Happy birthday to me. I think that I'm going to go back to bed for more sleep. Anybody out there have a job for me? I live in Redmond, Washington near Sammamish and the 520. Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday to me.

Sarah B wanted a baby reindeer as a kid.

The New York Post comments here on the effect of weblogs.

Read what Charles Krauthammer says about Trent Lott's Thurmond comments.

The sun came out!! I'm going to go to a motorcycle show in Seattle this afternoon. I might buy some apparel so I'll take the car.

President Thurmond?

Lott's past

This guy would like to be in a vast___conspiracy.

Have you checked Emmanuel's message?

This moron isn't going to quit his leadership position. The dems are saying "thank you."

I have some hiking pictures to post from a while ago, once I get them pasted together. I managed to get a blood-filled blister from trying to keep up with Tracy yesterday as we walked the Marymoore, Sammamish Valley Slough. We have rain in the forcast for the next few days. The fishermen are happy. The steelhead and salmon run when the rain comes. We went to the Fall City Grill last night for Joe's fishing club Christmas party. Joe cleaned up by winning the tackle topped Christmas tree. I should have taken pictures. boo hoo.

Over at Tracy and Joe's, if you pet Jasper, he glows. Be careful to protect the kittens.

Believe in God?

Read why Molly Ivins says, "In Texas, the home of the blunt, we call legislators who sell out the people in order to kiss the butts of their campaign contributors 'whores.'" and why Attorney General Ashcroft frightens William Raspberry.

Here are some thoughts; one, two and three, on the new homeland security department.

Tracy and I found some nice trails in the King County Cougar Mountain Park today. The weather has been bright, sunny and cool. This makes it good for hiking/walking. The days are short though so we have to be mindful of the clock.

John Poindexter is back. As I wrote a few months ago, I thought that he was gone with the Reagan Administration. He was the one who thought it a good idea to trade arms for hostages. He is to head the Total Information Awareness Agency. Read what William Safire, Molly Ivins, Kathleen Parker and the New York Times all think about this dubious endevour.

And along the theme of floundering Democrats, this guy actually has a vision of what a Democrat really should be. Cockburn gave them hell, as he should have. Matt Zemek has some ideas beyond that.

So before you all go to your family dinners for Thanksgiving, please read Sarah B. and her holiday recount, and while you are at it, I think this family story will make you laugh.

"[A] distinctively American internationalism" and "the silver lining from the 2000 election" are discussed here by Alexander Cockburn.

Still no job and my prospects seem dimmer after I read how this woman is still looking herself.

Read what James Kilpatrick has to say about Orwell and what he thought about book writing.

Leonard Pitts is wondering just what are the priorities of the US military.

Who says there isn't global warming?

"Our general argument is the same one: that we've got to find alternatives to war because we don't like the notion of killing people,"

"Many people have given up control of their lives to the pursuit of money to buy stuff that they don't need because they are bombarded by messages that tell them everyone else has it, and they'd better get it too."

Big Brother is in our libraries. How do you feel about that?

Here is a review of the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers show Saturday night. I hope that this link still works.

Update on the resume; It is done and now I have to take the next step and look for a job. This wonderful run is coming to a close.

Scott's cat, Tika had some surgery so she must be kept from the wound. I wonder whether cats dream about these things and whether they hate them like the carriers which bring them to the vets?

Try this Bush speech site. Pretty funny.

Tom Petty is back and feeling better and we are going to see him tonight at the Tacoma Dome. Woo hoo, look at us!

Keep this in mind when listening to the Iraq debate. Don't forget about the oil.

"...That would have made it at least a little cool, because then I could be the Crazy Naked Neighbor Who Thinks She's a Superhero."

Please check ouit this political weblog. I'm so glad they aren't afraid to say their mind.

I'm walking and running now. I know that y'all find that fascinating but it really helps me. I'll run again tomorrow. Today I walked. That simple I guess. I go to Marymoore since it is close to my new place. I spooked a dog today and he ran toward me and hit me my leg with his shoulder. Pretty strange. I wonder whether Tara would have done anything for me? Probably not.

