Cavalli North Beach San Francisco

I am on Lauren's laptop on a wireless network in an Italian coffee place at the corner of Columbus and Stockton. We are having great time in San Francisco. Our first afternoon on Saturday we went to Cafe Trieste and listened to opera and other Italian songs. Weather is mild, city is busy, our apartment, #2 Genoa, is great. So, a fine time in a fine city and I've joined the laptop in a cafe crowd. Keep on learning and moving.

Snippets

We're off to San Francisco for a week at Thanksgiving. We've rented an apartment near Coit Tower (with a garage!), Kathy has a Zagat restaurant guide,and we're going to be tourists in the city we love. We will also visit Geri Andrus in Sacramento and my twin, Jim, and nephew, Sean,in Belmont.

This is Geri, Kathy's sister, and their Mom, Virginia.

Lauren moving to Portland soon to be around various friends from her Lewis & Clark days. She has one more week at Summit Group. They want her to stay a bit longer, but she's ready to go. Tonight she ate with us and then went off to see Max. When she eats with us we turn off the TV and talk...very pleasant. She's very well informed and enjoys conversing. Her pal Eleni from St. Catherine days was over last night and we all had a nice time. The little girls grow up.

A friend through work died this week. Bob Hyatt, a construction superintendent at Perkins for several years while we did a series of remodels. Great guy. Had a stroke four years ago and has been in a wheelchair..but had another stroke and is gone.

Looks like Donald Woodlee out there in Watrous New Mexico is close to selling his "ranch" to the local big ranch. He's sad to go, but it is isolated and his Mom couldn't take the altitude with her COPD. Hmmmmm...both the Mom, Ellen, and Bob Hyatt were smokers and it has caused serious health issues for both of them.

I am trying to read a real book for a change. "Palace Walk" by an Egyptian, Naguib Mafhouz, who won the Nobel Prize.

That's it. Had my trenchcoat dry cleaned just in time for the rainy dark days. It looks o.k. and should be good for its 10th or whatever year. I used to think I was cheap, but now I know I was in the forefront of the sustainability movement.

Good night, all.

Paramount Theatre

Went to a musical, "Spring Awakening", with Kathy and Lauren. It is based on a play written in Germany in 1870 or thereabouts. It is about young people struggling to understand sexuality despite strict, religious parents. The struggle leads to a suicide, an incarceration in a juvenile facility, an illegal abortion and death of the young woman...but, it was pretty good and surprisingly timely. Lauren and I thought of the Palin family and their pregnant daughter. It also made me think about forbidding abortion would only make it invisible and more dangerous.

A thought provoking evening, with good music and singing, and a stage production at which I did not have to struggle to stay awake.

Debate Night

McCain looked jumpy, old, cranky and kept saying Obama was "eloquent" but in such a way it was obvious he meant lying windbag capable of fooling everyone. Obama looked thoughtful, answered carefully, pushed back on some of McCain's attacks, but mainly kept his poise. It's over. Obama will win and will win some states that Bush has been winning. I'd like to think that meant the voters in those states are changing to a more moderate posture. Guess we'll see.

Tuesday's Gone

Almost. We have a full moon tonight looming large in the east as i walked home from the transit center. hiking up that hill is my exercise for the day and is probably legitimate, but I need to do more. too busy at work...famous excuse, but with some reason at present. more on that later.

the past few weeks we have had the great pleasure of having Lauren home with us. she's good company. i have even had what will probably be a rare, if not once in a lifetime, chance to carpool with her to work downtown. she has had several assignments via Woods & Associates (we love you, Sarah!). right now at Summit Law group so L and I take diamond lane in the express lanes and just rip on down to 5th South & Jackson. I drop her and take the car to my building garage. at end of day we sometimes drive back together. quite a deal for a Dad to carpool with the little girl who is dressed in black top with gray skirt and medium length haircut looking very professional.

This little post is captioned with a song title from Lynyrd Skynyrd...my son's favorite song of theirs. I like Sweet Home Alabama and Call Me The Breeze. It is also Tuesday night, so a little play with the words works out o.k. He was killed on Tuesday...so every week I get to think of that. i also get to think of it when my mp3 player on shuffle tosses up Tuesday's Gone. sometimes I want to skip it 'cause the mood is not right, but usually I listen and sort of feel like he's reaching out to remind me not to forget him.

he'd have been so happy to see the idiot George Bush humbled and Obama on the verge of a landslide.

