I just started Eckhart Tolle's book, The Power of Now. Here is an excerpt which I found clear, concise and also exceedingly useful:

"Sustained conscious attention severs the link between the pain-body and your thought processes and brings about the process of transmutation. It is as if the pain becomes fuel for the flame of your consciousness, which then burns more brightly as a result. This is the esoteric meaning of the ancient art of alchemy: the transmutation of base metal into gold, of suffering into consciousness. The split within is healed, and you become whole again. Your responsibility then is not to create further pain.

Let me summarize the process. Focus attention on the feeling inside you. Know that it is the pain-body. Accept that it is there. Don't think about it-don't let the feeling turn into thinking. Don't judge or analyze. Don't make an identity for yourself out of it. Stay present, and continue to be the observer of what is happening inside you. Become aware not only of the emotional pain but also of the 'the one who observes,'the silent watcher. This is the power of the Now, the power of your own conscious presence. Then see what happens."

-Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now, 1999, pp.40-41

I don't want my facebook account to win out over this site. I need to spend some time re-doing the template. It'll be a learning curve.

I'm still pretty sore from the marathon. I don't think I have any real damage though. I was explaining to one of my residents yesterday that the race for me really begins at the two hour to two and a half hour point. That is when I hit the sixteen to twenty mile mark, roughly, and when I find out whether I can keep that pace. For the second year in a row I have run through that critical juncture on this course. These two races have been my only "good" races. I didn't bonk. Old hands say that a marathon is really two races; the first being the front twenty and the second being the last six-point-two. The whole process is akin to a sort of alchemy. To decide upon such an endevour, then to stick to the training to the point where such a run can be accomplished will change that person. It can even have a ripple effect upon people him or her.

Joe was sort of surprised and pleased that I stuck with the steelheading two years ago even when after two months I had still not caught one of those elusive fish. I replied that "I train for marathons, how useless is that?". Going out to the river at least once a week is not a problem. To marathon-train takes the long view. Now only to translate that thinking to other parts of my life. I have done that sort of thing with my job change. As an aside, I might need to get another supplementary job because I am in money trouble again. I had not wanted to make that move because I was highly unmotivated. The change has helped my spirits. Now, y'all take care.

Here is a fish I got yesterday before work:

I was supposed to have today off, but I was asked whether I would like two more shifts of training, so I agreed. And that is two more shifts in one day. I'll be there from 6:30am to 10:30pm today. I hope it all starts to come more easily. I worked an evening shift on Sunday and that shift went much better. I assume that it will come more easily with practice and experience. That is what I was told. Wish me well.

I got a fish yesterday :)

There, I'm registered for the Seattle Marathon on the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

I now have a Facebook page.

What Doesn't Kill The Far-Right Only Makes Them Crazier. In this article Bob Cesca writes about their intellectual violence. The Votemaster over at Electoral-vote.com has a good run-down of some of the recounts and the future of the Republican Party.

This is my final day of work. More buckets of wet leaves.

Last night, in President elect Barak Obama's victory speech:

"And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world — our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand."

I cannot express how important this is.

The universe is once again telling me something. In one day I have been woken out of a dead sleep, had blood dripped on my stuff in my part of the the fridge and I found out I was missing some things out of there. She must have tossed them when she cleaned out some her old shit. This sort of thing happens to get my attention. It is time to leave. New job, new living space and maybe I'll find that euphamistic running partner I've been lacking.

Speaking of running, I again ran around Lake Sammamish. Part of it was in a very heavy downpour. It was raining cats and dogs. I took five minutes off my time from last Sunday. Woo hoo. I might be securely ready for the marathon at the end of the month. Here's to hoping.

Today's horoscope:

"Take a break from the trail you're on and get off the beaten path, dear Sagittarius. Today is a day to forge ahead with ideas and dreams rather than commitments and answers. Question things and debate the facts. Whatever you do, have fun. This is the perfect day to go out and have fun. All group activities are strongly favored. You can't go wrong with joining up with friends and chatting away about the latest events of your life."

Ok, will do. Gonna run at the Redmond Watershed very soon. I picked up a new rod yesterday and I'll try it out after that. What could be better?

Well, I've gotten another job. I start in a few weeks. I'm going to go over there today to fill out some papers. A large group of my runner friends are now doing the Best of Seattle Tour 18 miler. I'm missing out so after my appointment in Bellevue I'll run around Lake Sammamish alone. I'll bring gatorade and Gu.

The new job is in eldercare. I'll be working at an assisted living community in Bellevue. I've had it with my other job. I've been long due for a change.

It is a really nice day today.

We are off to Victoria today. A bunch of us are running the Royal Victoria Marathon tomorrow. We'll catch the clipper and enjoy the cruise there. Wish me well. Oh, finally caught a chum yesterday.

It is hard to get started writing in here again. I did some running this weekend. Saturday I ran on Cougar Mt. with the club. I did about 12 miles I think. Today I was to meet a few people in Redmond and ended up running around Lake Sammamish with Richard. His fancy watch said we did 22 miles. I think that is enough until Tuesday or so. I need to get my hair cut tomorrow. Abby called me to say she ran a five miler in Greenfield on Saturday. Good job abigail!

Poor fishing lately. I went down to the Green today and I was on the Skykomish on Friday and Saturday. This rain we are having right now will help. Peace.

I can use today's horoscope as a reminder for myself in the future. It reads:

Sagittarius
November 22 - December 20
It isn't always easy to think about how your life is going, dear Sagittarius. Imagine if you were alone in the world, with nothing to hold you back or force you to do one thing or another. At least once a month, consecrate an hour to "visualizing" what your life would be like under these conditions. This will help you figure out what is impeding you today.

I just put the archive link back in the left-hand sidebar. It hasn't been there for a long while. I plan to write more in here, which would amount to writing at all. I'll have to keep my attention on the above horoscope.

