spectacles

002, originally uploaded by coffeejitters.

My new glasses. I'm still getting used to walking around with glasses. I've really been pretty lucky with my vision.

In Like a Lamb, Out Like a Lion

014, originally uploaded by coffeejitters.

The late March snowstorm caught our attention today. Snow is rare for Seattle, even in the winter. We took these shots around Wallingford and the U-district.

Time Management

My dad had a theory, he called it the "Schwartz theory of gasseous expansion," which stated the material in a room will always expand to fill the available space. No matter how big your room is, it will eventually feel cramped because there's too much stuff in it.

I was thinking about that theory and how it could also be applied to time as I was out and about running errands with Mom. Now that I dont have a regular 9-5 job, I theoretically have more available time. I've been in this position before and I remember noting the same occurrance - when you have more free time, your chores expand to fill your available time. It took ALL DAY yesterday to get the phone, cable and internet set up for mom.

There is no such thing as free time.

Alex and Timmy's Not-So-Excellent Adventure

My brothers, Alex and Tim, are stranded somewhere in the middle of nowhere Canada.

They left Alaska Thursday morning in a U-Haul vacuum packed with my Mother's possessions and headed South to the Seattle area. The trip can be made in three days if you have two drivers and don't stop to sleep. That is also provided you are driving a vehicle that has been maintained a little better than a U-Haul.

This little adventure has netted the boys so far (on separate occasions): brake lights out, engine light on, lost power, fuel line failure, lost second gear, RPMs won't go over 200. Responses from U-Haul have included repeatedly hanging up on the boys and one assistant manager stating that U-Haul doesnt pay him enough to drive out there with a new rig to swap them out. They did finally send a tow truck so now I'm hoping they'll get moving in the right direction.

Apparently we're not the only one to have trouble with U-Haul. A quick google search came up with a list of sites like this:

http://www.uhaul-sucks.com/
http://www.uhaulstory.org/
http://uhaulisbad.com/
http://www.ejovi.net/2005/08/25/uhaul-is-the-worst/




Update: the boys arrived safely a little before midnight Wednesday night.

The First Day of the Rest of My Life

Every morning I get a "leadership tip of the day" in my work email. Today's quote was particularly apropos as it's my last day at the office before I go back to school.

It is never too late to become what you might have been.

George Eliot

Registered for classes

I took my floating holiday from work to go take the placement testing and register for classes. I aced the writing and tanked on the math - no surprise there. I'll just study up on the math and retake the test next quarter.

I'm good to go on the classes. Ended up with literature, american history, and communications. now I just need to come up with the money to pay for tuition, books, rent.

I have a great deal of confidence that the money is just going to fall out of the the sky and land in my lap when the due dates roll around.

no, really, i do.

Shooting Dad

In the few short months between my trip to Alaska for a family reunion in August and my trip to Alaska for my father's funeral in October, I read Sarah Vowell's book Take the Cannoli. The book had been sitting on my shelf for nearly a year before I finally picked it up and started to read.


The first essay in the book was called "Shooting Dad," a coming of age story of sorts: a progressive minded young woman grew up in the middle of nowhere in a house full of republican gun fanatics, yet finds her way home to a reconciliation with her father during an outing that involves his cannon. Hmmm, could be the story of my life.



My dad was famous around town as the guy with the Moose Gooser - A cannon that he kept at the house and packed up to take to every home game and most away games of the Palmer High School football team, the Palmer Moose. He was obsessive about that cannon and spent hours loading the shells by hand before each game.

I went to one game with him to watch him fire the cannon. That was this August and it was his last game. I read Sarah Vowell's essay a month later and it was exactly what I needed to hear. No matter how extreme our political differences, he's still my dad. And I love him - and I miss him.

I found a version of the essay that Vowell had read on NPR. To hear the essay, select the link below. Vowell's essay on her relationship with her father starts at 4:30 (just fast forward right on through the first four and a half minutes) and lasts for about ten minutes.

The story is as funny as it is touching and well worth the time to listen to it.

shooting dad

Life Changes

I have recently decided to quit my job and go back to school full time.

I can't begin to tell you the relief that comes with that decision. The sensation of relief far out-weighs my terror over how we are going to get our bills paid, and each day I am more convinced that I have made the right decision.

This is going to be an interesting couple of years with both of us as full time students and little hope of any kind of financial aid. We'll see what happens.