"Misfires of a 'smoking gun' in Iraq debate"

Yes, yes, yes. Vinatieri does it again. From the Seattle Times. And how about Janet? Do you think it was unintentional as MTV states? I don't.

Exciting stuff I know, but these are the states I have visited (in red):
You can see how I made my way across the country.

create your own visited states map
or write about it on the open travel guide

From Unknown Country, "One year very soon—maybe this year—spring simply won't arrive in some parts of the world."

I went back to Bellevue Community College to scout more information on making a career change. I should have known that the career counselor would try to steer me to something in political science. She printed out a list of occupations that are related to a political science degree, and then did the same for my economics minor. I still draw a blank. I...don't...know.... She told me that the health fields of radiation tech and radiation therapy are very competitive. I found out how so during my third meeting of the day at a radiation therapy informational meeting. The second meeting pertained to financial help with worker retraining at the college. It is all depressing. I got no groove.

Here is Dave Winer on the Dean scream.

Margaret Cho has the patience of a saint.

Mom passed away two years ago today. Also today PBS showed the Alzheimer's show The Forgetting. Here is the entry for that day. I took a look at it yesterday and read the links again. I think that they could use a second posting and reading. Wish me success this week in getting my new direction in order. I'm not sure how I'm going to put all of it together, obviously. I'll run tomorrow and try out my knee. Getting out like that is always helpful. Please read these:

Here are some quotes for today. Take care. one,two,three,four,five.

David S. Broder writes, "This fundamental disagreement about national priorities — really, about the nature of the world, the state of the nation and the priorities of government — is what makes the stakes in the coming election much larger than usual."

Here I am during part of my Captain Kangaroo watching days.

Here is a site explaining leap of faith. Scroll down to Kierkegaard. So, Soren Kierkegaard is the father of modern thought, but what gets me is that the vast majority of people don't know that there are different ways to think in the first place. They just take what is seemingly evident and apparent and repackage it in the same package. This both bothers me and gives me hope. Ideas can change the world. This isn't all there is.

The star of my chilhood morning TV passed away today in Montpelier, VT. It sort of sounds silly but it was Captain Kangaroo who taught me my left from my right. He did this one episode by turning his back to us viewers and he showed us and talked us through what was his left side and what was his right side by having us do the same. I remember standing there in front of the TV sorting it out with him. Thank you Bob Keeshan for entertaining us post baby boom viewers with your interactions with Mr. Greenjeans, Mr Moose and his ping pong balls and the rest of the cast.

In other "news" I went to Bellevue Community College to scout their program information. I'm taking my leap of faith in this move. But really, what other options do I have? Landscape? That was my summer job for last year. I want a real one.

I'm not sure how many readers are out there, but if you are reading this today, Wednesday the 21st, then I ask you to watch the PBS documentary on Alzheimer's, The Forgetting. It is on tonight. I think that last link will work. Y'all have a great day.

From the Springfield Republican, " 'We don't really care about the perception of our team,' New England linebacker Tedy Bruschi said. 'We just play good football.' " And here is a Ron Chimelis article.

I've been contemplating the adage "do that which you fear", or something like that. Well that would be going back to school, full time, at my age while also trying to support myself and pay for school. Mark Twain said, "Do the thing you fear most and the death of fear is certain." I'm not sure what I fear most but the school scenario certainly makes me pause.... I don't have an oracle right now but maybe that is the plan. I don't even let myself in on that. Career counseling goes so far and then I'll need something akin to a vision quest. No more being lazy.

How do like this for a quote?: "'We feel pretty strongly that there needs to be a separation between the pornography and the fire service,'" They are back on the job now.

Sonya has S.A.D., and after the past few days I can understand why. Tracy told me that here during the winter daytime in the land of rain, night-lights don't go out. It was very dark today. I went to an introductory orientation workshop at Worksource in Redmond. It was good to get out of the apartment even if the sun was very, very hidden. So what should I do for work? I need to go back to school in order to make any money and also to get away from lower paying grunt work. I've trudged with enough buckets of wet leaves on my shoulder, if even symbolically (*figuratively?). Should it be in teaching or something in healthcare? I'm not sure about both of these but I have to start thinking somewhere. Tomorrow is supposed to be drier so maybe I'll go for a hike. As Uncle Ed would say, "happy crap day".

Read about the giant beaver of Lake Hitchcock.