I came home as a surprise Wednesday/Thursday. I timed it so I could run in the Old Home Days Mug Race. I didn't do as well as I had hoped. I don't know whether that was due to the margaritas and beer the night before, the jet lag or the relative humidity I am no longer accustomed to. After the race there was the parade. Here are two pictures I tweaked to look like old post cards.

I just took this with my camera phone. I didn't run today but I volunteered at the Seafair Marathon this morning. No fishing either. The rivers are either up from the snow melt (it was near 90 today), or they were full of swimmers and rock throwers. Short work days this next week. Ciao.

Hey, I finally got another one. I understand that fish pictures can get tiresome, but this one was big and it is the first of the season. I got it on my own sherbet jig tipped with shrimp. I'll be able to eat well for more than a week.




This steelhead measured 33 1/2 by 15 1/2 inches. We think it is a really early summer (spring run?) It fought like hell too. Woo hoo.

<* ))))) ><~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Another race tomorrow. This one is the Capital City Marathon. As always I hope that I am ready for it. I ran Sunflower two weeks ago and what encourages me is that I didn't run my tank dry, I finished strong and I wasn't hurting afterward. Two weeks is a relatively short time in between two races like this though. I'll need to leave very early in the morning. I'll get to stop in at Cabela's on the way back.

I ran really well. I came in 22nd overall in the Iron category with a time of 3:06.32. the course is beautiful and the weather was perfect. It has been a cold spring, so the flowers are not out in any numbers yet.

Hi. I'm up in Winthrop, WA for the Sunflower Relay and Iron Event with a few friends from Eastside Runners. Many others will be running in either Eugene this weekend or in Vancouver. This may not make much sense to those of you who don't run, but running these can be addictive. I'll be running in the 21.7 mile Iron category. I was reading through the Sunflower Relay and Iron Runner Briefing and these entries caught my attention:

• The Sunflower course travels over varied terrain, including trails, unpaved roads, bridges, fields and grazing lands. You will also cross small streams, wet terrain and fences. Please pay attention of your footing.

• Portions of the course travel through private property and are accessible to the public only during the Sunflower. When you come upon a closed fence, either step through or open and close the fence after you pass. Respecting these rules will ensure many future Sunflower races—thanks!

• You may encounter grazing animals and other wildlife—don’t be alarmed and keep on running.

• You will be traveling through tick country. Check yourself and your clothing after the race.

This sounds like it'll be fun. Winthrop has public wifi. Woo hoo.

This is just f*****g great.

Greetings. Here is some political stuff. I loved this in college and frankly I wish that I had heard this information way back then. Thom Hartmann explains the differences and similarities of conservative and neo-conservative American thought. Listen to the first half of this hour in which he, to me, spells it out very clearly. In addition to his vast knowledge his show lacks the vitriol which usually colors a talk radio show. Here are the podcasts to the show.

My other favorite talker is Ed Schultz. You have to subscribe to his show but you can listen online also. I listen to AM 1090 in Seattle. In western Massachusetts you can listen to WHMP out of Northampton. In my old area of south Florida you can listen to WINZ AM940 out of Miami.

There is a link to the left which will take you to an electoral vote site. Right now he has the map for the Democratic Caucuses and Primaries. There is usually timely information and commentary also. This site was repeatedly cyber-attacked by those on the right. They'll probably do the same for the 2008 Presidential Election.

I can't show you any fish from the last day of the season because I didn't catch anything. I don't know the name of these mountains but this was taken from the Index side of the North Fork of the Skykomish River on Friday, February the 29th. The day started out like this and it was truly beautiful, but by late afternoon it had devolved into a cold, wet, windy mess.

I'm still living in the same place (should move) and working at the same job (should change). My running is going well and I'm monitoring a potential injury. It let me put in a relatively swift 16 this morning along the East Lake Sammamish Trail with some friends. I'm looking forward to the Mercer Island Half next weekend and depending on my leg the ultra (50k) at our Mt. Si relay and ultras.

The car broke down last Monday and I was able to get it back on Thursday after paying the very hefty bill on a card. I essentially bought the car. I can't swing a new one and for the price I would have been buying someone else's problems. It looks like I'll be able to make my way down to the Kalama for some late April fishing without worrying about the car being able to make it. I hate driving to Mt. St. Helens though and this is even further. Y'all have a great week.

From Elizabeth Gilbert's book, "Eat, Pray, Love":

"So I stood up and did a handstand on my Guru's roof, to celebrate the notion of liberation. I felt the dusty tiles under my hands. I felt my own strength and balance. I felt the easy night breeze on the palms of my bare feet. This kind of thing-a spontaneous handstand-isn't something a disembodied cool blue soul can do, but a human being can do it. We have hands; we can stand on them if we want to. That's our privilege. That's the joy of a mortal body. And that's why God needs us. Because God loves to feel things through our hands."

-chapter 60, pg.188

I got a new phone today. It's an update to
my old one. I'm back on the grid.

Hi all. My phone died so if anyone has tried to call me after 10 or so yesterday morning that is why it is going to voicemail. I didn't do anything special for my birthday other than hitting some tackle shops and then buying some beer.

I ran the Seattle Marathon yesterday. I had a great race. I finished 167th overall. I was able to run with a few friends until the hills separated us. I fell short by one minute to qualify for Boston. Because of the rules and my age next year I qualified for 2009 though, when I'll be in the next age bracket. I'd like to get my 3:20 none the less. I was just very pleased that I didn't fall apart at the 18 mile mark. I don't think that I need to say that hitting the wall is no fun. Being able to keep my steam while traveling under I90 was a win in its own right. Greg pulled away from me on Galer and didn't look back. That was about the 20 mile mark. I last saw him whizzing through Interlaken. My splits were nearly even, coming within about a minute of each other. My first half was 1:40 and change and my second half was 1:41 and something. As I just wrote, the hills start a little before the 20 mark. I think that feat is my other win in this race. My third is that I'll be able to go to Boston, circumstances permitting, in '09.

