Christmas Zoo

Managed to get everyone in front of the camera. Above you can see the resulting card...

Went to pick up "the" ham last night. Traffic was horrible - as expected but that it'd take an hour to get out of Ballard was more than could be anticipated. The drivers are also horrible, mamas in minivans or large SUVs trying to drive them like small souped up Hondas of the 90ies. People, get a grip, relax and we'll all get there safely and in due time!

Took the dog out to a friends house for some running around (dog) and coffee (me). Always nice to meet up and "reflect" before Christmas. And, to see some great decorations. Still have ways to go before we get there.

Dinner over at neighbors. Food wonderful as ever. So glad they are neighbors, but even more, the best friends you can ask for. Truly unique!

Weekend away in Znow...

Spent last weekend at a lovely place on the south slopes of Mt Rainier. Apart from being secluded, we were given the best wrap/massage one can imagine. Supposedly the mud in the wrap was "Moroccan Silk Mud", direct from the Atlas Mountains! The weekend was also the tail end of the very cold weather we've had for a while. Well, now all you up north, everything is relative, we rarely dipped below 25F, -4C, but is was cold for this part of the world where we normally have very mild and wet winters. The "wet" part came straight back after the weekend. We are now soaked and it is unseasonably warm. I really like white and cold winters (what I experienced in northern Sweden), but I also have to admit that this is not too bad. If it gets much colder, heating bills skyrocket due to the shoddy building standard/insulation levels here. Well, that part (insulation levels) will hopefully be fixed by next winter.

Zaturday

Day turned out much nicer than anticipated. Walked the dog to downtown for a cup of java and a chat. Nice to kill a few hours in the company of good friends and having a dog is always a good reason to actually walk - instead of taking the car. No major distance today, but probably 5-6 miles. On the way home, someone on the leash held me back. She must have been tired.

Sun came out. Lake was flat as a piece of glass. Boat should have been out, but man, it was cold. Have to wait until the "real" Christmas light cruise in a few weeks before thinking more about "being out there". Still have some work to do on the dash, and new wiring for the running lights. All in due time.

Back home, downed a late breakfast of oatmeal, student grub that never goes out of fashion. And, most important; it is pretty good for you as well.

And, when all this was said and done, it was now time to put up those (darn) lights. Went to the basement to pull out the two boxes that were nicely organized last year. Had four strings of "icicle lights" up last year on the highest roof line and it looked good. Guess we'll do the same procedure this year in that area.
Pull each string out of their respective bags, only to find out that several bulbs are out, gone, poof. Darn, why can't anyone making lights that last more than one season? But, on the other hand, they were probably only $2/piece, so one does not really have a legitimate reason to complain. Most would just have tossed them in the garbage, run down to the corner store and buy new sets. Not me, not time for the city dump yet! Replaced the burned bulbs with stuff salvaged from last year's "corpses", and once that was done, up on the roof. Sun's out, but it is freeeeeeezing cold.
Pull out, or rather try to, the strings that I so nicely rolled up and organized last season. Icicle lights look good once they are up, but are they a mess to "get out" and then also hang up nicely? Curse and promise myself that for next year, regular strings, w/o tentacles, will be the way to go. Just not worth it. Still cold up here. Better finish up and get down inside where it's warm and toasty.
Move the ladder to the front, pull an extension cord, and, voila, all lights are working and it does look good! Nothing compared to the effort of our across-the-street-neighbor/friend, but he cheated and had the entire family/army over to help hang his lights. Wonder how far he'd gotten by himself?
Anyway, will continue tomorrow. Still pull some strings around the deck, the trellises, and then also the boat (both because it looks nice, but also because it'll be parked in the street for a while and having lights on it will hopefully deter anyone that otherwise accidentally might run into it.

After coming back from a quick shopping spree over to "Freddie's" (nothing interesting, just staples) had to cross the street to let out/let in, count, and feed the zoo there. Out of town in Florida and it is fun to care for their monsters when they're gone. House looked like a train wreck, torn doggie toys all over, but no turds today. But, are those guys happy to see me! Finally found all four cats. Not sure how the last one got in, because I could have sworn that he was outside - staying there - when I walked in. He literally must have crossed my back. Good though that everyone's inside. They are all listening to "Delilah" tonight - as all the nights. Not my choice, but the master left that on when he left. Maybe it keeps them quiet.

Oh, one last thing. Our hated ISP (because of their high price), Comcast, have finally opened up the pipe and you can now have streaming music - both good selection and good quality (likely 192 kps or better) - flowing out in the house. Needless to say, my favorite channel is the Smooth Jazz channel. Never can go wrong with that. You just get used to it and get happy/good mood when you hear it. Pretty different from the Clash and Sex Pistols that ruled my days back in 1979...

Dinner at home, cleaned up the kitchen. Looked at tired animals at home (+tired wife). Looked through the window. Lights still on, no bulbs out - good. Time to hit the sack!

