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 :)
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Saturday, June 4, 2011
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.
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.
Friday, May 13, 2011
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.
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.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
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!
Sunday, May 8, 2011
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!
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!
Friday, December 24, 2010
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.
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 :-)
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.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Seattle - it qualifies as wandering if you didn't know those bits were there
When I was in college, I had a friend for whom college was the farthest she had ever been from home in her life. She did live at the college, and was a full time student. The house she grew up in, where her parents still lived, was 20 minutes away.
You can probably imagine, from the way I talk, that I had a hard time wrapping my head around this paradigm, even back then. At that point in my life (i.e. the fairly traditional age in college of around 21 or 22), I had seen between 15 and 20 of the U.S. states, large swaths of Canada, and England and France.
Since that time, I have been fortunate enough to see more of the U.S. (I think I’m over 30 states now, including Alaska), more of Canada, and a total 17 European countries (I think, I’d have to dig out my notes to be sure) and New Zealand.
I have experienced “Genericana” at its full-on worst. As an example, I walked into a major chain store – Walgreens, Safeway, whatever - not so long ago, that I had never been into before, walked to exactly the place I needed to be without thinking about it, then (because I was on autopilot) had a sudden sense of disorientation and literally could not remember which city I was in, since I could place this exact same store layout in any of four cities. Thankfully, once I could see out the windows at the front of the store, I instantly reoriented. This was a while ago, and I think the store was on the East Coast, where I’ve only been a few times in the last ten years (specifically, Florida, South Carolina and North Carolina). At least two of the other cities are here in the Greater Seattle Metropolitan Area.
Now, to come full circle, I had some interesting experiences near Seattle in the last two days. I’ve been in Seattle for about a decade now, and had visited a bunch of times before that, so I like to tell myself I “know” Seattle.
Yeah, whatever. That’s like the blind man claiming he knows what an elephant is because he felt the ear once.
Kristi is working on a film here in Seattle this weekend. It is filming in Madison Park (Seattle) and Bellevue. It is called “Spinning” and she is having a wonderful time. It is not her film; she is crew and learning a lot.
Seattle has a lot of little “neighborhoods” like Madison Park, Leschi, Belltown, Queen Anne Hill, etc. I think these used to be municipalities in their own right, that later became absorbed by “Seattle.” I’m not sure, but maybe I’ll look it up some day. I only mention it here, because it is germane to the scope of ignorance one develops when one’s view of Seattle is defined largely by the I-5 corridor. Sad, I know.
Yesterday morning I was driving along Lake Washington Blvd at 6:30 in the morning. It’s winter right now, so it was dark. By “dark” I mean “DARK,” because this road has almost no street lights. Even down in middle-of-nowhere Graham, we have serious light pollution due to the street lights and subdivisions spawning like rabbits. Lk WA Blvd has a lot of turnouts, so I used one. I pulled over, turned off the lights, and at 6:30 on a Saturday morning, the road was DEAD. I got out of the car, walked across the street to the water, and found some random why-the-heck-is-this-here-anyway dock that sticks out into the lake and just stood on the end for about 15 or 20 minutes. I just listened to the waves. Far, far away I could see city lights. It was a really wonderful experience. Only the bitter cold (I nearly slipped twice walking out because of the frost on the dock) and the creeping onset of dawn spoiled the mood by reminding me that there really was a city out there, not just pretty lights far, far away. I have come to think of Seattle as this great over-lighted sprawl, so this slice of “wilderness” was a wonderful experience.
Today, while going to someone’s house to pick up something, I found an unlit part of Renton. It baked my noodle all over again. Renton is nominally part of the “Great Seattle Metropolitan Sprawl.” (Really, if you’re in North Carolina, and someone asks “Whare are you from?” the answer is “Seattle” because they know where that is.) No street lights, just a big clump of houses out in the middle of nowhere. The view of the sky was gorgeous. It was, actually, even better than the amazing view I’d had on Lake Washington yesterday, because in Renton I was surrounded by trees that blocked the light pollution entirely.