Good news in Mattampash land. The name Mattampash actually refers to a small island in the Connecticut River at the mouth of the Sawmill River, as called by the Pocumtuck Indians. As I have read, the whole area on at least the Montague side of the Connecticut River along the Sawmill was called Mattampash also. I grew up there, thus the name of this blog. A neighbor, "Beaver," who owned land down the road from us passed away a little while ago. His wife then sold the land. We were worried that the land would be developed, especially after seeing what has happened here, not that we'd have a big-ass interchange in town but you get the idea. Here is a picture I put together. The land in question is to the rear of the picture (behind you) and to the right of the road. A childhood friend of my brother's bought it to keep it clear, as I am told. Thank you Mark.

Here are some "[s]ome cold, hard facts about Northwest living," namely what happens to this area and its inhabitants when it snows here.

Report: Iraq didn't pose immediate threat to U.S. This is an extensive report by a non partisan research institution. I don't think this was any big surprise. GW and his neo-con friends were going to do this one way or another.

Here is my horoscope from my MSN page:

"Sagittarius-Today marks the beginning of a new cycle for you, dear Sagittarius. Collect and consolidate your recent ideas and focus them outwardly. The time is right for you to take action. Improve your immediate surroundings and adjust your bed so that it is facing east west. (A north-south placement will cause you to lose energy at night since it would align you with the Earth's magnetic field). Drink plenty of water to help keep your mind clear."

Good thing my bed already faces that way. How important really is this? So today is the beginning of a new cycle. My recent ideas are to revamp my income source, especially since I've been laid off. But more importantly, instead of getting by with what I have done for work these years I would actually like to do meaningful work which will support me. You'd think that I would have figured this out while I was in college, but I didn't. Perhaps sometime I will understand why I did those things and lived in those places for those years. I never played baseball but what I think I am doing now is looking for that solid hit of the ball to the bat which the hitter recognizes as perfect in that very instant. It is the same with golf. Before the ball has hit it's zenith the golfer knows he hit the sweet spot. It is in the approach, the hit and the follow-through. A moment of perfection.

The Seattle Times carries this horoscope for me today: "SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Ah, yes, things feel lighter today. Watch out for a tendency to be intellectually overbearing. Children don't want to be preached to. Wait to employ your abundant charisma." Now where is the new start sort of stuff? Nothing about my bed? I hope y'all have a great day!

"Quarantining dissent / How the Secret Service protects Bush from free speech"

"The S factor explains Bush's popularity"

Well I don't have any interesting snow stories like these two do, but I took a few pictures at Marymoor today. This is a composite. What a mess it was here in the Puget Sound region. From what I can tell, the people here either don't know to slow down or they drive too slowly.

Wired News: Bush Grabs New Power for FBI: "But Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minnesota), who opposed the legislation, told the House, 'It is clear the Republican leadership and the administration would rather expand on the USA Patriot Act through deception and secrecy than debate such provisions in an open forum.'"

I drove out to Fall City to pay my rental space for the trailer this morning. The apartment complex lot was slick but the roads were clear. While I was out there I put some fuel stabilizer in the bike's gas tank and ran it until I thought that it was throughout the carburator and lines. Really exciting stuff I know but it was something I needed to get done and doing that right now is a big plus for me. With the weather lately I don't think that I'll be on the bike anytime soon. This is normal back in the northeast but here it as well could be above 50 degrees and I could be riding right now. I also used pliers to bend the run I put in the chain link fence back into less noticable shape. Does that make sense? A few weeks ago I caught the trailer on the fence and pulled one strand of wire out of the chain link formation. It is less out of formation now, meaning it is less noticable. The bike is better out in Fall City out of sight because I can't ride and out of the elements because I don't have a cover.

"Interesting things we have learned from Republicans lately"

I think my cold has left. All that sleep must have helped.

I drove all the way to work for my last day, and there was no one there. It had snowed the previous night and those getting overtime were out making sure the Group Healths were clear. So anyone out there in a position to hire someone such as me, I show up every day, even when I shouldn't. It felt good walking away from that place this morning.

I've been thinking a little, and without bravado, I think that it'll be Earthworks' loss in laying me off. It may just be a favor for me because now I'll look for a better situation. They are loosing someone who is conscientious, consistent, dependable, and who works well and with an eye for detail. But I don't have a spray license so I'm let go. I can't wait around for two months though until the grass starts growing again. And why would I want to go back to that pittance of pay? Be good to your landscapers, they don't get paid much. A few of the guys I work with are more bummed that I am I think. I don't have to get up Monday and go back to the "black hole" of employment as they refer to landscaping work. Hopefully I've escaped. The horror, the horror.

