It's the eyeballs, stupid

119 degrees Fahrenheit. Why do people voluntarily live in these conditions?

We arrived safely in Palm Springs. So far, it's pretty, but I've only seen the airport, really. I must say, it's the only airport I can remember where you have to actually leave the building to talk from the terminal to the baggage claim. It was a very pretty walk, enclosed on the sides by walls and decorations. It felt very much like a theme park.

Now, the title of this post - they say it's a "dry heat". What that means at 119 degrees Fahrenheit is "your eyeballs dry out the instant the heat hits you." At least, my eyeballs do, so that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Here are some random views from our hotel, to give you that sense of "hot". Not, this area was previously classified as a desert - meaning no liquid water. But, apparently so many plants have been hauled in, including the irrigation and water to keep them alive, that it has been reclassified as sub-tropical. (Our source was the hotel shuttle driver, who has been here for fourteen years, so I'm inclined to accept what he says on this subject.)

Phoenix Airport, Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix Airport, Phoenix, Arizona, 8 AM, June 23, 2011

There are many reasons I enjoy the movie DOGMA, but one of my favorite scenes is Matt Damon and Ben Affleck sitting in the airport watching people. Every person has a story. Who are they? Where are they from? Are they traveling alone? What the heck where they thinking when they put on those clothes?

We have a two-hour layover here in Phoenix, so I’m having a lot of fun with that last question. Phoenix is a major hub for US Airways and other airports. It’s hot here, with very bright sunlight. There are a lot of people wearing shorts and lightweight clothing. It’s easy to imagine they are locals, heading out of town. The flipside are those wearing long slacks and jackets; presumably they came into town from Northern climates, like us, where it was cold at home.

We just sat and watched people for a while. It was interesting, looking at groups of people. We found a weird pattern where groups (i.e. two or more) tended to dress very similarly. Not identically (unless they were literally a social group with the group t-shirt), but patterns like “all short sleeves” or “all khaki pants”. Some of the patterns were loose, and others were eerily consistent, even among groups that clearly did not appear related to each other.

Off to the plane! More later :)

Rainier Independent Film Festial, Ashford, WA

Ashford, WA, is a small town outside Rainier National Park. Win and Sarah Whittaker put together the Rainier Independent Film Festival. I'm so accustomed to living in the "tree-filled" Seattle sprawl that I forget what real undeveloped country looks like.

The RIFF openning ceremonies were last night. Kristi's film, "Something Special," was the openning film. Warren Etheridge was on hand and got spontaneously tapped to do an interview with Kristi. They both clearly enjoyed themselves, but it was amusing how nervous both were.

It's been a good week

I haven't had many chances to post this week, and when I had time, the stupid blogspot was under maintenance or some other issue.

This week I've done the tour of the Capital Building, sat in the House Gallery, and the Senate Gallery (since I was in the building).

I've been out on the Mall, and the Smithsonian Air and Space museum.

Storming the Capital

Tour the Capital Building? Check!

Sit in the House Gallery and look at a big empty room beause they just recessed for a few hours? Check!

Sit in the Senate Gallery and watch Senator Franken get distressed by whatever he was reading while a dozen people milled around him, because apparently his committee or whatever was on recess for an hour? Check!

Wander briefly through the Library of Congress? Check!

Almost, but not quite, make it to Chef Spike's restaurant at 303 Pennsylvania Avenue? Check! (Stupid, frickin' "mysterious packages" had the entire frickin' block cordoned off!)

Have a great time? Check!

GI Film Festival in Washington, D.C.!!

We arrived in Washington, D.C., this evening. We're here all week for the GI Film Festival. This festival honors the US military (not necessarily celebrates, which is an emotionally charged word that can be misleading, but does honor the commitment, sacrifice and patriotism of the men and women in service).

We're staying at the Americana Hotel. Nice enough place. Walking around the neighborhood, the small building that is the Americana, and the age of the interior fixtures, gives me the impression it has been here far, far longer than any of the buildings nearby. Kristi coined the phrase "hotel envy" and I had to agree with her that the Mariott, Sheritan, Holiday Inn, etc. do look nicer. They also cost twice as much, and considering we're not planning to spend that much time in the room, it just wasn't worth the price of another set of plane tickets for the flashier hotel.

We walked around a bit to find the nearest Metro stop (about two blocks away, puts us on the blue line or the yellow line, so we have lots of flexibility).

We're very close to the Pentagon. It would be a long walk to get there, but it is within walking distance.

While our hotel shuttle was driving us from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (I believe this was the one blown up in Die Hard 2 - somebody help me out here), part of me kept thinking "Yep, it's a big city," but another part continued to see it as distinctive and unique. Every big city has it's own feel and flavor.

Tomorrow (Monday) begins the Festival's opening ceremonies!

Alaska - land of mountains, snow and Sarah Palin

Okay, we're going to ignore the Sarah Palin part, because even though we are in Wasilla and Palmer this week, that's really as close as I care to get*.

Alaska really is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. As a human-defined area (i.e. "state") it is also one of the largest. Alaska is the largest state in the Union, in spite of what the Texans like to think :-)

We are here visiting family. Kristi and I got married here, many years ago. We practically had to drag her kid brother here, and before the week was out had had apprenticed himself to a wilderness guide, and it was six months before he returned to Michigan to retrieve his belongings. (I love telling that story.) We are going to spoil his kids rotten, and then give them back to their parents :-)

After all, that is what Christmas is for, right? Spoiling rotten your under-10-years-old nieces and nephews? Ha.

The only downside to Alaska is the winter cold (the summers are warm). Our relatives picked us up at the airport (really, the only good way to arrive at an airport is to have relatives pick you up) and the thermometer in the car read "why would any sane person want to live here, anyway??," and then the gale-force wind gusts hit and and the wind-chill drives it down to "how fast can I get back on that plane???" (Actually, it said -8 degrees F, but I know what it meant!)

The gale-force wind gusts have been amazing, and I really have to admire the stamina of the trees as I watch them whip in the wind and wonder that the roof is still intact as I watch loose plastic bags and other debris fly past outside.

Okay, so I gripe about the cold, but I wouldn't trade a trip to Alaska for anything, especially at Christmas. It is beautiful up here, with the mountains, the trees, the valleys, the sky, etc. There is just something really special about it.

I do recommend that everyone make a pilgrimage to Alaska at some point. Ignore the former half-term governor, and focus on Route 1. Pick up a copy of The Milepost at your local brick and mortar bookstore (preferably a local mom-and-pop rather than a chain, some second-hand stores carry copies) and visit during the last week of May. The last week of May is the best, because the tourist sites are just getting geared up, but the tourists haven't quite arrived yet, so everyone is in a really good mood. Alaskans are nice people. It's also fun to tip them. Carry a lot of $1 bills with you, and pass them around generously. It adds to the atmosphere and is good for the economy :-)


* For the record, I dislike Ms. Palin because she is a disingenuous twit. I'm happy to discuss that elsewhere, and I will unashamedly nuke attempts at continuing that thread here.