Weekend Update

Saturday debuted grey and drizzly and stayed that way all day. First day like that in some time so I would not complain, but......it happened to be the day that my sister, Ginger, wanted my help with her two storage lockers. So off we went to Bonney Lake to spend a day in the rain shuffling stuff in and out of two storage lockers. She did extract a good truckload of stuff to go to Goodwill, and, I got to sit part of the time and read a junk thriller I got from one of her giveaway boxes.

Later that night we met up with the Tyler-Jordans, their son Bucky, and Al Adams & Alayne Cartales at a place at Northgate. We all ate some snacks and had a nice adult chat about politics, the financial meltdown, kids, jobs and all that kind of stuff.

I did not share with them that I had gone to Alaska USA Federal, where we have had an account for some time for a car loan and deposited a sizeable chunk of change drawn against WaMu. Given the most recent bailout news I imagine WaMu is going to find a buyer and survive, but I wanted to do the typical prudent financial thing of not having all your eggs in one basket. Now we're not in danger of maybe being over the FDIC limit at WaMu. The regs for the FDIC coverage are impossible to decipher so I decided the most conservative interpretation was to not have more than $100,000 in any one bank. Strange times for me to have enough money to worry about such stuff and at the same time we're having one of the worst financial meltdowns since the GD.

On Sunday Kathy, Lauren, and I went to Phantom of the Opera at the Paramount Theatre. Quite good and I always get some extra fun from considering the stagecraft...thanks to all the fun and success I had in that in high school. Afterward, we ate at Lolas at 4th & Virginia. Shared a carafe of Lola red with the girls and had some very good food with a Greek spin.

Before heading out this morning I kicked off the 08 Holidays by buying a few things from National Geographic catalog. Some cool stuff and maybe for a change I will not have any crushing shopping despair as Christmas gets closer.

Some of the neighbors, none I know personally, hatched up a 'glo stick' parade for 7:45 p.m. Quite charming to see 20 to 30 kids and a few adults on bike, scooter, unicycle and foot go by with glo sticks decorating them. Several houses on my block were out to cheer them on. One of the parading adults told us "we just made it up". Very pleasant little demo of silliness and neighborhood building.

Now I am off to TV room to join girls and huddle down for a Sunday evening. It started to rain again, just as I was outside for the 'glo stick parade'. I'll take my thriller, "Area 7", (yes, in the desert in american southwest) and read while they likely watch a sitcom or a rerun of Sex In The City.

I hope all of you had a pleasant, unremarkable weekend with some people you love.

Rolling On

This morning Lauren had to be at work at 8 a.m. in a building directly across the street from mine. We drove together in her Yaris….my first commute with my girl with both of us going to work. She was dressed in high heels, dark slacks and jacket. Looked very professional for her stint as a receptionist for a small law firm. Later we went to lunch together. Walked to the Pike Place Market and ate on the second floor deck at Copacabana. The sun was shining, the market was busy but not tourist crazy, flower baskets were in abundance, and I felt quite lucky to have her company while we chatted about various domestic details. I did get a chance to brag about her to our cashier during a chat about whether or not I spoke Spanish. I pointed through the window to where Lauren was sitting and said "she can speak German and French…maybe Spanish next?". L was quite careful of the time to make sure she got back to work on schedule, but we did manage to buy a half dozen of the little fresh donuts from the market. She ate the ones with multi-color candy sprinkles on them. Sweet.

Lunch time on Alaskan Way

got the ebb, but not the flow
i'm big in Japan

Tom Waits

sunny day in Seattle. walked along Elliot Bay at lunch. blue skies, mild breeze, tourists, Duck tour boats, lines at Victoria Clipper to go over to Vancouver Island. there was an outdoor concert on the harbor steps between 1st Ave and Western with people sitting on the steps. i saw Steve Andreason, partner with Davis Wright. he's now in my building but first time I've encountered him. a few feet further and a guy stops me with "didn't you used to play basketball with Kirk...?" he was right but i didn't recognize him but we spent a few minutes catching up after 20 years.

listened to mp3's as I walked. Neil Young singing "helpless, helpless, helpless" had me on the verge of tears thinking about my boy...but, walk on down the road, admire the beauty that summer bestows on women when they are outside, and briefly take refuge in the old refrain from Cu Chi, "don't mean nothin'". briefly, and then try to get swallowed by the summer day, the walk, and the rhythm.

