6/08/08 - 11:28pm PDT (thermal contrast)
Its the one-year anniversary of the verbal contract on the sale of Little Yellow. That day, I decided I would quit my job shortly therafter, take time to do more hiking, pedal the C&O canal, then maybe fit in a long motorcycle trip before heading west. I knocked out Old Rag, and put a lot of weight behind the motorcycle trip - but never got around to the C&O. Doh, next time I'm out there, I have a goal.

This week was supposed to end with a happy kittens reuniting. Unfortunately, that won't be. It is apparently 712 degrees Farenheit on the east coast, and apocalyptic thunderstorms threaten to destroy civilization. Repent now. So say the airlines (for good reason): cats don't fly over 80F.

It is about 50F here right now. I turned on my heater tonight. I'm probably going for a ride tomorrow, but some of the mountain passes are expecting snow.

Dig that giant eye! I'm going to put something else there, but for the time being, it works.

Last weekend, Sara and I went out to a nursery in Snohomish that specializes in Peonies. They're Sara's favorite flower, which is a good enough excuse for a trip, and for photo taking (or photo taking of photo taking)

pink

peer pressure

attention hog


They had a trail back into the woods with all types of Hosta and some wood swings that reminded me all too much of home.

path and swing

backlit white hosta

Sara picked out two Peonies (that have still yet to be planted) and then we headed back into the city to try a new sushi place. Seattle is full of sushi places, most good, but this is the one you see the most Japanese people in. That's what you want to look for.

red caterpillar roll

Sunday night was Colin's birthday. In the middle of a stressful time of work, it was good to be able to get the three transplanted east coasters together and just have a loud night of drinkin' like old times... 'cept for the bicycling from bar to bar. That's the Seattle way.

traction and glory

omar's stoppie/trackstand

hot ass birthday

omi, mary, and colin

I worked Monday (usually my day off), but only to catch up on some loose ends before handing over half of my daily demands to someone else. We've finally restructured, giving me only one job.

This weekend, Sara dragged me kicking and screaming to a pig roast thrown by a co-worker of hers. In the name of friendship, I gave it my best effort.

We arrived to find your typical Seattle scene. A quaint, "old" (pre-'60s) neighborhood tucked in the woods near Capitol Hill. Biodiesel Volkswagen and hybrid Toyotas lined the streets.

generic seattle street view #8-F

Views of Lake Washington, well-groomed gardens, antiques and stories of multiple generations of Seattle elite... this can't truly be a barbecue can it?

lake washington overlook

Yes. Yes it can.

fresh off the fire

The Seattle-born DIY grillmasters did a phenomenal job, and within two hours, there was very little left.

two hours in...

Every time I think I have this weird little corner of the country figured out, I have to take a step back. Despite the need for propane heaters and umbrellas, or the discussion being more about science, software, and law than anything else - it was a proper pig roast. Well, almost. No cornbread. Baby steps.

5/30/08 - 11:24pm PDT (like a slice of Ledo pizza)
Took a quick but refreshing drive with Sara (go figure) last weekend. Mountain Loop Highway to be exact. Nice drive, but even after two warm weekends in a row, we hit the snowline and the road is still closed. Her Subaru now has almost 50k miles - and I've been there for a surprisingly large chunk of them - including its first two thousand. Weird couple of years since, but it always comes back to this :

Sara, Subaru, Stillaguamish

racing nature

DSC_4625.JPG

Work is going to get less ridiculous as its been officially recognized that I can't do two different jobs at once (but I still have to give up a day this weekend to tie up all the loose ends).

The last few months have been a blur, and not in the good way. Lots of long days where I felt like I nothing got done yet put in 9 solid hours a day; by the end of the day there wasn't much energy for a social life much less a quick run around the neighborhood. Looks like that will change for the better, and just in time : the good spring weather and late night sun are finally hitting their stride.