"Iraq has old-school Marine regretting support for Bush" "That brings him back to Wolfowitz and his neoconservative allies as the root of the problem. 'I don't know where the neocons came from — that wasn't the platform they ran on,' he says. 'Somehow, the neocons captured the president. They captured the vice president."

I have the beginnings of the flu I am told. I hope that it doesn't get any worse. It isn't that bad right now. I'm taking a decongestant to keep my sinuses clear. I can already feel the relative heaviness in my chest, so it has already moved in there. I have three more days of work so I hope I am somewhat better by then. I'm not too concerned about my usefulness when they are going to let me go.

On the recreation side, I've gone to Alki Beach twice with my metal detector. So far I've found some junk metal, two quarters, two dimes, a nickel and a bunch of pennies. I need the wherewithal to complete this quasi-retirement shtick.

Merry Christmas everyone.

I was told yesterday that I'll be laid off January 1st. Now I need another job, obviously. Don said that they'd hire me back in two months, but maybe this is my chance to get away from the landscaping and into a better situation. If I go back into a kitchen I think the gods would smite me.

"For democratic societies a timely flow of information is the lifeblood of the body politic."

Three days of work this week. No travel in my future. I bought the Best American Travel Writing for 2003 and I'll dip into that. I went with Lee today to see the Last Samurai and as Mom used to say, "it's not so hot". It had a weak love story, too much gore and a questionable storyline. Go to the matinee like we did.

At this milestone birthday I return to the words of Henry Miller: "Once you have given up the ghost, everything follows with dead certainty, even in the midst of chaos." I don't know that age had anything to do with this outlook. Maybe life experience got him there.

Mom used to make me red velvet cake for my birthday. While I was in West Palm, I used to make my own. Here, I have looked for it in the supermarkets but have never seen any. Yesterday I went to Fred Meyers and lo and behold, there it was, a whole red velvet cake - on sale. That and some IPA rounded out my exciting evening. I guess I have already given up the ghost. I went to Fred Meyers because from the apartment complex I could see the backup on 520 and I didn't want to go near that by crossing over 520 and Avondale (*not Avalon). Y'all have a great day. It's Friday.

Here is my horoscope from the Seattle Times:

"IF DECEMBER 18TH IS YOUR BIRTHDAY . . .you were different and so wise that adults wondered about you. Your outlook is larger than life. What you have to contribute and say inspires many. With your psychic talents, the world can be your oyster. It's up to you. Every year on your birthday, the galactic center is aligned with your sun, giving you additional powers. In 2004, you tie up loose ends. "

How often can you say that the galactic center is aligned with anything of yours? Tying up loose ends sounds good.

I empathize with the people in this article. Car insurance and grocery bills are very important to many right now, especially to the un-, and under-employed.

Yay, the sun is out!

Not that I really want his picture on this site, but they got him. I'll try to write more entries so that this story will move down the page. MSNBC reports that of this hour, he is being held in an undisclosed location. I think I've heard of that place before. It must be getting crowded there.

Now that he is in custody it does not necessarily follow that the neoconservatives are vindicated in their policies, in my opinion. It means that Saddam is gone, that is all. Time and history will tell what this whole mess will mean. The whole story of Saddam's rise, his support by the United States during the Iraq-Iran war, the time during the Kuwait invasion when the U.S. gave no negative indication to invade and then tried to take Iraq out of the game in the mideast, and then finally this last installment will all come into focus at some time. How much is this power grab a give-away to Bush's friends in companies like Halliburton and the others in the energy sector? Could this outcome could have come in any other manner? Did we really have to sacrifice lives for this? Could we have done something any differently as far back as the beginning of the century and WWII that would have avoided a monster such as Hussein? U.S. foreign policy post WWII, along with the U.S.S.R and to a lesser extent Europe shaped the world until the fall of the Soviet Union. Are we going to continue with like policies in a like mind in the future? Who is really behind U.S. foreign policy and what sectors do they represent? Who benefits? A lot of questions and a lot of secrecy, which we do not need. Post 1945 /1948 U.S. Government secrecy should be laid aside.

We had our Christmas bowling party yesterday and today I am sore. I whacked my right knee pretty well on one of my first attempts to send the bowling ball down the lane. The muscles on both hips are sore also. I got a few strikes and I also missed the pins competely on four consecutive attempts. All in all I think I did well after about five years away from any lanes. What I found really interesting were the elderly people bowling there before we started. They were active - bowling and socializing. Another gift from Mom. They would have been just more people prior to two years ago.