What's Up?

Lauren is home. We're pleased to see her and get to see her friends, also. Livens up the house to have some young energy about.

Summer is mild this year, to put it mildly, but we're getting some house chore stuff done that been's ignored for a while. Hanging our clothes on a line outside to be green and it's surprisingly easy to manage...small loads in washer and plan ahead.

Got to get the moss off the roof. Bought some "organic" stuff that is supposed to not harm pets and fish. Install a rose trellis out front for a climbing rose we bought for Lauren. Last weekend we pressure washed the deck and house...bathe that sucker...looks much better. The weekend before we painted the frame of the arbor on the deck and then mounted new lattice to it. K has bought two clematis to plant and climb up it.

I'm off to Mt. Rushmore on 8/23 for a week on the motorcycle. Going to meet Gary Stacy and Don Woodlee, riding up from Oklahoma and New Mexico. We're going to camp and ride around, but after Bike Week in Sturgis. I got a new tent from REI and borrowed some other gear from neighbor and now have piles of stuff in the living room floor.

I miss my son and as we approach August 23 I think of him more and feel his loss a bit more keenly than usual. It will be three years..seems like 20. He was such a fine young man and I'm sure I knew that at the time, but daily life dealing with irritations or money or other petty nonsense can cloud a person's awareness of how precious and irreplaceable a person can be in your life. Love you, Seth.

18th Arrondisement

greetings from Paris. I am sitting in living room of apartment we have rented for a week, listening to traffic in street below and consruction noise from somewhere nearby. blue sky and sun await us. first, we have pain de chocolate and coffee for breakfast and then we go to Musee D'Orsay for the morning. also, plan to go on the Sewer Tour. we are doing lots of walking and finding plenty to see and do. more later, I just wanted to get a feel for Lauren's laptop.....I've got several pages handwritten about our journey from Paderborn to catch up on.

Spring Time?

Had to drive out to Granite Falls north of Seattle to a funeral service for a co-worker, Keith Desrosier. He was only 46. He'd had a kidney transplant a few years ago and he was mentally disabled a bit, probably not the right term, but he learned how to do a job at Perkins and for almost 20 years he was reliable, easy to get along with, and well-liked by the many people he met. The weather was raining, hailing, snowing, sun shining....something different every few minutes. The service was at a Grange Hall and most of the people were locals who knew Keith's family. Nice things were said, memories shared, and after there was food. I met Keith's Dad and we had a moment as two fathers who have lost sons. But, what's that worth? The loss is still there, the absence a painful empty place all the time. They played some country song about a boy meeting his grandpa in heaven and ..... and it's a sweet thought for a moment that is followed by a bitter anger over the reality that a song doesn't change. He's gone and I'm here, wondering why. I went out into the parking area, which was a pasture, and stood for a minute with partly cloudy sky, light hail coming down, and looked at the countryside with some trees starting to bloom. It is spring, tulips are up in some yards, and I'll never see another without a deep awareness, much more than I have had for most of my life, that it signifies not new life, but the passage of time.

Fortunately, this spring, in just two more weeks will see us off to Germany to visit to our dazzling girl in time for here birthday on May 15. We fly from Seattle to Frankfurt non-stop. Ten hours flight time and we'll be in another world and I'm looking forward to it. Paderborn, to meet Lauren's friends and see her life as FULBRIGHT TEACHING ASSISTANT! Then Paris and Amsterdam, with a chance to cross paths with Ananda and Linda and also with different couple from Seattle, Doug & Susie Bruce.

I was just in Chicago and San Francisco on business. Sun was shining in both places, but not when we got back to Seattle. I found myself in San Francisco walking about in the sun, with cool air, and the busy streets of the Financial District wondering why in the world we don't live there. Just love that city.

So, enough for tonight. Going to be very busy two weeks at work so I can be gone for three weeks.

Sunday Night at the Movies

We just watched "The Comedian Harmonists" a German movie set in the late '20's and 30's in Germany. It's a true story about six men who develop a singing act that is wildly popular. Unfortunately, half of them are Jewish. Political and social reality gradually intrudes on their lives and success. It's quite good and at the end the credits provide details on each person's later life. The lead character migrates to America, serves in the Army, and lives in San Francisco until 1998. Which means, though I never knew him, I lived where he did. That history was somewhere in the City, maybe I hauled him in my cab or rode a Muni with him. You never know the stories and rich histories of the people you pass each day, but it's there...so show some respect, eh?