The new camera came on Wednesday. I broke early for lunch at the ever-lovely Sugar Shack, and snapped this beefy, crusty, mayonnaisey gem as its very first frame :

lunch, near, color

Late Weds night, I went for a walk around the neighborhood. The Ricoh's whole shtick is that it has very nice wide lens, filmlike grain, and the ability to do a square format shot... so the inner medium-format film geek in me gets the high contrast black and white art school fix without the expensive gear and chemical inhalations. My first (handheld) shots are definitely promising, and it only took about 10 shots to get out of my bad habit for oblique composition and really start thinking things out. Amazing output for a compact camera.

that which creates

copper gate

high and tight, please

south of here

smitty's

15th & 58th

ballard bridge

speedy delivery

appearing tonight

the great race 2/3

5/19/08 - 10:14am PDT (support the publicans)
My bathroom ceiling started to cave in after a series of leaks from my upstairs neighbor's washing machine. The ceiling was ripped out, the plumber fixed the pipes, and then a new ceiling was put in and painted in two days. Whenever someone makes the "throwing money away" argument about renting, I quietly smile. Over the long run, sure... but in the short term (2 years or so?), what a relief for everything to be someone else's problem.

I want to take more pictures. I've got lots of beautiful landscapes and bike's-eye-view shots out in the country, but that's about it (link for China). That's because my SLR is huge. It takes insane pictures, but its hard to be inconspicuous, especially with the Tokina superwide. I hate being "that guy with the camera", especially in urban settings.

Ultracompacts are nice, but don't really last - or have fairly useless lenses for creative photography. Today I ordered a Ricoh GX100... which many call the second coming of the legendary Leica rangefinder. All the photo nerds seem to gush about it, and shots I've seen on Flickr's camera search back that up. The best part is its 35mm-equivalent zoom range is 24-75, and a sharp adapter brings it back to 19mm. The Nikon and its lenses may well be for sale shortly.

Put in a 9 hour day today at work today - on a day the shop was closed. Amazing how easy it is to be prodctive when no one else is around. Busy season in full swing, and we've been struggling to keep up. This should help, but I wish I had a full weekend. Seattle finally entered spring this weekend... sundresses and tank tops ahoy!

Earlier tonight, a knock at the door revealed a smiling, fresh-faced DNC footsoldier. "We're collecting signatures to take back to take back the White House! Are you currently unhappy with where America is heading?"

"I grew up in DC, and worked for the government for 7 years. I think both parties are equally complicit. I mean, good for you for doing something you believe in... really... but its not for me."

"But... the people need their voices heard, right?!! Get some democracy back in action?!!"

"Sure! But you guys are all about 'knowing what the people need' rather than letting the people speak. Big difference. The parties just need to back off and let some actual democracy back into the game, a mix of ideas, some compromises and discourse, you know?"

"Umm... " He looked visibly uncomfortable. "So you don't like either party?"

"Nope."

"Well... ok. Have a good night."

"Thanks! You too!"

Am I really alone here? I find that hard to believe. I wasn't trying to be smarmy or anything - just seems I may well have started talking about overthrowing the government. I don't think that's what I'm saying... at least I hope not. Then again it could just be that local hard-left mentality; Jenna found this jem today. It sums Seattle up better than any words could.

I lost my free cable. I think that's good, especially as spring approaches... but now I'm realizing PBS is one of the best HDTV options out there. I'm watching a documentary on the pubs of Ireland. You can make out every little Guinness bubble. Mmmm.

5/8/08 - 2:18am PDT (a night that's right)
10 hr day at work, then drove to West Seattle to pick my gear up from the practice studio, then back to Ballard to elbow into the (only good) blues jam at Conor Byrne Pub around 10. At last, I found a spot to really play. People clap between solos (mine, at least), and really dig on the music. Good players show up and keep the sets going. Felt good to let some blues out the way I used to. Still not quite the same - the Northwest has no real blues DNA in its roots (especially with the gospel, soul, and go-go branches like DC does), but this was very, very good stuff anyway.

At 1, I wound up taking a cute, and very drunk Virginia Beach transplant home. Not like that. Started out as a "Hey! I can tell you're from the east coast!" conversation (somewhat common out here), but by the end of the night it was more a rescue effort. God only knows what she was actually saying, but "I can't walk anymore and I live 6 miles from here" is how it came out in Esperanto.

[update : when telling this to my co-workers today, the unanimous response was, "Oh yeah! Her!"  Apparently everyone in Seattle has driven her sorry ass home at some point. I admire her commitment.]