Read about what this guy says about the late Paul Wellstone.

eastsidejournal.com - It's the income gap, stupid

This is why people write, and this is why this person writes. She does a great job. This person is going to try to not edit as much. I'm glad she puts in the effort. Another of my favorite reads. ...let me edit that. ("...to try to not edit as much"?)

My counter won't work because of an incompatibity with the "&" character in the code. I want to change the look of the site anyways. I liked the rocks that come with this template because it goes along with the theme of the Sawmill River where Mattampash used to exist for the Pocumtuck Indians of the Connecticut River Valley. I'll need more time that I'm using now to run errands and work on the resume and to find a job, but later I'll have a new look. I want some sort of Douglas Fir background with hills and low clouds or fog to go with my new home here in the great northwest. And I'll get a counter that works. I'd like to keep Mattampash even though as a place it isn't here. There is a Sammamish nearby but I'll leave them to themselves. Have a great weekend.

Hi all. I've been working on my resume now that I'm settled into my new digs. There are many versions circulating between faxes and e-mails. Thanks all for the help. The new Washington State plates are on the car. I now have a Washington State driver's license and I'm insured. And now to pay for it all. There are definitely some advantages to living along the margins of our economy and society. It is of much lower impact energy-wise to live meagerly without a place of one's own and with little possessions. Now I'm living with more comfort and ease but I will spend all my energy (I'm afraid) to keep this up. Such the price to enter the world. I'm now another job seeker in the greater Seattle area. Anybody out there with help? I used to be a cook but I no longer want to do that. Y'all have a great day!

Read alison's dad's remodeling prayer.

Nurses rule!, right Trace?

This isn't quite the way I would go about criticizing the left, mostly because I don't feel we have all the facts, but here, John Leo points out the alienation and misstep with which the left continues to stride.

Tracy and I took a drive out to Leavenworth, Washington the other day. It is an alpine village; odd yet nice. I took this pic in Index, WA. The apartment is essentially finished, ie, moved into. I now live in the land of Boeing layoffs and Microsoft.

I went to the Northwest Bookfest and was able to hear a little bit of Daniel Ellsberg's presentation. He compared our ill fated entry into our Viet Nam war (Tonkin Gulf) with our upcoming war with Iraq. The military's pistol trigger is cocked and the present administration is looking anywhere for a provocation. Don't let the war pigs fool you. I also got a subscription to the Seattle Times, and received as a bonus an Ichiro bobblehead from Upper Deck collectibles..

"Springtime for Hitler"?

"THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC IS DEAD. HAIL THE AMERICAN EMPIRE. OR ELSE."

What would Woody Harrelson do?

Quite an anti-war speech. Nice job.

Can you believe the gall of this joker? No sooner than he takes the Presidency, the economy tanks, the budget surplus turns into a deficit and he awards the wealthiest percent of the population with a tax break. Now he wants to blame the Democrats for the "faltering economy". What a piece of work.
Still no rain out here out here and the east coast gets a nor'easter.

Quite a family.

I just stumbled on this at this guy's site. Good writing. Tracy and I went to Ikea today and I bought some furniture for my new apartment. I got a dresser like this one but with more drawers. The "chest of drawers" is found on page 237 of the virtual catalog under "bed and bath" and then "chest of drawers". It really looks nice and it took a while to assemble. I also bought a night stand, lamp and light. New stuff!; who would have thought? Thanks Tracy.

It was chilly leading up to Steven's Pass today. Abby, here is the picture looking over the South Fork of the Skykomish River in Skykomish, Washington. I can't upload the little movie I took up there.

Don't miss the singing kittens.

I bought a weather station from Target today. It is a GE Wireless Digital Weather Station. This thing is pretty cool. I don't have to go outside first and get cold. I'll stay here though rather than Florida.

"Bush's War Case:
Fiction vs. Facts at
Accuracy.org/bush"

Funny as hell. Look at this joke.

Tracy, Joe and I went to Salmon Days in Issaquah this past weekend. Joe was loving it because he is part fish. I can compare it to Sunfest in West Palm but without the sun and stiff entry fee. Sunfest was free once too. There were a lot of local art and crafts there but the theme was salmon and steelhead. Some of the returning salmon were 5 years old and in the 30+lb range.