Sonya wrote that, "[S]ometimes I just wish I could go and turn every bit of barb wire into birthday cake."

MSN sent me a notice saying that my photo storage on my MSN site will end in July. I'll have to go back and link all of them again if their new system enables me to store photos. I'm not looking forward to that. I could upgrade my Blogger account and then get photo hosting there, but I'd still have to re-link.

I went to the International Motorcycle Show Saturday to look at the bikes I can't have. Here is the replacement for the A.C.E.. They call it the Shadow Aero 750. I sat on it and it is low and small feeling to me now. I sat on the 1800 and to my surprise I felt comfortable on the monster. Here is the new ST1300. It is offered in blue this year. And how about a Ural? This one has two weel drive via the sidecar wheel. The Vulcan Nomad looks very good, considering Honda refuses to make a bike like it in the 1500 or 1600 cc sizes. The VTX is not like the Nomad or Road King.

I now have 290 pictures to re-link.

They gave me a jumpsuit, two more t-shirts, another sweatshirt and a new coat and hat. I guess that I won't be layed off soon anyways. The company just hired a new guy too. I really should look for something else. At times it isn't that good of a fit. I wonder what the hell am I doing sometimes as I load barrel after barrel of wet leaves into the truck. I enjoy being outdoors and the physical aspect of the job is good, but the pay isn't. No oracle for me now either.

"Hack the Vote": "...you don't have to believe in a central conspiracy to worry that partisans will take advantage of an insecure, unverifiable voting system to manipulate election results. Why expose them to temptation?...the credibility of U.S. democracy may be at stake."

Here is a nice article; "Participants said the scenery and the supporters made the Seattle Marathon, sponsored for the second year by Harrisdirect, worth the physical agony."

Dave says: "Forget about stupid, they must think we're total complete morons to fall for this bullshit."

This article doesn't mention the half marathoners.

I finished the race in a better time than the Woodinville race. I ran 429th overall and 69th out of the 353 in my division. I'll be in the old guy 40 division next year. My chip time was 1:41:04 and the official time was 1:43:27. It took a while to cross the line and get going in the beginning. For at least two miles I was trying to get clear of the crowd so I could run. A number of us were. I don't know what race is next, but I'd like to pull my time down. My watch time for the other race was 1:43:40, so I improved by 2:36. Can you tell I would have liked to have been faster?

Well, tomorrow is the race. I think that I'm ready. After wiping myself out in my 15 mile run last week, I ran on the treadmill the next day and then took a couple days off from training. Thursday I ran 8 miles at a very good pace. And then nothing until tomorrow. I hope that I have enough for the race.

The bike is in its trailer in Fall City. I don't have time to ride it in the better weather (which we haven't had) now that I'm working. I've been using the available daylight to train for the aforementioned event. I think that there were warmer days last year at this time.

1,000 Times Too Many Humans?: "Rees added, 'It would be a tragic irony if, in the 21st century, this most technologically sophisticated of human societies finally succumbs to the unconscious urgings of fatally self-interested primitive tribalism.'"

I did another 15-miler with no rain this time. Since my time last week was so slow, I was hoping to cut at least 10 minutes off of it this time around. I didn't. I was able to take off 5 minutes, so I did it in about 2:05.something. I'll run another long one on Thursday and then the long (half) race on Sunday. Then I can walk in the woods in my free (daylight) time.

I almost shoveled snow today. I thought that I'd be sent home from work this morning, but the six of us who showed went out in two trucks to check the Group Healths in Everett and Lynnwood. The convergence zone was responsible for the white stuff up there. It was nice to see snow again and very nice to know it wouldn't last. As soon as I made it onto 520 on my ride home, the roadway was dry and the weather was clear.

Thanks Anne for your link to my rather humble site. Congratulations on your new apartment and freedom.

In this article, National Park Service scientist Dan Duriscoe said of watching the stars that the "'[y]oung people are inundated with sound bites,'... 'and the process of looking at the night sky is not a quick, dramatic one. To get to know the sky takes time and patience'....'You're face to face with the universe,' he says. 'You can look up there, and you don't see any way that humanity can make a difference. I don't know if I've come to terms with it, with all my time out there.'"

I know that news of rain in Seattle is not a surprise, but that it would cancel a day of work for me was. I thought that we worked in any weather. The problem was not only the rain, but the fact that getting anywhere was a slow painful process. The commute was horrendous. The eastbound 520 bridge traffic usually backs up onto I-5 so I took I-90 instead to get back on the eastside. It was very slow going until Factoria. I called Lee and met her at the 12th Ave Cafe for breakfast. They do a very good job. After that I finally got my hair cut and then came home for some more sleep.