Headed back to Hazlewood after the taxi service and met up with Jess and Keith. Awesome people I got to know my first night here, and it all ties itself together.

Work's been tough, and a social, much less love life all seem distant these days, so tonight was a nice reminder of my natural state (which is to say, being that blues-playing honky pushover who really just wants to have a drink and a good laugh with friends). Works for me. Zzz
4/30/08 - 11:39pm PDT (expeditionary)
Went for a little ride this past weekend. This is going to be a great summer.

NF-041 perch

4/24/08 - 9:54pm PDT (some fancy clown)

snowy killswitch
G'mornin!
Sweez plays with the XChallenge
meat

Last weekend was spent out in the April snow-covered (!) countryside helping with our first-ever dual sport class. Two guys from Puget Sound Safety have adjoining properties where they've built an impressive off-road course, oval, and obstacle field... perfect for dirt bikes and big dual sports alike. The event was a big hit, and will definitely continue. Its funny how "adventure touring" has been around forever, but thanks in large part to Ewan MacGregor, it is now a product.

Just like riding on the street, one of the keys to off-road survival is remembering to keep your eyes up while looking through the turn... I'll have some good action pix soon, but I wound up improving my off-road skills tenfold over the weekend, and was pitching the 400-pound Anakee-shod F650GS over into tight muddy turns at lean angles better than I could get on the street.

I've been scouting some USFS trails (there are thousands of miles of them in the NW) for the last few weeks, and this weekend should be amazing weather for getting lost.

Work's been a bit stressful lately. In the current situation, I basically have two full-time positions. I'm supposed to be in charge of our entire shipping and receiving operation, but still be manning the phones, watching the floor, and handling customers directly. If I spend too much time on the floor, the whole store falls behind because orders aren't coming in. If I spend too much time in the back office, I get yelled at because I'm good with customers and we need to sell as much as we can. Balance is tough to find, because customer traffic and order volume varies greatly, so you can't really plan a schedule in advance. I want to do both jobs as well as I can, which makes me that much more stressed, because this kind of scenario prevents total quality by design.

Compounding that is that I work with two good friends. Most of the time, that's a major plus, but sometimes it makes things even harder. Its the beginning of the spring rush, and we've turned that place around drastically in the last half year or so - so this year should be good all around, its just got to find a better rhythm.

Musically - the Memphis soul project I've been working on was dealt a blow this week - our bass player regretfully pulled out as his musical schedule was having some negative effect on his family life. Family comes first, but that mofo had some serious pocket, and a great attitude. That's hard to find in a bass player. No idea where this will lead, but we're working on it. Its been so great having a musical outlet that is so personal and gratifying.

Caught an Orioles/Mariners game Tuesday... O's lost, but the contrast in home crowds was hilarious. Seattle has the quietest, most polite stadium ever. Home runs sound like the between-inning din of Camden Yards, and even the vendors call out things like "sushi... wine... chocolate covered fruit on a stick..." in a hushed conversational tone. No ear-splitting "BEER MAN HERE!" over and over. The video wall gives odd facts about players. For instance, Ichiro Suzuki claims his favorite American TV network is BET.

Came home to find a leaky ceiling. My building is old and has character, but now its reminding me of the house in Baltimore. Its frustrating, but not nearly as frustrating as when the repairs are your responsibility as well. I miss yardwork (hey, it was almost meditative after a long week), I miss my hammock, and I miss long sunsets on the front porch looking out at the Baltimore skyline - but for the moment, I do not miss home ownership.

Laundry's done, and I'm falling asleep.

3/30/08 - 9:35pm PDT (do not leave on prime)
First off, we're only a few rehearsals into it, but I wanted to give a sneak preview of the new band. We were in the guitar player's apartment, so everyone's turned way down, but the soul is still strong. Much more to come...