Lee comes back Tuesday and I lose this fantastic house/cat sitting duty. Here is Captain and Sylvester. This is the only cat I have seen who looks like the cartoon Sylvester.

Here are some of the pictures I tried to post last week or so. A couple of Dave Matthews, A town called Concrete and a return visit to Bob and his rifle.

"Long a staple of science fiction and think tanks, sonic weapons may become a reality..."

Check out this article about this man's homeless weblog.

These people say that "Bush planned Iraq 'regime change' before becoming President". Here is the Irish Sunday Herald story.

Do you have questions about long distance and wireless providers?

Buffy is the Theologan of the Year.

My msn groups is having a hardware problem: Some users may be unable to access files and photos due to a hardware issue on the Groups site. We apologize for this inconvenience, and are working to resolve this issue as soon as possible. That is why you can't get to my many and varied picture posts.

"besides being told by a woman that you're a Nice Guy (which is the kiss of death), how can you tell if you have the dreaded curse?"

"We have seen this game before"

CommUnity of Minds : Working Together

Why? Because We Can

Do you think you have a book in you?

Are we headed toward a Pax Americana and do you understand the implications?

Watch these viking kittens. It is one way to learn the lyrics to this song. Zep

"Activists rally against clearcutting"

It just came to my attention that my mattampash link no longer works. Mattampash is the area that the Sawmill River passes through as it goes through Montague Center in Massachusetts. It is home.

I went downtown to Pike Place and saw Dave Matthews this afternoon. I was hoping to catch Jill Cohn but was too late. Dave sang at the rally to benefit old growth forests. He related that there was a time when the term jazz was a derogatory one and that now he is glad to be known as a tree hugger. You go Dave. And to those who rely on this terminology as a weapon, your time will pass because we cannot afford, and the earth cannot afford to listen to you much longer. There is a middle way; all parties have to talk.

I tried to upload some pictures of Dave and my trip to Concrete, Washington but the msn site won't work right.

I looked at an apartment in Redmond today. It looks promising. I'll need a bed. Is it bad to be looking out over the pool? I will have to get used to the price though. I had it cheap in West Palm Beach. What a miserable place Florida can be. I don't know where it came from either. Maybe it comes from the tense race relations, from the caribbean or from New York but South Florida is bad enough to grind the humanity right out of you.

Check out this MSNBC Weblog.

I drove up to Snoqualmie Pass and talked to Pat at the Great Western up there on the top of the mountain about a possible job. If it had been five years ago I would have been happy to help them out and join the team. There were too many obstacles seen and unseen to work as a cook there. I believe my future lies more in the valley (or at least the plateau).

Jasper the cat has a bladder infection so he is now on antibiotics and an opiate based pain medication. I'll add a picture of Jasperlater.
I'm headed into the city to follow up on a housing lead. I went to Pike Place market to pick up something Seattle-like an a clerk said she would inquire to someone she knows about apartments in Issaquah.

Like superman in yesterday's post, this man also lost his wife. Read this poem.

Please read about this Superman.

I found this insightful:"the origins of the Jerk vs. Nice Guy battle"

"Gentlemen, if any of these signs are all too familiar, then head for the hills and leave home without her."

I just came back from Bob n' Cindy's house. They are looking forward to a trip to Antigua in November. They'll be getting away from the Wendies. Bob showed me his rifles. Go guns. Can't bring them on the plane. After Kathy's wedding we'll be getting on the plane for our return trip back to Seattle. I need a place to live and a new livelyhood. Go me.

Tracy, Joe and I went to Maine yesterday to see the Kennebunkport and Kittery areas . Here are a few pictures of the rocks and our dining and harbor views.

The bridge in Montague is essentially finished. I'm told that what is needed is only the final coat of roadway. You can see the workers clearing the road for the pavers.

Here is a picture of Ling and Ty's food dish. They need to have pictures of family members in their dish. Oh yeah, they are siamese cats; very talkative and happy here at home.

I got here in time to get to the wedding, thanks to Raymond and Theresa for the drive from the airport and Abby and Collin for the drive to New Hampshire. I rented a car from Mork and I'll be driving to Gardner to meet Tracy and Joe for a ride up to Maine. Ayuh.