Make your own church sign.

I could have told you this: Guinness is good for you. So after reading this I went out and got some for myself. I feel better.

Dave Barry has a blog.

David Broder comments "that the celebrations of economic recovery in Washington may be as premature as that 'Mission Accomplished' banner hung behind Bush on the USS Abraham Lincoln to hail the end of major combat in Iraq." Try his favorite site, Stateline.org.

I've changed my archive links to a more manageable drop down menu, thanks to Phil.

I ran 15 miles yesterday. Whew. I had wanted to try 20 but I ran out of time. Looking back I was glad I did. I got started late for this time of the year. The sun goes down before 5. It was partly sunny and the temp was around 51 degrees. I started the run and the sun started to go away. By the time I reached the half way point at the Redhook Brewery it started to rain. So I'm was out in Woodinville without running pants (because I thought that the temp would hold) and was getting wet. The temp dropped and halfway back my shoes were soaked. Cold, cold, cold. I had socks for my hands so that wasn't so bad, and I had a bandana for my head. My new wicking shirt did a good job in protecting me from the cold until I was soaked. The only thing I could do was to count the distance left and to keep plodding on. I was out there for about 2:12:00. I know I can go for over two hours now, and nothing broke. It comes out as a slow run but there were extenuating circumstances.

Here is Sonya's "Happy Veterans Day" story.

I worked with Raphael and Lucio today. I walked around and picked up leaves into a rubber/plastic trash barrel. There was a sense of satisfaction in the end result but... . You know what I mean.

Hey Abby, I finally planted those Ivy clipping you brought to me this summer. I planted the ones from the sonics too. Little tasks like this can get put off for ever. I thought about it today and yesterday and imagined the job done. I had to do it then. It had its own will.

This woman drove across the country too.

For Dodie's sake, and the rest of the clan, I hope that three strikes is it. Sorry to hear about the mishaps. Maybe y'all will get a bye on the next pass. The harmonic concordance is approaching you know. Maybe the planets had something to do with it. I'm very glad to hear that everyone is all right. On a trivial note I need some ideas. When Jerry and Judy were here, Judy insisted that I get a pumpkin. She bought one for me but I didn't carve it for Halloween. What, if anything, should I carve it into now, before it turns to mush?

I called Jerry and Judy today. They were two time zones away on I-70. At the time of the call they were looking for a place to camp in eastern Kansas, near Kansas City. Tomorrow they will visit with the bird guy, cousin Mike Z. in Missouri. They have loved their trip so far. After landing in LA on Saturday they traveld through Nevada, Utah, Colorado and then Kansas where I caught up to them. Brenda, expect them back at the lake on Monday. I'm a little jealous about what they have been able to see. More traveling would be nice.

Martin showed up today and he and James were like two peas in a pod when they pulled in at the end of the day. Steve wasn't there so I drove for him today. I worked with Pepe and the day was easy. I think I'll be driving that route with Pepe for the rest of the week.

It is hard to blow leaves around when they are frozen to the ground. I miss the warm weather. We are working five eight hour days instead of four tens. The sun goes down at 4:49 now because of the time change so working until 5:30 doesn't work.
I don't know sometimes who I'll be working with from day to day. I was scheduled with Raphael and Venancio today but Venancio is leaving for Mexico for a few months and Esteban, who was supposed to work with James, isn't entrusted to drive the truck. He hit a parked car on his second day on the job. James doesn't have his license because of his legal problems so I drove. Raphael has a list of traffic infractions that read like a long rap sheet. Lucio drove Raphael's truck. Lucio had been driving James' truck but James was getting sick of Lucio changing the radio to Mariachi music and whistling and clapping at women en route and on the properties. Even though we were late today (the property is going to have an inspection tomorrow) James said he enjoyed the change of personnel. Oh yeah, Martin didn't show because his kid was ill. He was supposed to work with James and Esteban today. That reminds me when we were kids Chris used to implore Mom to write that he was sick I think rather than ill, or visa versa. He was quite adamant this.

Here is more on the media's "negativism" and what makes a "real American."