So I took today off and caught a bunch of chum. I kept this one because it didn't look like a dinosaur. It still had sea lice on it. I've got to go home and cut it up now. Y'all have a good week.

The wind kept us out of work today, so of course I went to the river. I've worked on jigging for coho and I kept this one today. They react well to the green plastic tubes I use. This is probably the last of them I'll keep. She had some great eggs but her meat is washed out. She measured at 28 inches. Chum salmon are next. It should be fun.

I heard this on the way home from work today. Well, actually I was on my way to get the emissions tested in my car. It passed. After that I had enough time to swing through Fall City for a little fishing. The Raging River has made a very nice pool as it enters the Snoqualmie, if anyone is interested. I and another guy had no luck there. About the commentary I heard today - go listen to it. Halloween sets the story up - he is a storyteller by trade - but the larger story he tries to get his hands around is life. I highly recommend a listening. Clicky clicky "All Things Considered, October 31, 2007 · Storyteller Kevin Kling tells us of ghosts, but not the scary kind. After a motorcycle accident almost took his life six years ago, Kling recalls, his coma kept him in what he thinks of as two worlds."

I also enjoyed his poem about fishing from last year.

Cool, it worked. I can again post directly from my phone. It looks like my life is all fish. Well I don't get here that often and I didn't think that y'all would want to read about what I should be doing. I still haven't figured out the Portland Marathon logistics yet. If worse comes to worst then I'll drive down at three in the morning on Sunday the 7th. I did my final long run yesterday of about 9 miles on Cougar Mountain with the Saturday morning Eastside Runners group. My leg is ok I think and I won't be doing much for the rest of the week anyways. I feel optimistic about putting in a good performance next week. I want a 3:20 or better. I'd say wish me luck with the run but what I really need is good fortune in finding a ride down and accomodations for Saturday night. It looks as though I'll be missing this year's Salmon Days in Issaquah. Too bad. I'll also be missing the run. I've wanted to run Portland since I started contemplating doing marathons. Here is the Salmon Days print for this year:

0802070829.jpg

0802070829.jpg
Originally uploaded by nthaniel

This is a test post from my phone. Joe with a fighter on the Green.

I think the days of motorcycle fish are coming to a close.

Bob and I were supposed to have climbed up to Camp Muir on Mt. Rainier tomorrow but it looks like the weather has nixed that plan. Of course I'll be fishing instead. If the water is rising too much I'll try the Green. I want to return to the Skykomish tomorrow. Somewhere in here or there my room could use a good cleaning too.

Abby ran her first race this morning in Montague. Congratulations! Hopefully you'll be as hooked as I am. Try a 5k next. My leg is still complaining but I was able to put in 15 this morning. Some river hiking tomorrow will do me good. Abby, you should pick up fishing next. You already eat better than I do. You did very well this morning. It is better to run than volunteer, isn't it?

I'm registered for the Portland Marathon for October 7th.

A photographer taking shots at Snoqualmie Falls was nice enough to forward some pictures to me. No bites but I enjoyed the spectacular surroundings. I spent yesterday on the Green but no fish. Seeing this photo I more fully understand how this hobby is both a journey and a destination. Y'all have a great one. Happy fishing and tight lines!

Time for some grocery shopping now. Y'all take care.

I've been wasting so much time on the river as of late that I should at least take some pictures to share here. And in that spirit I found this as my horoscope today:

Pieces of your life that you have actively tried to avoid for some time may come up to the surface, causing you a bit of trouble today, dear Sagittarius. That which is not organized or structured is getting more and more chaotic, just to teach you a lesson. Take care of things now. Put things in order and become more aware of the ticking of the clock. There is a need for you to take care of business!

Not the picture spirit but the moving-on spirit. This isn't just for today though. This has been an issue since November or December. Wish me success. The alternative is unacceptable.

I'm giving the Skykomish another try tomorrow and then it'll be business, my own business, really. The Green River claimed many of my hours for the last few days. I had absolutely no luck there today. Joe will fly back to Massachusetts on Tuesday I think and then I can let the steelhead swim out of my brain. It'll be like a catch and release - making the fish gods smile. You have to keep the fish gods happy, you really do.

My blog archive drop down box has disappeared and I don't have time right now to figure out what happened. I think it happened when I changed over to the new blogger. Oh bother.

I have some entry info for running and cycling but not the time to do it with care. So this is what you get. I'm doing some fishing tomorrow and I'm helping Ram with his yard next week. I'll be house sitting this next week too. Y'all have a great one.

Hey, they don't give away the free one as you get through the door.

I finally got some stuff done today. After a fruitless morning on the Green I returned to Kirkland and got some bills paid, cleaned up my room a bit and then went out off to the Monday Footzone run in Redmond. I had to get that all started so that I can get going on the rest, namely looking for another job and getting certified as a nursing assistant. I also want to get out of where I am living. For some reason it has been hard for me to get going on these things. It has been very hard. I know what direction I want to go though. I need the vision thing before I can go down that path. I hope y'all are having an easier go of it than I am.

This is how I spent this last Monday. It was 35 inches long and 17 inches around. Nice fish.

It is hard for me to post here because I have to leave the house to access the net. This is my Sunday morning out to read the paper and check my email. Yesterday morning we ran on Cougar Mountain and then I drove up to the Skykomish to stalk the elusive steelhead. I figured I needed to get some other things done today. I've found I can easily slip out of my present neighborhood and into the nice environs of Woodinville down near the vineyards and Redhook Brewery. I guess I've found myself a new Tully's. When I get more news I'll post here. I'd like to wish you all a most excellent week.