It's Znowing

Yesterday we actually saw the first snow of the season. It was not what we really would like to call snow, too warm for that, but it did for a while actually cast a shade of white on the green lawns and bushes. The weatherman tells us we might still see more of it over the weekend, so maybe, maybe...
And, of course the wet snow (it was really wet, walked the dog while it was coming down, got soaked) prevented ANY efforts in putting up those darn lights. Wife also wanted a "special" design, something along these lines - see here. Not sure if I'd survive that design for more than a few minutes. A bit too loud for my taste - albeit pretty lively - and Christmas is still far away...

Have also now formally after a wonderful hiatus and vacation gotten into the serious job searching mode. Polished resume, talked to head-hunters, and the like. Will soon start pester my local contacts once I've scanned the open postings and determined which ones are worth while pursuing. Should be good get back into "it" again.

If all bodes well, we will also take the boat out once more this season. A trip around Lake Washington to check out the Christmas decorations is always a worth while effort this time of the year. Even though it can be COLD out there. But, seeing everything from the sea(lake) side gives it a different flair. Argosy Cruises are also in December running “cruises” around the lake and they come around a few times singing Christmas carols. It is quite pretty seeing these decorated and lit ships, blasting traditional Christmas carols ashore. If you want to know more when and where these ships are to be found, check here.

Christmas or "just" Holiday?

Sometimes this country's political correctness can drive one mad. At the moment there is a debate whether this is "holiday times" and not Christmas times, whether the trees we raise and decorate all over are "holiday trees" instead of Christmas trees, etc, etc.
Bill O'Reilly on the Fox News Channel, a person that normally has pretty skewed views on most about anything, and someone who never lets his guests make a point, last night he actually did something really good;
He vocally pushed for Christmas being put back into Christmas! Finally, someone that stands up for a good ol' tradition!

I am no religious freak, or not really religious at all (but I would like deem myself somewhat spiritual), and Christmas for me is not really a religious holiday, but it is a holiday of peace, joy, family, food, friends, winter and snow, and a time of the year when we get to relax and reflect over the time that has passed.

It has gone way too far when stores starts to change their displays from "Christmas Sale" to "Holiday sale", out of fear of alienating or offending people. I'm sorry, but if you can't stand "Christmas" a few weeks of the year, this is probably not the place for you.

I would not like to go to North Africa, to find out that they removed Ramadan, just out of fear that I'd be offended by all the events during that time. Nor would I like to go to China and find out they cancelled the Chinese New Year, just because it does not match up with "my" New Year.
We are all different in one way or another, just as countries are different. They have different history, background, ethnic composition, geography, weather, location, political system, or lack there of. All those things are what make this planet so amazing. We can travel and experience different things.

How horrible would it be if I traveled to country X, just to find it exactly like "here at home"? Same franchise driven restaurants, same cars, same traditions, and same political correctness. No, when I travel I want things to be different. That both makes traveling fascinating, as well as makes it educational. By traveling to different places, or should I say “places that are different”, we might actually learn something while we are away having fun.

Some places we travel to are deemed “dangerous” by the state department, and that keeps the mainstream American traveler out. Not a bad things, since too many Americans (or Europeans as well for that matter) in one place has a tendency to destroy and ruin the “”difference”, the reason why we traveled in the first place.
If you just want sunny skies and fair weather, go to Florida or Arizona. If you want sunny skies and an experience for life, go to Central America, South East Asia, the Caribbean, or some other “sunny” spot on the planet. But, do not expect it to be “like home”. That said, there are many fascinating places in the US as well, places that are far off the beaten path, and places that are really different.

One case that has captured the (fascination of) American media over the past six+ months is the case of the missing girl from Alabama, Natalie Holloway.
The fact that the girl is gone, missing, not found yet, or whatever we call it, is a horrible fact for the parents, the family, and her friends back in Alabama. But, she went to a different country on vacation, a country that is not the United States, a country that neither has the same rules, regulations, or traditions as the United States. Therefore, neither should we expect its judicial system to work as in the United States.
As much as I support the parents in their quest of finding their daughter, or worse, finding out what actually happened to her, I am totally against any type of boycott or other means of twisting the arms of the Arubans in order for them to “adopt” US’s standards or procedures for their police and judicial work.
It is a different country, let it remain that and let the girl be found. End of rant!


After a wet week, we have started to see some spots of sun up here in the Pacific Northwest. December is almost here and for once, there is actually snow in the mountains. Maybe we can look forward to A ski season worth the name this winter, instead of what we’ve had in the past, warm and sunny times with snow levels almost not even hitting the peaks of our majestic and wonderful mountains.

Well, that said, the sun’s out, and that’ll likely mean that it is time to attack the outside Christmas decorations. I am not sure if it is due to historically cheap energy, or some other reason, but in most parts of the United States, we homeowners spend a lot of time and take pride in decorating the outside of our houses with lights this time of year. Let’s call them Christmas lights, even though most of them are popping up just after Thanksgiving, and disappearing sometime in the early beginning of the New Year. That is too sad, since the lights are beautiful and they’d be even prettier with some snow in the background, snow we rarely see any of until we are into January down here in town.

Well, enough of this. Time to actually set up those damn lights….:-)

First posting

Well, so it has finally happened. I have not only decided to, but also actually gotten a spot in Cyber Universe to post some thoughts and pictures. This will not be a very active place holder, but hopefully someone, sometimes will find these "thinkings" interesting.