The bridge isn't finished; I haven't seen a worker there since I arrived. I'll have some pics of the "progress" soon enough. I'm sure there are more things to say which I cannot remember. Gotta sleep. G'night.

Last year today I was with Mom at the nursing home where she was recuperating from her broken shoulder. Jennifer was on her way to the Bradley Airport so she and the baby could get home to Jacksonville. They ended up taking a train days later. I'm flying on Friday night. I haven't been in the air since before the eleventh. Gotta see little Mikey get married. you all have a good day.

Molly Ivins sees lots of loopholes still unplugged.

Kate Riley thinks about the Kennewick Man.

I have already called home and e-mailed family and friends on the fate of Tara. Unbeknownst to us she had a severe case of diabetes. This explains the weight-loss and later shakiness. She developed pancreatitis which destroyed her ability to digest food. I had to make the only humane decision to have her put to sleep. No pain there.

I was talking with Scott today and I told him that I would take a picture of the first Starbucks. It is on Pike Street at Pike Street Market. I also bought a bobble toy for my hostess/patron here in Issaquah.

Powell was jeered at the World Summit on Sustainable Development. Boo hoo.

Tracy, the dog and I went to La Conner yesterday to do some sightseeing and to get away for the day. We even managed to look at a studio apartment at Bridal Trails near Belleview. We didn't care for much of that possibility. I'm still looking.... On our way back we meant to go to Whidbey Island and then take the ferry back, but instead we found ourselves on Camano Island, so we went to the state park there. The dog got to cool off in the water. Tracy took this nice picture looking northeast toward the mainland.

As I write this as the dog is at the vet's. The veterinarian is checking her blood for anything which can tell him why she has lost so much weight and what is the relative condition of her organs. She has weak valves in her heart and this makes her lethargic. Anybody out there in contact with the elderly will recognize this as chronic heart failure. She may see a cardiologist.

I was reading the Seattle Times today and I would like to throw out this article to you all who see this area as a dismal rain-soaked sunless mess. I may change my tune at sometime in the winter but I have to admit that I too have had enough of the sun and heat. It is relative because I spent eight years in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Remember the park where I bring the dog for her walks and wades? Here is a great article about the model airplane area there in Marymoor.

Tracy and I also went, a few days ago, to a Mariners game and here are some of the pics: cameraman, dancing groundsmen, Ichiro!, some friendly knuckleheads behind us and the national anthem. Tracy likes the scoreboard. The Mariners lost 4 to 2 to Kansas City.

Of the murders in certain towns in Colombia, [o]ne of the few who takes the carnage in stride is funeral director Maria Cruz.

"Business is great, thank God," she told a reporter without a hint of irony, sitting amid empty coffins trimmed with purple velvet. "Sometimes there are bodies everywhere."

Ted freakin' Nugent visits Seattle. Read what happened. "SEATTLE, THE NORTHWEST, LIMP-WRISTED (BLEEPS)!!! CAN'T STAND MY (BLEEPING) EXISTENCE, CAN'T EVEN GET MY SONG TITLES RIGHT, PUT QUOTES AROUND MY WORDS THAT NEVER CAME OUT MY MOUTH, LEFTIST MINDLESS... !!! ".

The Washington Post reports, "Using slogans and chants from South Africa's liberation movement against the white minority's apartheid government, the demonstrators said that the conference, known as the Earth Summit, was a farce, focusing more on the corporate agenda of rich nations than on the development needs of poorer nations."
...and a funny for the earth subject.

David Broder writes, "So much has been written about this becoming 'a nation of stockholders' that the Dow Jones average has turned into the most popular index of Americans' well-being. It is important, but, as this study reminds us, jobs and wages and income are a lot more vital to most people than the state of their stock portfolios."

Go to Joe's steelhead fishing club website. These fish are big.

Here are some ideas for yoga on the road.

David Horsey of the Seattle Post Intelligencer shares his thoughts on the Sturgis motorcycle rally.