Here is an article about the media focus in Iraq: "On the reconstruction side, the Bush administration's press officers here urge reporters to write about all the schools built, bridges repaired and so on. Those numbers and details are made available. But reporters find that no one will answer questions about how much these projects cost and how the money is spent. ...The Iraqis, typically, are glad Saddam is gone. Now they want security. They expect Americans to provide it. So far, Americans haven't been doing that to the Iraqis' satisfaction. And the Iraqis complain that reporters are not telling that part of the story strongly enough. "

Congratulations and thank you to the Florida Marlins for beating the Yankees. "For the Florida Marlins, the sweetest sound was silence. The exhilarating cacophony of nothingness, a full stadium reduced to gaping as the interlopers did the familiar scrum dance on the pitcher's mound. ...'It felt good to dance on Yankee Stadium," said Lee. "I'm sure they'll remember that for a while.' " Yee haw.

"The chairman of the federal commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks said the White House was continuing to withhold several highly classified intelligence documents from the panel and he was prepared to subpoena the documents if they were not turned over within weeks."Thomas Kean said that, "'As each day goes by, we learn that this government knew a whole lot more about these terrorists before Sept. 11 than it has ever admitted.' "

Amazon's Search Inside the Book;
Wired News: The Great Library of Amazonia, "Amazon's Alexandrian scheme hinges on the insight that physical books can be turned into electronic databases and then – in the retail process – turned back into physical books. This is one of the boldest maneuvers yet in an intense commercial competition, but for all its cunning, this is a civilized, even civilizing war, one that builds libraries rather than burns them."

Just what I thought.

What letter?

Almost five inches of rain today. When this happened at home a few years ago it made quite a mess. It usually doesn't rain this amount here. Per year there is more rainfall in the northeast than in the Seattle area. There are more rain days here I guess. It sort of mists and rains here and we seldom have hard showers. So I bought some cheap boots from one of the remaining K-Marts anywhere. They'll keep me warm for the winter. It looks as though I will have a job for the winter. Randy is going to order me a jumpsuit for upcoming work, as it gets colder and colder. Through all this rain today I saw plenty of motorcyclists commuting from work. They must have their own jumpsuits. I'm not outfitted for that yet.

I took advantage of this weather to get the apartment extremely clean. I even cleaned out the bulk of unread newspapers and magazines, paid my bills, got all my laundry done and sat in traffic on my way to REI. They didn't have what I needed at my price so I ended up at K-Mart. I didn't get the car cleaned but the weather wasn't good for that anyways. I have a few more projects I'd like to complete and I'm sure there will be many more rainy days for those. Y'all have a great week.

I've registered for the 2003 Seattle Half Marathon for November 30th. My running is going well when I get a chance.

I spoke with Jerry and Judy tonight. They tried to call from a beach in California despite the uneven connection. They sound like they are having a fabulous time, parking for free at WalMart and all. The temperature had been up into the lower 80's during the day and was at 54 when we talked at around 7. It is strange having someone else in my time zone. They are staying at a state park on the beach tonight. Sounds very nice. I didn't make it to Oregon and California on my bike this fall as I had wanted. It'll be a goal for next spring I guess. Call the traveling couple on their cell before they leave for Honolulu on the 22nd. They like calls. I think that everyone should take turns and call them on the hour for the whole day. When y'all on the east coast call at some stupid hour in the morning our time you can feign ignorance by saying you didn't consider the time difference. Or better yet you can call on a Sunday at 6 AM like Brenda did, thinking that Jerry gets up early for church and maybe he is still on east coast time. Just some ideas to enliven their trip, and this makes you a part of it too.

Congratulation Scott and Chrissie on your engagement. He hid the lead up to the proposal from me very well. I call all the time. I won't make it home for November 1st. Y'all have fun at the party. Judy would like a head count for the gathering at her house. Too bad Kabuba won't be able to bring his famous bread. I spoke to him yesterday and he and Judy were in Oregon still. They should be in California now. I haven't made it there yet myself. As far as I know, the wedding date has not been set. For the meantime Scott and Chrissie are busy preparing for the trip, as well are his future in-laws. What does the ring look like?

What a miserable, cold, wet day. The local forecast has a lot more rain on the way. Did I mention that I could use a tune-up; a new job; a better thing to do?

Sarah B. says about motorcycles, "In our house, there was no Satan, only motorcycles, and I was sure I was going to die a fiery death at any moment like any proper sinner should".

The big bright thing came out at mid-day today but we had already gone to Pike Place Market and had nixed the Mt. Rainier trip. I sent them on their way at 3. They are traveling to southern Oregon this evening and ultimately LA and Hawaii. I went for a run in the afternoon. I had to do something to counteract the Krispy Kreme donuts and Budweiser we had been consuming. We even stopped in Issaquah today and got our complimentary donuts and then left. I wonder how many people do that?

