Saturday, September 6, 2008

Random thoughts: first week in Seattle


9/01/08
My first day in Seattle: The house is so small, the outside so big. There are 3 coffee shops within walking distance.

9/02/08
This is life on a whole different scale than I have known.

9/03/08
Unfamiliar foliage. I want to have names. I need Hildy to tell me what these trees, these shrubs are called.

9/04/08
Unfamiliar music. Bands that I have never heard of: Fucked up; Mogwai, Built to Spill; Silver Jews; Mission of Burma; Dengue Fever; The Dead Science. Morning edition starts at 4 AM. The radio call letters start with K instead of W. Instead of the Village Voice, there is The Stranger.

9/05/08
There are parks everywhere and water everywhere. People walk, ride bikes, smile and drive without rancor. In my quiet little neighborhood, the mail is delivered for the whole block on one corner of mailboxes, like in the country. There are no stop signs in either direction, small traffic circles, friendly greetings, no sidewalks. Further out, there is suburban blight, K-Mart, and Lowes. No Wegmans. You can get most anything at Fred Myers.

9/06/09
Now all of my stuff is here crowding me, reminding me why I am here, what my life is about. When the house was empty, I felt so free. I used the computers at the library, wandered about, mostly staying outdoors. Oh how I wish I had another week to get to know this place before starting to work again.

2 comments:

  1. I can just imagine you walking the streets, taking it all in! I just now did a little bitty blog about ya.

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  2. Welcome to the west coast! You came at a great time -- still warm and sunny -- stock up on that Vitamin D while you can!

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