Happy Monday. I have had a considerably hard week trying to find my way through making decisions about changing my work and housing. I haven't felt like this in fifteen years. What is that saying about indecision being worse than a wrong decision? Well, a lot of that. Indecision contributed to the wrong decision, well actually a few wrong decisions. It has been torturous. I'm not pleased with my living arrangements and I need to change jobs soon. Apperently, these moves should have been made back toward February. Landscaping is over getting old. So when I read this in my horoscope I found it encouraging:

"Sometimes you feel like you're navigating through a thick fog, but the obscurity will finally lift today. The skies ahead are sunny and clear! You can expect an invitation to take a little trip, or an offer to belong to a special group of associates. Don't pass up any opportunities to have fun, dear Sagittarius. You can benefit from a diversion right now!"

I ran with the group on Mercer Island on Saturday and Alicia and I attempted to keep up to the Marathon Maniacs yesterday at Discovery Park in Magnolia. Saturday we went 9 and Sunday almost 12. That was enough. I'll need to put in more miles and drop some weight to keep up with them.

I also need to start writing in my real journal again. This doesn't count really. It is good for keeping y'all back on the east coast up to date with my latest. I'm still mostly up here on the plateau helping Lee get herself out of her condo. I'll get the last of my belongings out of here myself today and this chapter will come to a close. The cat is not happy about the place being broken down and he keeps a close eye on me as if to watch me leave for the last time. I'm not looking forward to that. He has been a good roommate.



So y'all wish me luck, and for Lee and Nicky too.

My move is almost complete. I emptied my temporary storage unit today and parked the stuff in my trailer where it lives in Fall City. The car didn't like hauling the thing up the hill to the plateau and out to Fall City. I'll have to get it looked at when I have a chance. I think it is good enough to drive around without anything in tow. Lee is on her way to packing up her place. I hate all the extras I need to live out here, namely the need to rely on a car and the need to move all my stuff around. What I have I'd like to keep, so I don't have much more I can jettison.

We have had wonderful weather lately and it only looks to get better. That is a good thing too because I'll feel more secure relying on the motorcycle. I have to say that this period has been a trial. What was that saying about you are exactly where you are supposed to be, no matter how things may seem to appear? Take care.

hey, I found a place to live. I'll be in the Kingsgate neighborhood of Kirkland. It seems to be more in Totem Lake to me. It is a room in a house. I hope it is good for me.

Hmmm, so here is my horoscope for today:

Sagittarius
November 22 - December 20
You should use the day ahead to ponder your professional future, dear Sagittarius. Many forces seem to be working together to clarify your ideas on the subject. Rather than rebelling at the slightest provocation, as you have been doing lately, it would be much more reasonable for you to think first of your basic material needs and those of your family.

The thing is that I tried to change my professional future three times already. The clarity came with strike three.

It's funny how music can speak to you so many years later. I was pulling weeds out of sidewalk cracks today on a property in Wallingford and I found myself singing an old Petty tune. It was "Here Comes My Girl" and in it he laments how even though so many things are going wrong, there is still his girl and he describes how she looks as she is walking toward him. That song used to really ring true for me even though I've rarely had that woman in my life. So I'm picking friggin weeds and out of nowhere really here is this song. Right now I'm sitting next to my jig stuff and I'm finishing off a beer and listening to the Big Jangle CD from his box set. It transported me to over 25 years ago. Wow, I'm an old guy. The funny thing is that I'm an old guy in great shape. I can't pass an interview to save my life but if I had to I could finish a marathon tomorrow. I'd be a mess after 20 miles but I think I could finish. Where is this going? Uh, frustration and music. Just as smells are strong triggers frustrations can be music triggers. I was big on Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers back then. He sang, "It just seems so useless to have to work so hard and nothing ever really seems to come from it." So here I am thwarted again in picking a career so late in the game, I still need to find a place to live and to add insult to injury I don't even have the consolation of her look in the eye. I'm hoping that success is the best revenge. I guess I'm still optimistic.

And of course there is some part of me observing my reflective vest wearing, weed pulling crap and saying that this bookmark will be a chapter in a greater story, much yet to be told. This is still sort of hard to take when I'm in the here and now having to wear the vest and pull the weeds and pick up the garbage. And some days I find needles and there are always beer, wine and liquor bottles. Oh, good news! The QFC near The Seattle Center will be closing - meaning no more landscape visits. That place has bottles and needles and always garbage.

Especially in his first four albums, Tom Petty was really effective in communicating his woes. Those four and Wildflowers are the only ones I would go back and listen to now. I've been meaning to make a few compilation Petty disks but I haven't done so. I also want to put together a number of other mixed disks from different parts of my life. I guess I can put this into the category of incomplete projects because I have a general idea what would go on which disk. I need time and motivation. My priority now is housing. Life down here can be so difficult.

Nope. I didn't get into school. I give up.

There, I got rid of that intellicast map which had been instigating pop up ads.



A few of us climbed Mt. Si yesterday. This is a picture taken with my camera phone and then enhanced with the computer. I have some shots taken with my real digital camera and they should be far better than this one. I have been here a few years and this was my first time up there. Next time I'm going to what they call the haystack at the top. For some reason no one was interested this climb. My climbing and descending muscles are sore. Before the summer is out I'll also have to run up it. It should be a pisser of a workout.

I bought a new fishing license today. I think I'll go to Pine Lake and give it a try. That lake opened Saturday. The trout are nothing compared to the steelhead but it is enjoyable none the less. You can be a lefty sportsman.

I'm still waiting on word from school. Maybe it got lost in the mail. I don't know. School will influence where I'll be living. I only have 25 days to move. I should be able to do some storage and couch hopping until the 1st of June. I don't want to stress any good will I have with friends here.

Here is my horoscope for today. I'm still waiting on word about school. This sounded close enough:

Have you been waiting to hear about a grant that you applied for, perhaps to create a piece of art, write a book, or make a documentary film, dear Sagittarius? If so, you may have a lot to celebrate today, as news could come your way that you've been awarded the full amount you asked for! Don't be surprised, however, if there's a delay in receiving the actual funds. The project is still going to happen - but a little later than you had hoped. Relax, be patient, and wait! That's all you can do right now.