Another great Sunday after another long week. Started the day with 250cc 2-stroke madness from Jerez. The most insane motorcycle race I've ever seen. I've been determined to follow MotoGP as close as I can this year, but just like every other pro sport, the main professional class isn't nearly as interesting as the juniors. Marco Simoncelli and Alvaro Beautista were trading 1st position in a breathtaking battle the entire race, treating each lap like their last... then in the last few seconds of the final lap, Simoncelli got a bit too ambitious, and wound up taking out both himself and local-hero Beautista, leaving Mika Kallio who was a in a distant but comfortable 3rd place, the winner. Its even better to watch in Spanish (see above link)

This weekend was the "bike swap" at our shop. People can bring just about anything with two wheels and sell it on our lot, we just handle the title transfer and take a small cut as commission. Great fun, cool bikes, lots of people, and free barbecue to boot. I *JUST* missed out on a very nice 1978 Yamaha SR500 - but I already have a Yamaha project bike (more on that in a sec). Omar, however, scored a very worn-out but strong-running, original 1959 BMW R60. Half of the people who saw that bike said it was a heap, the other half saw it as a beautiful testament to BMW's over-engineering and wanted it. I'm in the latter group - Its ugliness is absolutely beautiful.

After MotoGP, it was time to continue bonding with my project Yamaha. Now that I've got the fairing off, she's shy and uncomfortable with her nakedness.

shy Seca

The more I look at it, the more I like it. Yamaha really made a winner. Its smaller than the CB750 and Bandit... just as simple if not more so, looks relatively modern but timeless... its really growing on me.

let's make it RED

Since cleaning out the tank and fuel filter, replacing the fuel tap, cleaning the carbs, and adjusting the valves, its now coming back together and running like a champ. The tank is slightly rusty inside, but its no longer leaking. The engine is strong, and with a few good runs and some Techron, I think it will be ready for sale. I also added a Givi topcase, and have given it a thorough detailing (Its going to be hard to let go of it now, but my F650 is continuing to be the perfect bike for Seattle). I fired her up and took a quick trip around the city, stopping by Colin's to swing a leg over his new Norton, and then to Ballard Market for some merlot to go with my steak. Back to Stackenblochen for Simpsons and meat.

springtime for stachenblocken

Tomorrow Omar and I are heading out to the Peninsula for a short but interesting ride of some known twisties, and scouting for some unknown fire and logging roads. This summer is going to be amazing.

Someone came by at some point this afternoon and bought my large Yakima roof rack cargo box from the big move. Yet more confirmation that I'm in it for the long run out here. Whee.

3/23/08 - 9:12pm PDT (traction tires advised)
Happy Easter-

No family dinners or sunrise services here... just much needed sleep, and a long drive. When I left Seattle, it was cool and misty. By the time I got onto US-2, it was raining heavily. The ascent into the mountains saw more and more rain, then by about 2000 feet, it switched over to heavy snow. Ferns and moss covered the cliffs behind me, snow and ice in front of me. At Stevens Pass, there were a few inches of snow on the road and in the trees, then a near-whiteout. The eventual descent down towards Leavenworth revealed small patches of sunlight and blue sky, with golden shafts of light streaming through the fog, broken up by pine branches. Leaving Leavenworth, it was dry, sunny, clear and calm, with no trace of snow in the vineyards and orchards of the lowlands at all. The twisty run south through Blewitt Pass was perfectly dry. Once I hit I-90, it was slushy with high winds, tractor trailers were pulling over (involuntarily). Up and over snarled Snoqualmie Pass with the terrible drivers overreacting to every brake light and slush puddle, then back down into Seattle, where the sky had cleared and I saw a beautiful golden-purple sunset over Puget Sound as the sun dipped behind the fog-hazed Olympics.

Of course, I didn't bring my camera for any of this, but early spring in this part of the country is pretty amazing, if not at least unpredictable. Go little Subaru-

One of the few things I really miss about DC/Baltimore are the musicians and the music. My soul project is coming together strong, but I miss hanging out with the old blues cats - and then way past them is jazz/blues/soul mofo Bill Heid. A night spent outside a shitty club with a weak audience, standing in the rain, smoking a cigarette and listening to Bill roll with stories and ideas is a night well spent. Thanks to Henry to linking to this great short film of Bill telling it like it is (in China, no less).

That Dirty Thang
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
3/10/08 - 4:38pm PST (pop)
Spring sprang, and just in time. The northwestern blowhards keep saying spring doesn't really start until May, but the cherry blossoms exploded this weekend, and the general emotional state of the population seems to be picking up fast.