...and speaking of yoga, Tracy brought me to a different stayle of yoga than I had been accustomed to. It is called Bikram Yoga. And if you thought that yoga such as Kripalu was hard .... The room is heated to over 100 steamy degrees and we are led through a regimen of yoga moves that truly taxes our stamina and willpower. Water replenishes our system after we have withstood the purifying aspect of this practice. And afterward I felt good but like I had really done a workout.

On a lighter note, look at the size of this zuchinni I picked from the garden yesterday.

Well I've made my decision and I'm not going home for Mike and Wendy's wedding in September. Sorry. I need to concentrate on the Northwest I think. I took a ride out to Fall City to take pictures of the Fall City Firearms and Rose shop for Bob. Guns make him all warm and fuzzy inside. Go guns.

This Canadian is pissed.

Scott wanted to see what the water area of Tara's park looks like. She enjoys the water.

I went into Seattle looking for Pioneer Square the other day. Here is the fixed and renovated Pergola smashed by a truck driver months ago.

More pictures for Mark:
Here is Tara wading out of the water after lying down and walking around. It has been hot out here lately.

On the Let It Happen on Purpose Theory :"Whether they had specific knowledge beforehand, or merely decided to let some attack happen somewhere, the final results were the same. The Taliban were routed and replaced by an interim government headed by a man named Harmid Karzai. Karzai was recently elected President of Afghanistan in his own right, legitimizing the Afghanistan government. Soon after this, Karzai announced the impending construction of a pipeline that would exploit Turkmenistan's natural gas reserves He named Unocal as the lead company for the project. Before becoming President, Karzai was an advisor to Unocal.

"For LIHOP Theorists, the evidence is clear. The Bush administration got the pipeline it wanted. Along the way, they used the horrors of 9/11 to place themselves above reproach. In the patriotic fervor that resulted from the attacks, both the press and the Democratic opposition were bracketed by the administration-espoused idea that any questions or criticism were tantamount to treason."

Here are some more pictures of Rainier which might give you an idea of its size. I took this one from the town of Enumclaw. Here is a switchback parking lot, and here is the mountain with some trees and a beautiful sky.

I rode over 230 miles on the bike today. Here is a pasted picture of Mt. Rainier and the surrounding skyline.

Not the best quality picture, but here is a sunset among the development tonight.

My (I'm not sure about the dog) excitement now includes bringing the dog to the Marymoore dog park. She found a friend to play with today (I was surprised) and she actually got into the water to cool off. There is an espresso vendor there on the weekends in a converted delivery van. I'm spending my retirement money on her for her grooming and food. She had steelhead (sea)trout last night that Joe helped catch. We went walking around in downtown Issaquah today with no solid leads for an apartment. Tara was balking at walking any further. If Tara could have, she would have spoken like Dad. I didn't have to drag her after she figured out we were walking back.

I have found a public access show here in King County, Washington which defies explanation. Behold the jerkbeast.

No I don't have a job and I'm still sleeping in the garage. The only people who don't seem bothered by this are Joe, Tracy and myself. Joe and I looked at an unlikely garage apartment today. Unlikely because I'll be unlikely to take it. Very nice neighborhood though. The house actually has grounds, and a neighborhood association. Grrrrrrrr.

I took Bucky to a dog park within Marymoor Park two days ago and today. She got to walk around without a leash and she actually wasn't nasty to the other dogs. Here is Bucky and her charges. Also at Marymoor is a public garden. Here is Tracy and her rooster friend.

On an aside, I am told that people drive from afar to go to this donut shop. I, of all people, was asked directions to it today.

Tracy has a lead on an aprtment for me. I am told that it is in the quieter side of Covington-Kent.

I took a late evening ride out to Snoqualmie Falls and took in some scenery. I pasted together some pictures of the falls and one of the sunset.

The dog and I took a ride out through Tacoma etc.. out to Bainbridge Island to find Pete. We surprised his wife at home and surprised Pete at work. He thought that he had himself hidden far away from Chestnut Hill. I was able to take in some scenery on the way back from the ferry. I didn't have time to drive back around because Joe and I were to go to a Mariners game against the Indians. When we got there they were losing. They then rallied back to beat the Indians 10 to 6. What a great game! There is a Krispy Kreme donut shop at the bottom of the hill. It afforded a very good end to an evening.
Here are some nice pictures of the stadium and some action on the field.