I'm still waiting. I was hoping for the school letter today but it didn't arrive - maybe Monday. I called the bike shop and they ordered the wrong chain, and the chain they need wasn't there on Friday. They are not open on Monday so I'm waiting for Tuesday now. The weather report says that the end of the week will be nice; it'll be motorcycle weather. Woo hoo. Something I shouldn't be waiting for is finding a room somewhere. Someone put in a bid for Lee's place so my stay there may be coming to an end soon. I was hoping to know about school today so that my necessary plans will be evident. If school comes through then I'd like to be in Bellevue.

We ran in Redmond this morning. I only did an hour because I've been abusing the relative improvements in my leg lately. There is still room for more healing and that won't happen with me running three hours at a time. Tomorrow is the relay and I'll be helping at exchange four. I ran that leg last year. It starts off steep and then continues at railroad grade (happens to be flat) until the exchange that Randy is captain of. I'd then like to take my bicycle out in the afternoon if the weather permits. I keep saying that I'd like to try a triathalon this year but I need to get onto my bike for that and get into a pool.

I think my leg is coming along. I ran for an hour with the the group Saturday morning from the Burgermaster at U Village and Randy and I attempted 20 miles along Alki Sunday. We did 17 and we thought that was close enough. Our legs were falling apart. I'm very pleased because today I'm having some normal discomfort but not the nagging pain of an injury. I'm not fully out of the woods yet but I think I can see my way out. I'm not running today or tomorrow and then I'll see whether I can do a track workout or a normal run on Wednesday.

Right now I'm at Tully's taking advantage of their free wi fi. My taxes are submitted and I got some bills out of the way. I know that I shouldn't do these things at an unsecured wi fi spot but I don't have many other options. Those transactions are encrypted. I'll work this next week and then look for any notice from the school.

The other task I did was to drop the bike off at the motorcycle shop so they can outfit it with new tires, a chain and sprockets. Woo hoo, I'll be on the bike again. Next to find a place to live. Abby can't relate to living like this. Maybe once I'm out of it I won't either, except that I've lived it.

When I have more time I'll write about cooking for the Mt. Si Relay and Ultra Runs organizational meeting. I had fun, the food came out prefectly and the people were happy. There, I guess I just wrote about it. It looks like they are closing soon. Y'all have a great week.

Happy birthday Abby. She said it was a "big one."

Well it has taken me a few days to write about the interview. I didn't think I did well. I tried to explain to friends and family that I felt as though I couldn't find my voice. "What do you mean?" was the answer. I didn't feel as though I was "on." I had been concentrating on this for a few weeks, only adding to my nervousness. I'm afraid I came across as stiff and inarticulate. That is what I felt as I left the campus.

I found it hard to get to sleep that night and it wasn't long before I was up the next morning. But what I found then was that I felt much better. I guess I had worked something out while asleep and thankfully I was left with the opposite of an anxiety hangover. Not the best writing, I know, but I think you get the idea. I felt much better. I think I'm too close to it all to try and divine why. Everyone around me seems to be optimistic for me - everyone. It is very nice of them and all but I still have to wait until the latter part of this month for an answer.

I took Nicky in for some shots today and I got the travel papers he needs so I can ship him air freight down to Lee in LA. I'll really need to find a place then because he is my only good reason to still be squatting in her condo. The crazy neighbor should be showing up soon too. I'd like to avoid him.

I'll be cooking again this Friday and Saturday for the Mt. Si Relay course organizers. That is my volunteer work for our race. My leg is still on the mend. It is a very slow recovery. I don't mind this sort of cooking as long as it isn't my profession. I hope y'all have a great week. Back to work tomorrow. I really like these three day weekends. Yay for all this daylight!

Tomorrow is try three for school admission. The interview is in the afternoon. I've been studying up on my math and I think I can answer all the questions well. I should be able to by this point. After that I can concentrate on getting my own space and getting the motorcycle back on the road. At 50 miles per gallon it'll be a necessity. It needs to happen this year. I've gotta get going.

We're running on Cougar this morning. After that I'll study more for the interview on Wednesday. I've gotten through to Algebra I and I think that is how far they will test us. I've compiled the answers I've received to my interview query last year and I'll be looking at that too. The weather looks good today. Later.

From This Modern World:

"George Bush isn’t some conservative poseur, he’s the proverbial student that’s become the master. On just about every level, George Bush has improved upon Reagan. Bush has presided over political patronage that reaches every level of the government (and even into the realm of war profiteering). The Administration has had deficits that not only dwarf the gargantuan debt of their spiritual leader, but serve as a tribute to their spendthrift leader (”Reagan proved that deficits don’t matter….this is our due.”) And as the ultimate act of one-upsmanship, not only has the President pissed away every penny that comes into the treasury and buried the country under a mountain of red ink, but Bush was able to do so while continuing to cut taxes for the super rich. Beat that, Bonzo!"

I've lost the river rocks GIF at the top of my page. I switched how I log onto Blogger and now it doesn't appear. There must be a copy of it in my cache but with XP I don't know how to find it. Grrrr.

And here I go again. I've received the invitation to this years interview for the radiation therapy program. It is in a little over two weeks. I have to brush up on my math and also go over what I can remember of the questions.

I have also started back in my running and I feel so much better. I've run for at least an hour the last three days, and I'll run again tonight with the group. We all met yesterday afternoon at a restaurant in Issaquah for Ram's birthday. He broke through to the masters division on his 40th. The old guy gag gifts were fun.

Of course I'm still thinking about the fish. Joe called me early this morning and we discussed different poles and reels. He heard about a company that makes glowing products for fishing. They are called Radical Glow. I'm going to incorporate them into my jigs. I went back to sleep and then dreamt of fishing as one component. I slept late. There is no work today because we started working ten hour days once again and we all have Monday off. Woo hoo.

