spooky the Cat and I are going to tough it out and stay here.
I am exhausted already.
The Next Dark Age 