Hi all. It looks like the sun has once again made an appearance so we are going to try to get in Rainier and some of the city. They'll be continuing their trip today so we'll see what we get to. Pictures to follow.

We all went to Snoqualmie Falls and then up to Snoqualmie Pass today. There was a dusting of snow on the mountain peaks. After a month of driving through dry country they seemed to be pleased by all the green flora. As predicted it has been cold and rainy the past few days. Most of the mid-day was taken with getting the van it's two new tires. We had some wonderful salmon (commercially caught coho); I cooked it on a grill Kabuba gave me. He bought the grill to replace a previously faulty one and now doesn't have room for it in the van. Of course we ended the day at Krispy Kreme's in Issaquah.

I got a call from Jerry and Judy and they have made it to Seattle. They are staying in Seattle for a few days right near the 520 onramp to I-5. "i don't know where I am, we're in Seattle." I'll see them on Friday after I get out of work.

Michael Moore has 7 questions.

I have some fish pictures. These are from the Issaquah Fish Hatchery. I might go back later and take some pictures of the salmon in the creek. I put together a picture of the pre-race gathering in the parking lot this morning. These folks are serious about their salmon.

I have another running goal now. I almost broke 45 minutes for the 10K race. It might not be easy to better this time on another course because of the flatness of the Salmon Days Rotary Run. My official time was 45:31. My watch time was 45:10. I placed 88th in the male race, 99th overall and 26th in the male 30 to 39 division of 72 people. I averaged a 7:20 minute mile. There were 467 runners in the 10K race. And then I ate a bunch of salmon. The end.

Tomorrow is the Issaquah Salmon Days 10K road race. I haven't run for a week before today due to work and health. I ran this morning so as not to freak my body out tomorrow with the exertion of running a road race. It is sort of a heads up. Joe is in town again and we went to Salmon Days today. He caught a nice steelhead this morning so we'll be eating that later in the week. This is a nice weekend for me because work isn't all that much fun right now. I was looking at the artisans at Salmon Days and was thinking that a creative outlet as these people have would be very good for me. I'd need to be able to support myself, and there's the rub. Right now I mow grass for money. I would like to do something creative and meaningful while contributing to our general good and while getting paid for it. That would be like hitting a grand slam home run every stinkin' day.

Ron Suskind on the Bush White House: "One senior White House official told me that he’d be summarily fired if it were known we were talking. 'But many of us feel it’s our duty—our obligation as Americans—to get the word out that, certainly in domestic policy, there has been almost no meaningful consideration of any real issues. It’s just kids on Big Wheels who talk politics and know nothing. It’s depressing."

CalPundit: The Plame Affair: Damage Control Roundup: "The bottom line remains pretty much the same: A couple of top Bush administration officials blabbed about a clandestine CIA operative to the press in order to try to discredit her husband, and now they're covering it up. Either you think that's OK or you don't. I don't."

Thanks to the Google people at Blogger my archives (to the left) are updated on my page now without me having to manually type them into the template. My ears still don't feel right from this quasi-cold/flu. I haven't experienced the clear end to this malady yet but I felt good enough yesterday to go for a run. I took a nice ride up to Skykomish today. It is sort of like a little ghost town of a railroad stop. It was the first time I took time out to turn off of route 2 to sightsee. Sorry, no pictures of my own. I don't want to work for my present employer. I need ideas. Or better yet, solid leads with the promise of solid money. While I was tooling around on my bike I was thinking that it would be nice to actually stop at some of these places to eat or better yet sleep. Winthrop is cool and Leavenworth is a nice place for an extended visit.

Jonathan Raban says:"Seattle is a small town trying to decide whether it wants to be a big city. It's a sort of embattled small town, harkening back to the days where everything got fixed up at the Rainier Club. I'm fascinated by that world, too — but that's mostly Old Economy Seattle."

The truth about lies: An excerpt from a Franken best-seller: "The members of the right-wing media are not interested in conveying the truth. That's not what they're for. They are an indispensable component of the right-wing machine that has taken over our country. ...Let's call them what they are: liars. Lying, lying liars."

Well, this is a journal so this is part of my weekend. I ran over 12 miles yesterday and paid for it with disrupted sleep. On the sleep subject though I spoke with Lee today and she is feeling better thus sleeping better also. Joe is readily anticipating his time out here. He'll be staying with her at the Lee-chateau in Issaquah.