Lee wants Nicky to visit her so my job is to get his shots up to date and then ship him to L.A. Ram said not to forget to punch holes in the box. He said before that he had ordered a bride like that but they forgot to punch the holes and she didn't make it. I'll really need to find a place then. Nicky is part of my job up here on the plateau. Then I wont have a fat tiger cat trying to replace the computer on my lap. After the interview I'll be able to better concentrate on that task. Yeah, it still feels as though I'm moving in first gear. I'm hopeful that the behind the scenes lining up of things are going on unabated. Those decisions have been made. Everyone picture me in school please.

Go to this site and watch the presentation. Pretty clever and sadly so.

Yesterday was the last day of fishing in many rivers here in western Washington. I asked my boss for a half day and he assented. To my surprise it started snowing mid morning. There is up to a foot of snow in parts of Snohomish County. The river had a beautiful layer of white. This is where we park.



I didn't have any luck until later in the day. I fished my normal spots and nothing, so I went down to the now empty area which most of the guys usually work. I changed depth and the jig and the float went under, fish on. This thing was a cow, huge. What a nice end to the season. It was a 32 inch female. I'm told it is kinda rare to get a hatchery fish this late in the season.



I'm home from work today because Mukilteo was hit hard by this storm. And there is no fishing. It is time to look into my next steps. I dropped off this year's application to the BCC radiation therapy program a few days ago. And I'm still without my own place. Gotta work on that.

I had a nice day on the Green today. I released two native steelhead. I caught them on a river other than the Skykomish and it wasn't near a hatchery. It is a nice close to a season.

Originally uploaded by nthaniel.

They are still out there.

Check out this ad.

Here is a picture of Mom and Dad. I don't really like this day but happy Valentines. I have a feeling Dad might have been looking in on Jonathan during his recent trial.

I stayed home from work today. This morning I didn't know whether I had the flu or a cold because this cold is a little worse than a normal cold. So it's a headcold. My sinuses are killing me. I wasn't concerned about work because my properties look good, especially Monday's.

I didn't catch anything this last weekend. The Green River at Tanaskat State Park was quiet and the river was rising on the Skykomish on Sunday. I know I should be finding a place to live, but I've been playing it by ear and it felt like fishing would be good. I'll have to take care of the other stuff soon though. By being away running Saturday mornings and fishing the rest of the weekend, I don't realize how much better it would be for me to have a more permanent place to live. That became apparent to me today as I stayed home from work unable to do much more. I did go out for groceries and kitty litter later though. Having all my clothes just thrown in the closet out of sight brought it home for me. I need my own (shared) place.

I had a much better weekend than brother Jonathan and family at home. He had a blockage to an artery in his right atrium. He now has two stents in place and a new diet. That episode put the scare through everyone, patient included, as you can imagine. We are all glad he is home now and relatively well. I let the dust settle before I called Sunday. He needs a
little bell now for service. How does that sound? Y'all take care.

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Originally uploaded by nthaniel.

Five years ago yesterday. Take care Mom.

Here's an interesting observation from Alison. She says,"time and lack of contact turn exes into too-familiar strangers; people about whom you know everything and nothing simultaneously. the nothing is outlined in careful small talk, the everything is never, ever mentioned."

I ran a track workout this evening for the first time since last spring. I was pleased that I finished the whole thing. I guess I hadn't lost as much as I'd feared. Don't get me wrong though, it is never easy. I really faded on the last two laps. There's nothing like some speedwork to tighten things up. I'll run with the group on Mercer Island this Saturday. I haven't decided on the fishing just yet. I keep see the float going down. I guess I gotta go back out. <* ))))) ><

She's back. "My eyebrows knit sweaters and my nostrils start fires"

I finally got my winter steelhead. There wasn't any work today due to the extreme cold and residual snow, so rather than going back "home" I headed straight out to the river. These pictures were taken with my camera phone. I think they came out pretty good. They were caught on summer colors of orange and purple. The river level is decreasing so the clarity is improving. I got one yesterday too, so that makes three out of five in two days. I'm tentatively planning on running with the group tomorrow and after that I should start paying attention to more pressing matters. The same mindset which said that I can fish and not move on Christmas Day was behind me fishing on a snow day. And what a beautiful day it was, but cold cold cold.

I've been here about a week and a half. The cat seems happy to be in his old house. All my stuff is in the garage. I haven't found a new place yet, though I've been looking on Craig's list and a little on Live Expo. I don't have a running route here and I don't want to run after dark. I was used to the Lake Hills section of Bellevue. I like being here again though. I got here about four years ago and I literally lived in a garage. I have too much stuff for that now, and it is winter. I feel like I've sort of come home, living so close to Issaquah, but everything is all up in the air. I need a stable place to live and I want to get into school. I have lived like this for so long that I don't think I'll know what to do if things start to go well.

We have another winter storm coming through tonight. We still have power so the winds didn't do too much damage. The rain will turn to snow tonight. We heard about this storm a few days ago and I dreamt of being at home in Montague and trying to drive through the snow. It didn't work. I had to turn back. That shouldn't happen tomorrow. They want us in at 4:30 in the morning. It'll be overtime pay and I hope to be out in time to get some fishing in. If you are reading this in Seattle on Wednesday morning, then the city should be slowed to a crawl. That November storm left quite an impression. Y'all have a great day.

Bender has left the building.

I have some of this stuff packed up but I've decided not to take a trip with it tonight. Breaking news, I know. I'm getting there. This process doesn't seem to end. Right now I'm going to bed.

Originally uploaded by nthaniel.