Last weekend, I hopped the ferry to the peninsula then took the bike out to the northwesternmost corner of the continental US. Beautiful scenery, twisty road, salt air... amazing

F650GS on WA-112 near Neah Bay

F650GS on WA-112 near Neah Bay

It was still cool and misty, and my heated jacket liner blew a fuse right as I got to the point, but the BMW's stock heated grips kept me warm after the sun went down. For the ride back I went inland a bit and hugged Lake Crescent for some of the way on US-101. The last bit of ambient light in the sky gave an eerie glow to the building fog, while streaks of distant brakelights miles ahead of me were the only indication of where the road actually led.

last ambient light in the continental US

F650GS on US-101, Lake Crescent at night


Bikes are a good indication of spring, and Colin picked up a beautiful 1956 R50 in original condition (non-restored, just ridden and cared for regularly), and is getting a seriously hotted-up Norton 650SS this week, both from the same seller, a retired British ex-racer with some amazing stories to tell. The guy's got a Vincent Black Shadow in that dream garage as well, but its not for sale. Go figure. The Norton is going in Colin's living room. I want an RC30 for my living room. No hurry, though.

The shop had its open house this week, and we gave away a new G650 XChallenge. Everyone who entered joked about being dropped off so they could ride it home, etc. but the guy who actually won had said over and over for weeks that he just knew it would be him, as he's wanted that bike so bad since it came out, but just couldn't afford it. Sure enough, he was right, and his reaction was priceless. Very cool to be a part of that.

The same day, BMW re-entered major American motorcycle racing for the first time in many, many years, placing fifth and sixth in the Daytona 200 (from starting positions way back in the 30s and a crash in the first lap). Sure, its an air cooled 1200 twin against a bunch of 600s, but it, combined with a strong effort in endurance racing in the last two years, signals good things for next year's World SBK effort... then, maybe, MotoGP?

Midweek, I met up with Colin Day - I've lived here for a few months now and have yet to really connect with other ex-MD'ers I knew who are out here. Good coffee, great conversation. No surprise there. On Friday, Sara and I went out and had sushi then caught the Seattle Symphony with free tickets my boss gave me. Saturday I went with Omar and Jenna to a dinner party at Johnny's house. Sunday, Omar decided to go for a little ride, but Johnny, Andy, and Colin came over to my place to watch the opening round of MotoGP. After that, the spring drinking season kicked off with the all-pro team. Hazlewood, Smoke Shop, Anchor... Otis Redding on the jukebox, fishermen from Alabama dispensing wisdom in between PBRs, Curtis appearing from the rest room wearing someone's dress...

Omar just sent me a picture message of a "Welcome To Nevada" sign.

I'm so happy its spring.

2/19/08 - 9:21pm PST (now someone else has that #)
Went to Astoria, OR yesterday. It might be one of the coolest small towns in the US, if for no other reason than the landscape.

Astoria, OR

view south from the Astoria Column, Astoria, OR

Astoria, OR

The days are starting to get drastically longer, and I can't wait for some summer weekend road trips out to Idaho, Montana, Oregon, California, and BC.

While I was in Memphis (of all places), I ran into some players from Seattle who were game for a Stax-style instrumental soul outfit. On Sunday, we had our first rehearsal, and it was unbelievable. Everyone's coming to it with a clear love of the music and an understanding of how it should feel (hard to find to begin with), and even the first practice sounded tight. Everyone (including myself) has other projects to tend to, but the sound just locked in, and it won't take much effort at all for this project to really get moving. I'm very excited about that.

Otherwise, things are in somewhat of a rut, but probably one that will blow over quickly. Sleep has been hard to find, my stomach hasn't been too happy, and work has really been ramping up (the approaching spring season combined with our department getting more and more responsibility due to our competence). Combine that with your typical frustrations of the heart and a general lack of social energy, and... well, I guess that describes about 88% of working adults. Bwweeeeeeeeee.

Its been a good movie weekend. The Great World of Sound was really good. A mix of southern road trip, black/white buddy film, heavy improvisation, and indie rock. Almost the perfect ingredients. This Is England was another winner, if only for the soundtrack, but also the casting and production design.

I miss my scooter.