Seattle August 8, 2012

Yesterday I made the decision to not do too much.  It's easy to do too much if you don't make a point of taking time off from being a tourist.  

I had to go to the grocery store; I was down to my last drop of coffee creamer (gasp!). I learned an interesting thing recently about the streets of downtown Seattle. I am two blocks from James, then Jefferson, Cherry, Columbia, Marion, Madison, Spring, Seneca, Union, University, Pike, and Pine.  Someone created a mnemonic for it; Jesus Christ Made Seattle Under Protest.  Now, whenever I am out and I'm walking home I just have to remember that the closer I get to Jesus, the closer I am to home.  Hee hee.

You guys have had to read all about the homeless in Seattle.  I haven't been approached by many panhandlers, but I have been approached by a few.  I found a way to avoid that.  I kind of goes along with the whole "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em..." approach.  I have figured out how to make myself look like one of them.

No, really.  Not only did homeless people avoid me (averted their eyes, walked on the other side of the sidewalk), but it got lots of people to smile.  One man said I looked like a cross between Pippy Longstocking and Rebecca from Sunnybrook Farms.  Another said to me, "Those are some cool ass socks!"   I said, "You like 'em?" He said, "Hell yeah!  I've been watching you walk all the way down this hill!"  Here's the really funny part.  I used that luggage cart that I got in Atlanta to carry the groceries and along the walk back I started getting too warm for my jacket so I put it in the bag.  At some point I turned behind me to look at the bag and realized that I did actually look like I was pulling a homeless person's belongings.  I laughed all the way back to the apartment.

Speaking of hills... I don't know why Seattle isn't known for it's hills, but it's as hilly as San Francisco.  There is a bench on the sidewalk, the bench is level, the sidewalk and street are not.  Yes, it kills my calf muscles.

After unloading the groceries and having some lunch I went to the Seattle Art Museum.  It was ok, just ok.  Forgive me if you've had to hear this rant from me before.  Sticking a bunch of things together and hanging them from the ceiling makes a mobile, not art.  

 This is a car with light sticks sticking out of it.  There were a few more.  Sorry, doesn't constitute art in my book.  Here's another...

This are metal sticks holding up lights and what you see on the bottom are all the wires and connectors.  It's like an electric erector set.  It had some sort of description about the fluidity of water, blah, blah, blah.  My personal take is that if you have to explain what you're showing me then maybe you should find a better way of showing it.  

There was a great aboriginal exhibit.

On my way home I stopped at a restaurant and grabbed an early dinner.  I spent some time chatting with the man sitting beside me about Seattle, London, the Olympics, and other things.  He was interesting and explained some things about this city, including the best way to get to the airport.  

I had to take a picture of this skirt on my way home.  I've been looking at it every day since I arrived and wondering if it's in the window because it actually gets people in, or is it because no one is foolish enough to buy it so they will try just about anything to get people to buy it.

I got home, relaxed, watched Masterpiece Theatre's Wuthering Heights on Netflix and went to sleep. 

I was woken up far too early by a kid.  Being half way across the country doesn't stop it, "Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom..." There is no escape.