Normal

A life back to normal. Busier than I'd like, but when I am complaining about not getting my eight hours of regular sleep, things cannot be that bad.

I do not know why I put that picture to the left. Maybe because I am neck deep with a local company that has been a life changing experience. As you muddle through life for years that turn into decades (and you wonder why you are doing what you are doing - feeling not unlike Sisyphus) and suddenly you look back upon the path you've taken, it all makes sense. I might be at that point right now. Many, many things are happening in work right now, but I usually do not use this space to go into detail. Instead I choose to talk about sunsets, motorbike rides, cycling and an ugly dog.

Another day, another triple digit loss in the Dow 30, and life is as usual. Considering roughly three quarters of the GDP is driven by consumer spending, the worst is yet to come. And considering that Christmas is when most retail sales occur, it will probably be a gloomy holiday season. My guess is a lot of media exposure on "low-key" gift giving this year. I know I probably will.

A quite cold day today (4* Celsius right now) but riding home tonight in wool and thermals, and still perspiring. Too early for wool, I guess.

Cleveland

So my friend came and visited us for the week. He was from Cleveland and infused his eastern vitality upon our otherwise quiet little home. It's always great to have visitors, but I also realize the longer I live in a mellow little seaside town in the Pacific Northwest, the more that my day-to-day lifestyle has become less stressful. Living in a town where 80% of the residents make less than $18/hr indeed has its pitfalls and elements of anxiety, but overall, a simple life is quite alright.

The picture to the right is where we met for coffee today to get some work done. Actually, the picture is from The Herald. I happened to run across it today online (as I have been rather remiss about taking pictures lately) and also happened to have coffee at this cafe - Caffé Adagio - here this afternoon. I believe it's the closest coffee house to my home and I thin kit's one of the nicest in town...and they make a great Americano.

Tonight was a ride home reminding me of winter's onset. Auriga and Pleides are rising in the eastern sky, and a brisk breeze put a chill in the air. Time to relax before traveling this weekend.

Home

Home again in Bellingham. Thankfully. An uneventful day spent on the phone. We broke away for the evening movie ("Up The Yangtze") at The Pickford. And the picture above isn't from a homeless camp in Bellingham, but of the family that was the subject of a touching quasi-documentary about their displacement by the Three Gorges Dam.

Traveling again this week. Back east. And soon, I believe that I might have an article published in a local paper. I just haven't been to town to get the October issue yet. And it's not online yet either.

Not much more happening here. Rain, clouds and later wind. Refreshing.

Vancouver II

Vancouver is a remarkable city. I wish more US cities could emulate the vibrancy and energy of a city with striking and bold new architecture and people clamoring to live in their downtown high rises. An interesting article compares Seattle to Vancouver - the former (in my opinion) turning into another behemoth overcrowded and poorly planned city of bland and soulless architecture and disappearing public space. Visit Vancouver and you see a striking contrast to many US cities. An interesting article article further describes this contrast.

But spending a day and night in sparkling Vanc was great. The youthful bustling nightlife reminded me of being in Montreal. And we scored a cheap motel/hotel right in town on Burrard that was very retro, yet inexpensive. Things that surprised me include the number of openly drunk kids (eighteen, I believe, is the drinking age), including the young Asian girl in an very expensive Acura that blew through a traffic light and came inches from hitting me; the number of homeless (not just down-and-out, but mentally incapacitated); and the fact that there were few places that could be found serving a decent breakfast. But the city bustles and I look forward to my next visit here. I'll take Vancouver over Seattle any day.

But on a sadder note, the train ride (which was very mellow and relaxing) struck and killed a bicyclist on the way home. The train needed to stop for a few hours at this crossing while an investigation was conducted. Many of these collisions are suicidal, I've been told. Not this one. But we got home around midnight, so it was quite a long few days. But fun.

Vancouver

Tomorrow we are heading up to Vancouver - the site of the 2010 Olympics, and the draw that will cast the media spotlight upon Bellingham (the closest US city to the south) and turn our beloved town into the next Mecca for retirees and anyone else looking to relocate to a city with seven months of drizzle. And if that doesn't entice them, then the multi-hour border lineups will certainly work. Basically all businesspeople here are banking on the effect of the Olympics on Bellingham. I personally like this town the way it is, and see no real improvement in the quality of life being enhanced by more sprawl and pavement and tacky architecture. If our city has trouble operating responsibly on what money it has, why would anyone think this problem would be solved by the need to offer more services on incrementally more revenues? But I digress.

Busy day, and looking forward to taking the train into Vancouver. The train ride is about the same amount of time I've spent sitting at the border, so relaxing and looking out the window should be quite pleasurable. I haven't taken Amtrak in years. And the round trip price is only $42, about the same amount I'd pay in gasoline. And what price can one put on inept border guards and the tedium of driving the same stretch of highway with the same angst-ridden drivers? The train should be a good time.

Oh, and the picture was downloaded from the internet. Definitely not the weather for Vancouver tomorrow. Clouds and rain tomorrow, and a bit of sun on Sunday. I won't be writing until Sunday, as my computer shall remain stateside.

Oops

I usually write every day. Some type of drivel. But not last night. There was just not enough time in the day, with our visitor arriving on Amtrak around nine. But having a guest from back east is wonderful. But the longer I live in a relaxed town like Bellingham the more I realize that I too have become more mellow. And with that I am okay.

Entertaining is fun, and you sometimes you forget living in a beautiful place until guests bring it to your attention. And you also just shrug your shoulders when they comment on how it looks like it's going to rain and your response is "yeah, probably," as you head outside realizing that getting wet is not so bad. And the rain today was refreshing, watching from a table at Avenue Bread. Although the sun poked through, but my guess is that the clouds will be for, oh, the next six months or so.

Another picture above taken of the front of the house a few months back.

Tuesday

"Call me elitist, but I'd take a Shiraz with Obama over a 6-pack with Palin ANY day." - A friend in San Francisco from Clarks Summit quoted from her Facebook

So this Tuesday was a day where my anxieties ran a bit high. But fortunately there are people (including your housemate) upon whom you can unload your drama. And fortunately my stress level in Bellingham is nothing like that which I experienced in past lives. Much of that was self induced, and changing the many lifestyle factors also helped (the biggest by far is not having a car and needing to bike everywhere). The day that I cannot freely bike to my destination of choice will indeed be a sad day.

Speaking of housemates, here is a picture she took a few months back before the snapdragon shriveled up due to my inattentiveness (including lack if watering). That's her cool bike in the background.