Odds and Ends

Kathy got home today from visiting Woodlees in Watrous New Mexico.

I managed to get most of the house cleaned a bit for her return. Cats did not starve or runaway, either.

So, our little pink house is doing fine. Hopes yours is, too.

My nephew Sean had his birthday yesterday. 39 years old....Jack Benny time.

Samedi Saturday

Caucus day in Washington for selecting candidates for the Presidential race. I've been undecided between Clinton and Obama. Either will be such a vast improvement over the worst president ever. But..in the last few days I've found myself realizing that Obama is who I want. I can't say I decided that exactly...it has just come over me some way.

Try this: http://www.dipdive.com/

I guess I'm a sucker for idealism, but I think I understand leadership a bit and it is an attitudinal quality. It's not a managerial skill set that can be learned. It comes from personality and intuition. It can be demonstrated but not taught. I think Obama possesses that quality that can inspire people to work together for a common good. Told you I was an idealist.

Bon Jour Mes Amis

Monday night. Had couple inches snow today, but no problems for the commute. Got the bike out Sunday for a cold ride to Northgate and back just to heat it up and burn the gas in the carbs. Looking forward to spring and more riding.

That's life. Listening to Frank on the headset while I type this. He was a talent. We've got an album of his best and it makes good listening on long drives.

Bought a webcam on Sunday. Need to try installing it, but I'm sure it will take longer than it should so it's sitting here in the box waiting for me to be ready to be patient, thorough, read the "Read Me" files and all that. But...each time I find myself lying flat on my face, I'll just have to get up off the floor and ....reboot.

Well, take care out there. Bon soir, gute nacht.

Weekend

Saturday morning. Weekend plans: NIA dance class, clean house, haircut, watch football playoffs, create ramp so old cat can get to windowsill he likes to sit in, plan details on trip in May to Germany and France, call family while cell phone time is free, work on ideas for remodel of garage into living space, work in study to clean up shelves, do a serious purge of papers piled up for years, practice German, practice French, think of my daughter with pride for what an adventurer she is, think of my son and blink away the sadness as we go on with the domestic hum drum (now, there's an odd phrase) that we fill our lives with.

Another Day

Tuesday night. Dark, cold. Last night a snow storm blew threw and left a wet blanket that turned to ice. Still lingering tonight. I worry about the squirrels, birds, etc. they are adapted to live in a range of temperatures, but they must just hunker down somewhere and suffer when the cold is at its worst for our area. No central heat or fireplaces or fleece jackets for them.

On sunday it was sunny for a while so I took down all the holiday lights in the yard. then i went for a motorcycle ride! down to half-price books to exchange a French CD that didn't work. now we have some to listen to in the car. Sehr gut! Non! C'est bonne!

Now we're having fun.

Thursday Morning

Dark and raining at 7 a.m. in Seattle. Pretty normal here for this time of year. Our girl has gone back to Paderborn after a great visit for the holidays. Now our attention turns to May when we plan to travel to Paderborn to visit Lauren, then go to Paris for a week with her. We may hook up with Doug & Susie Bruce on their boat in the Rhine river. They will be there somewhere, but it's a bit early to pin down a plan.

Other than that, we're moving forward, just as you are. Those not busy being born are busy dying. We started a conversational French class last night. Teacher is very impressive. Our legal matters regarding our boy's death are likely coming to a close this month with settlements with insurance companies. It will be good to have that behind us.

New Year begins

lauren is out in the tv room watching something. kathy is in bed, and I am putting off going to sleep. i just heard the rumble of someone rolling their trashcan out to the curb for Thursday morning pickup. cans must be out by 7 a.m.

cats are all napping somewhere. in the dark cold months they lay low. no dummies, der Katzen.

went to lowell and carol's house for news year day and had very pleasant time just hanging out and talking. a couple bottles of good champagne added to the fun. we finished the day bowling on WII...and it was quite a bit of fun. interactive and physical; quite a change from sitting still, by yourself, with a little controller.

it is just another day but it does feel like a new year, and I think it will see some changes in my life. not sure why, just seems to feel like a time of change and growth is on the horizon.