The move has begun. I cleaned up the jig-making mess in my living room (I was amazed that the vacuum cleaner got all of the feather cast-offs) and boxed up some stuff for storage. I dropped that stuff off at Lee's and then proceeded to Fall City to pick up my trailer. I think my car battery is getting old because I left my lights on for a short time and that was enough for me to wear it down so that I was unable to get the car started again. I was really weighing my options when a wealthy guy and his boy came into the storage place to retrieve their snowmobile. I asked him for help but his Land Rover is so new that the battery, once found, was too foreign looking to be of help. The guy who lives on the lot came out to give me a jump, after recounting his days racing snowmobiles with the rich guy. I was so glad to see them coming. Hoping and cranking wasn't getting the engine to turn over. From there I took the trailer back to Bellevue to pick up my motorcycle and bicycle, which I then dropped off in Sammamish. There I met Lee's ally Marta and I had a nice welcome, which will help make my stay there be not so isolated.

I have much more packing to do, but the important thing for me is that I've started. I have the trailer so I'll be able to haul a bunch of stuff out of here tomorrow. I can do more car trips next week before resuming the trailer moves next weekend. I have to be out of here by the 31st, so New Year's Eve I'll spend in Sammamish (I always thought it was Issaquah). I've been looking for a house needing roomates on Craig's List and more recently on Windows Live Expo. I want to stay in Bellevue because I'm optimistic about getting accepted to school for next year. Please tell me that you are optimistic for me too.

As for the holidays I've lined up a Christmas Eve party in Mill Creek with some runner friends and I'm treating myself to some steelhead fishing for Christmas Day. I thought that was very nice of myself. Thanks self. I can't feel guilty about not moving on Christmas, so I thought I'd really enjoy the day out on the river, and I will. Depending on what happens up there I may head down to Orting to see Jesse and family. Well, thanks for tuning in. I hope your holidays are very enjoyable and your new year stellar.

This is my If Today Is Your Birthday horoscope:

"December 18, 2006 -- A Sun-Pluto conjunction on your birthday means it is time for a change - and the bigger the change the better. Whatever it is you have been dreaming of doing now is the time to take it to the next level. Don't look back a year from now and wish you had been more adventurous. Your life is here, now."

What I'd like is to find a new apartment. I'm working on the rest of it.

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This was taken on Mercer Island today. I got a few hours of work today, and almost more importantly, some gas. We worked on our big property on Mercer Island, clearing limbs from walks and streets. There are more trees down like this onto buildings there. I saw a few cars wrecked similarly. I'll get more overtime work tomorrow too working at the same place. I guess I can get ready to move when it is dark and I'll make my money during the daylight. I hope all of you fellow denizens of Western Washington are well and warm. I hope you have gasoline too. I hope to fill up in Mukilteo tomorrow. Y'all take care.

This was a typical sight throughout Bellevue today. Yesterday's wind storm knocked out power to most of the eastside and Seattle. I was lucky to have today off so I was spared from most of the driving hell. I did go out to look for an open coffee shop. I didn't find any so I went home with my one purchase from Fred Meyers and then set up my camp stove to heat water for my french press. That really tasted good.

I took my new camera phone with me on my run today and this is one of the pictues I took. The downed trees I saw were on SE 16th St. and 168th Ave SE near Weowna Park in Bellevue. The damage is covered by the Seattle Times here and Komo 4 here.

Well, they've caught up with me. My lease ran out in September and I've been renting month to month since then. I came home last night after our school nursing home clinical to find the note I've been expecting. I have ten days to tell them whether I'll be moving out. There is no way I'll be able to afford what the rent is going up to. Any ideas out there?

I did a little fishing this morning before I went down to Orting to see Jesse and her extended family. I took this picture of the head of this Chum Salmon just before releasing it back to the Snoqualmie River. It was like reeling in a log - that swims.

Yeah, what Dave said. Read the rest.

"When you watch Baker in motion, don't think he's working for you. He's working for the Bush family, and more broadly, the Republican Party, Corporate America and the defense industry."

I have two days off from work but I'll be doing two shifts at the nursing home. For the class we are visiting a nursing home and a hospital. I need white shoes. The rivers are still a mess so there won't be any of that recreation. There wan't enough daylight after work today to run so I'll tomorrow. I've had enough of the wet leaves. Landscaping is sapping almost all I have. This chopped up entry is proof.

This is the first day in a while I've had to fish. The trouble is that the conditions are not optimal. There is a whole lot of rain coming, thus raising the river levels. I put together a few jigs last night and I'm anxious to try them out. I think we've had enough rain.

Hello. Tonight in the nursing assistant class we learned that we will be washing dead people. Dead people.

edit: we won't be practicing on dead people; in the course of doing a nursing assistant's job, the task of washing a dead person will come up.

Enough of the profanity. Some people just suck though. Here is my latest catch. This guy put up a great fight. I headed up to the river after work yesterday and as you can see I was rewarded for it. He cleared the water twice jumping. It took me a few minutes to get him to shore to see whether I could keep him or not. He didn't like the idea of heading toward the rocks so he tried to run a few times. This time I kept the drag loose so he wouldn't break my line, but I also had to be careful he didn't get himself behind any rocks he could rub the jig and line against. I made this jig. You can see it above his head. I measured him at 31 inches. I need a bigger cutting board and sink, and a sharper knife with more like him.

I had another mower stolen off my work truck today. Fuckers.

Hi all. Not many entries lately, just some pictures of dead fish. I spent all day up on the river yesterday and today I need to get some other things done. The river is low and clear which makes the steelhead shy to bite. I guess the rising rain waters wake them up, preparing them to spawn. Part of that process is that they get aggressive, biting at things that enter their area. This is where the jigs come in. The trick is in the color combinations and presentation. I've landed four so far. One was wild so it had to be released and the other one I let go wasn't quite the size I've been used to. I don't think I'll be fishing today, what with the contusions on my legs from falling all over the rocks and with me losing gear in the river and not catching anything. I need to nail down the upcoming BCC course, get some stuff mailed out, get some domestic stuff done and then maybe run with the group tonight. Later.

Here is today's keeper. It is a 30" female chrome steelhead.