I signed the lease last weekend so this is where I'll be for the next year. Despite what I have said about the management here, it is still the best deal around. Before the girls came out to visit I had the carpet cleaned by Chemdry. It turned out that Abby is much more resilient than she had been. I really didn't have to be concerned with her environmental reactions. She did have a problem with the exhaust fumes in the I-90 tunnels though. She was even eating Krispy Kreme donuts like she was a kid. Got a hat for Collin too.

I registered for the Salmon Days road race. This year's Salmon Days theme is "spawntaneous" and for the run they invite you to "run with the salmon". Right after I complained about not seeing this race advertised I got an e-mail about upcoming races in the Seattle area. I missed the beer race in Fremont today. I couldn't have done it after yesterdays run. Today I went to the Friends of the Seattle Public Library Book Sale at Magnuson Park. I found:

"Cats Revenge, More Than 101 uses for Dead People" produced by Philip Lief
"Angela's Ashes" by Frank McCourt
"Running The Spiritual Path" by Roger D. Joslin ..."A Runner's Guide To Breathing, Meditating And Exploring The Prayerful Dimension Of The Sport"
"Where There Is Light" by Paramahansa Yogananda
and a very good copy of Peale's "The Power of Positive Thinking", hardcover.

all of this for under 5 American. Not bad. Now to figure out when I'll be reading all of this. I don't want extra time from not working though. My present work may not go well soon because I've started to be a pain in the ass. I don't want to do the paperwork for my new crew lead so there might be some bumps coming up. Oh yeah, I got a new crew lead who doesn't know how to do the administrative part of the job. I need to move on to something different anyways. Again, is there anyone out there in the Seattle area who needs or knows of someone else who needs a good worker? I'm thinking about looking into King County for employment. Does that sound good? (Nothing at the King County website). Y'all have a great week out there, and...

Congratulations Jen and Andy. And Jack Andrew, welcome to the world.

I found a new race. It is in Issaquah for Salmon Days. I don't know why they don't advertise this more. I had to go look for it. It should set me up well for the Seattle Marathon's half marathon. No 26 miles yet. I think that 13 is enough.

I'm driving the truck again. Gary, my crew lead, got himself fired for stomping off the job last Friday. No word yet on exactly what my status is concerning work and pay. The rain has returned to Seattle. It is kind of spotty now. The weekend is supposed to be really nice. I hear that good weather has once again graced New England. It has been hot, muggy and wet at home all summer. Y'all better enjoy it before it gets snot-freezing cold though. Thank god there are espresso stands, Tully's and Starbucks everywhere here. There is nothing like a cold rain to drive you to some hot espresso. Kabuba and Judy are due here October 10th or thereabouts and it is sure to be colder and wetter then. It should be fun. Maybe when Kabuba gets more minutes on his cell phone he'll call. I'll call him on the weekend when mine are nearly limitless.

Cascade Loop

I took a ride on the North Cascade Highway and it took much longer than I had anticipated. Here are some pictures. I'll get some more ready later.

this imploding heart: 20 20 24 hours ago...: "Keep the rain coming please." I hope the rain is as beneficial to me. I didn't think so yesterday while I was crouching down in some very wet rhododendrons, in the rain, while pulling wayward ivy out of the branches.

How Bush Cheapened 9/11 by Ted Rall.

My picture is ready from the race. I don't see why I would want to buy it though.

The comments section is working again, my dishes are done (not piling up until the end of the week), my lunch is made for tomorrow - not hastily in the morning or not at all, Sonya keeps writing geat stuff while Red Dirt Girl takes her leave, the Mariners are tied with the Rangers in the 8th (wait, Ichiro is on second) and now I need some sleep. The nausea is gone I think and my back is better. "...and the Mariners leave two stranded."

Tara died a year ago today. I thought of her as I was walking through the dog park in Marymoor. She enjoyed cooling off in the water there.

I was looking at some old posts of mine and I don't have as many pictures and as much commentary as I used to. I'll try to be a better tour guide. What can I say? I'm a landscaper now with little energy left. When I do have some I like to use it running (when my back and knee feel good). I'd like to have some exciting travel stories and I might in the future; the bike is ready for touring again. I wanted to have some pictures of the race last weekend but ya see, I was in the race and I didn't want to run with my camera. I'll go and see about pictures from the race at the timing website. Y'all hold on.

Americans work too much.

I finished the race with an official time of 1:44:07 placing me 240 in the overall results. My knee let me finish. I didn't meet anyone, if you know what I mean, but a few gave me a push toward the end of the race. There were over 1,200 runners. I'll do better next time.

Well, today is the race. My right knee has been giving me trouble the past few days. I'm hoping that enough ibuprophen will get me through the ordeal.