Cloud

I heard a story once of someone describing the winter weather in Washington to a relative living in the sunny south: "There's only one cloud in the sky," he said. "It stretches from Ketchikan to Kelso." (The former is in Alaska and the latter is in the southern tip of Washington State.)

That is the type of day today is: Cloaked in light grey fabric velvet is the sky today. Beautiful. I had a breakfast meeting and wished I brought my camera, as the sentinels of Cornwall Park were absolutely beautiful this morning while riding my bike through the mist enshrouded trees on my way home from a morning meeting.

Back to work, with hopefully a productive morning, and an afternoon break to watch the Rockford Files on The Channel. This is the peak era of quality television programming - especially the glamorization of California (from an East Coast perspective) in the mid-seventies before it was raped in the eighties and trashed in the nineties. (Just my opinion.) Those are my nostalgic sentiments as I sit on hold on the telephone waiting to get a quote on shipping a big truck across the US via rail.

IRS

Another picture taken of the state park up in Birch Bay during the Monday ride. What a nice day and a cool ride on the motorbike.

It turns out that a friend I work with told me to think positive thoughts about things like the letter from the IRS. Sure enough, it was for a client of mine for whom I am the accountant of record. And just a standard letter at that. My friend was right - no worries. But is nice to think that right now a silly letter from the IRS is the greatest worry in life. Well that and getting labeled by a SUV while riding my bike.

I write this in the afternoon after a day of work. We had a meeting that all three of us bike to. The president was quite impressed that all three of us biked to the meeting. But the more I see the cost of owning a vehicle escalating, the more I realize how lucky I am not being enslaved by the silliness of owning one. But I digress.

Off to the food bank to volunteer in a bit. Then to a meeting for the Bike to Work and School Day.

And I do not know how the rating crap got on this web log, but I will try to eliminate it.

Another Day

I think after being on this planet for many years, I have finally come to the realization that there are things in life over which someone should not stress. There are people in Myanmar that are really in desperate situations and I am sure that the people in Arkansas and Virginia that were recently struck by devastating tornadoes are have a bit more to worry about than I do. Fortunately, Bellingham is in a place where we are protected from tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, and all the other horrible things in the world. Yes, there is an occasional earthquake, but fortunately there are few major faults (of which I am aware) in this area. The only trade off is eight months of rain and clouds, and the bone-chilling dampness.

But I try to convince myself that all is well when I need to retrieve a nasty-gram from the US Postal Service from the IRS tomorrow. What could the IRS possibly want from someone like me that has earned so little over the past few years? Ho hum.

But I am still riding high on yesterday's motorbike ride to the Birch Bay State Park. We stayed a bit too long watching the shore birds, and needed to rush back via I-5. It was fun riding along the interstate on our 1975 BMW motorbike with no faring and all the people in cars whooshing by us going nowhere as fast as they could. It was fun to have someone riding with me, especially when it is my cool house mate.

New Day

I am going to attempt to write on this web log in the mornings when I am fresher and it is a good way to begin the morning versus realizing at midnight, "oh crap I need to still write tonight." So I thinkthis will be a fresh start.

Here is a picture taken last July Fourth aboard a little twenty-two foot sailboat that I was sailing in the bay.

On a much sadder note, a wonderful relative of my cousin's husband that I met a their wedding last year in Philadelphia lost their 19-year old son to a sudden illness. I didn't meet the son, but did get to socialize with his father at length. Life is so fragile and every day is a gift. I think I will take a motorbike ride today along the bay. I am sure you will see pictures soon, as long as I remember to take the camera.

Showers

More rain. Supposed to be nice today, but it never happened. So tomorrow may be nicer. When the weather is like this things just sort of turn blah. And it was cold tonight. On my ride over to Fairhaven, I realized that I was wearing a layer too few. Although shorts mat be the preferred clothing of choice from this point forward. And it seemed to warm up into the evening. And clear up.

Not much more to say. Other than another cool picture taken of the tulips down in Skagit County by my housemate.

Moonlight

Here's a picture looking down the street of the little place I call home. I am lucky to have found Bellingham. Everywhere that I 've ever lived - people have always aspired to bigger and more. Bigger home, cars, paychecks and debt. I am glad that the general view in the Pacific Northwest is towards more modest lifestyles. But the clothing or equipment that people do own is usually upper end (things like outdoor gear, etc.). It is socially acceptable to a minimalist and place value in the person versus his or her "things."

I wrote the previous paragraph earlier. Now I just got in from my moonlighting gig and a friend picked me (and my bike) up (a surprise) - and off to a few bars we went. More the college or singles types of which I frequented many in a past life. But tonight it was fun to people watch and see the nightlife of Bellingham. Boundary Bay is more my speed, but the Callaloo and Royal were interesting places - I've just been to too many bars like that in my life.

And I did my part today to help keep Mother Capitalism strong and mighty: I spent a good chunk of my meager income tax check on a new half helmet, goggles, and used leather boots for my motorbike. I've heard that leather uppers on riding shoes are good to prevent your ankles from getting injured (or ground off into hamburger) in a skidding accident. But tomorrow and Sunday I will probably be riding it. More later.

Safety

Another day and an unfortunate cyclist's death here in Bellingham. A 17-year old kid pulled out in front of a biker cruising down the hill and killed the cyclist. The student was driving to school in the morning, and sad part is that the schools was a half mile away and was easily accessible via a dedicated bike path. And I wonder why two thirds of Americans and overweight and third are obese? Tough question.

But whether young or old, and whether on a bicycle or motorbike, you treat every car as though they do not see you and are going to hit you. Cell phones are worse, as these people are the equivalent of drunk drivers (not my conclusion, but that of the many studies that have been conducted). At least the drunk drivers are predictably out at certain times of the day or week, whereas the drunk driver equivalents (ie, cell phone users) exist at all hours of the night and day.

And my housemate told me today how much she hated driving compared to biking. I think I have another convert to two wheels!