This is a better picture by far. The other pic came from my cameraphone. I like that I can send it directly from the river, but the quality is lacking. I lost the jig and float I got it on after I left that hole. I'm meeting Bob and Eric up there tomorrow and I'm very tempted to go swimming for it. This fish kind of surprised me because up until now all that I had gotten had been snags. This snag moved. And then I was thinking, holy shit - it worked. It had always been the other guy who would pull one out of there. As I was walking out of there I was still a little surprised to have it in tow. Very cool.

It is very good too. Half of it is cooked. I marinated it with basil, garlic, lemon juice, salt & pepper and some store brand red wine vinaigrette. Oh yeah, there is olive oil in there too. Cous cous and some stir fry vegetables rounded out my meal. I could eat like this every day. I guess all that cooking I did stuck some. I need to learn the art if filleting better though. Y'all have a great week.

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I got one! It is a nice 26" steelhead. Finally.

I took this picture of the New York skyline about 20 years ago I think. Being September 11th I thought I would add my 2 cents on this anniversary. At about the same time I used to hang out some with Buddhist monks and nuns at the Nipponzan Myohoji Peace Pagoda and Temple in Leverett, Massachusetts.




Here is the Peace Pagoda,



This order of Buddhism is dedicated to peace. I was idealistic, yes, but I still think that working for peace with peace is a much more rational way to approach that realization rather than the fearmongering and senseless war we find ourselves in right now. 'make sense? Here is a quote I particularly like from Seth and Jane Roberts, in Susan Watkins' "Conversations with Seth, Book one" pp230-232:

"But when all the young men refuse to kill for the sake of peace, and when all the women forbid their men to kill for the sake of peace, and when you realize that no peace will come through killing, and that the end does not justify the means, and when you grow full and light with thoughts of peace, then there will be an end to war! But as long as any men go to war for the sake of peace, there will be war. And as long as any woman teaches her sons how to go to war because of love of peace, there will be war.

"You make your world. When you populate your world with ideas of peace, then peace will grow. When you think thoughts of aggression, you attract aggression and you draw it out from others in daily contact, and on the part of nations.

"When you do not understand yourselves, you project what you do not understand upon others - upon your friends and associates - and then you become afraid of what you do not understand, not understanding that it is your own fear. And you do the same thing as a nation with other nations. There is no way to ensure peace but for every man, every man, to lay down his arms."

...

"And there is no other way to have peace but to believe in peace"

Peace.

I haven't been updating much, but in my stead, read the article about post 9/11, which includes this:

"I remember thinking that one might easily write a book with two very different versions of how the world would respond to this attack on the West.

"One version would describe people coming to their senses about the ravages of war and the need to see the world as an interconnected whole. In this scenario, the endless photos of the planes crashing into the World Trade Center towers would propel Irish Catholics and Protestants and Central African Hutus and Tutsis and other historical enemies to realize they could live together and resolve their conflicts without slaughtering each other."

Bob and I climbed to Camp Muir on Mt. Rainier last week. I wanted to post a bigger picture than this but the next size on Flickr is way too big. This is a few pictures put together. It was cool up there in the 60's, with some wind. I think we were slower getting up there than last year. There is more snow in the Muir Snowfield but hazards still exist. Avoid the blue spots. You can hear water running underneath and the footing is poor. I have more pics to assemble.

I got my CPR certificate yesterday. Tomorrow I'll get stuck with more needles, hopefully finishing off my vaccination routine. The Nursing Assistant Certified course will start the 9th of October. More small steps.

Writing of "small steps," I'm going to try out my leg this afternoon. I am hopeful after last week's climb that I'm ready to start running again. Wish me luck. I need luck with the steelhead too. I might have had some bites yesterday, it's hard to tell. One of the CPR instructors was telling me about his steelhead experiences. He echoed the sentiments of others, that the first steelhead fight will be memorable. Without exception, this is what I've been hearing. 'hope so.

Y'all have a splendid day.

I headed up to the river this morning, but didn't get a bite. I saw two other people land some steelhead though. I must be doing something wrong. After that I went to the ESR picnic at Pine Lake in Sammamish. It was nice to see my them all again, if for no other reason than to show them that I'm not dead. I had to explain a number of times about my injury (I don't know much about it) and my current regimen of beer drinking, donut eating, work and some fishing. I've really made a break with the group, which I'd like to re-establish. What I've found is that I'm not the only one. The cohesiveness of the group ebbs and flows, much like the river.

Tomorrow Bob and I will be climbing Mount Rainier. This is our annual hike to Camp Muir. I don't have to run the day before this time (see "current regimen" above) in order to give myself a handicap. I'm not even packed yet. This should be fun.

I didn't make it out to the river as I had hoped. There is still the after-effects of whatever I had. I also had to make an appointment for a CPR course and some vaccinations/tests and then run back with my college transcript. I finally went to the grocery store, made food for the week and did my laundry. Somewhere in there I pulled Lee away from her Sammamish abode for lunch. It is eight now. Oh yeah, I also went into Seattle and picked up some weighted floats. I just have to darken the bottoms. Maybe I'll go back to one of the rivers tomorrow after work.

Here is another shot of Mount St. Helens, as taken by my sister. We would have had to have paid a fee if we had wanted to get any further. They were happy with what they were seeing. It is really quite a sight.

Jeannie and her two friends left yesterday after their brief visit to Seattle. They are members of the Red Hat Society. They went on an Alaska cruise and then stayed a little longer to visit me. Picture a ship of red hatted women whooping it up. The first day I immediately drove them out to Snoqualmie Pass in order that they get an idea of the local area. On the way back I showed them Snoqualmie Falls, Issaquah, Lake Sammamish, Redmond and then my place in Bellevue. Saturday we drove out to Mount St. Helens to look at the steaming volcano. The weather was perfect (as opposed to how I was feeling), except for the slight haziness in the picture below:



After a school related meeting this morning and then some domestic laundry duties, I'll head back out to the river for some steelhead fishing. This is the hole I'm working on in Index. No bites yet. Y'all have a great week.