Between the film Kristi is working on, and some social events with friends this weekend, I’ve had a lot of fun rolling around Seattle. Seattle and Bellevue are cities that are old enough to have huge areas that predate “urban planning.” It is really cool to drive through what absolutely feels like a residential neighborhood and every third or fourth door you see is actually a small business of some kind. Dry-cleaning, café, grocery store, video store, computer store, whatever, whatever, sometimes even a huge park with trees and paths and stuff. I grew up in the suburbs with their housing subdivisions, strip malls, shopping malls, designated recreational area you drive five minutes to get to, etc. The entire model of having the various stores and businesses that people need to live stuffed into odd corners of a residential neighborhood is still new to me. It probably always will be, since I just don’t live in those kinds of areas ;-)
Tonight, I wandered into an Albertsons store and had no idea where to find anything. It was wonderful – a brief respite from “Genericana.” Of course, I did find all the brands I’ve grown to know and loathe, but whatever.
Maybe I’ll go visit my friend SR again (I was tooling down Lk WA Blvd to get to his house). Turns out that just three blocks from his one-quarter-of-a-house-that-is-100-years-old apartment is a family-owned store that has been there since 1953. They’ve carved (probably re-carved) out their niche market by going entirely organic and specialty, targeting the very organic “hippie” crowd. Expensive stuff, but really neat stuff. And absolutely nothing like SafeWalRiteAlbMeyer! ;-)
You can probably imagine, from the way I talk, that I had a hard time wrapping my head around this paradigm, even back then. At that point in my life (i.e. the fairly traditional age in college of around 21 or 22), I had seen between 15 and 20 of the U.S. states, large swaths of Canada, and England and France.
Since that time, I have been fortunate enough to see more of the U.S. (I think I’m over 30 states now, including Alaska), more of Canada, and a total 17 European countries (I think, I’d have to dig out my notes to be sure) and New Zealand.
I have experienced “Genericana” at its full-on worst. As an example, I walked into a major chain store – Walgreens, Safeway, whatever - not so long ago, that I had never been into before, walked to exactly the place I needed to be without thinking about it, then (because I was on autopilot) had a sudden sense of disorientation and literally could not remember which city I was in, since I could place this exact same store layout in any of four cities. Thankfully, once I could see out the windows at the front of the store, I instantly reoriented. This was a while ago, and I think the store was on the East Coast, where I’ve only been a few times in the last ten years (specifically, Florida, South Carolina and North Carolina). At least two of the other cities are here in the Greater Seattle Metropolitan Area.
Now, to come full circle, I had some interesting experiences near Seattle in the last two days. I’ve been in Seattle for about a decade now, and had visited a bunch of times before that, so I like to tell myself I “know” Seattle.
Yeah, whatever. That’s like the blind man claiming he knows what an elephant is because he felt the ear once.
Kristi is working on a film here in Seattle this weekend. It is filming in Madison Park (Seattle) and Bellevue. It is called “Spinning” and she is having a wonderful time. It is not her film; she is crew and learning a lot.
Seattle has a lot of little “neighborhoods” like Madison Park, Leschi, Belltown, Queen Anne Hill, etc. I think these used to be municipalities in their own right, that later became absorbed by “Seattle.” I’m not sure, but maybe I’ll look it up some day. I only mention it here, because it is germane to the scope of ignorance one develops when one’s view of Seattle is defined largely by the I-5 corridor. Sad, I know.
Yesterday morning I was driving along Lake Washington Blvd at 6:30 in the morning. It’s winter right now, so it was dark. By “dark” I mean “DARK,” because this road has almost no street lights. Even down in middle-of-nowhere Graham, we have serious light pollution due to the street lights and subdivisions spawning like rabbits. Lk WA Blvd has a lot of turnouts, so I used one. I pulled over, turned off the lights, and at 6:30 on a Saturday morning, the road was DEAD. I got out of the car, walked across the street to the water, and found some random why-the-heck-is-this-here-anyway dock that sticks out into the lake and just stood on the end for about 15 or 20 minutes. I just listened to the waves. Far, far away I could see city lights. It was a really wonderful experience. Only the bitter cold (I nearly slipped twice walking out because of the frost on the dock) and the creeping onset of dawn spoiled the mood by reminding me that there really was a city out there, not just pretty lights far, far away. I have come to think of Seattle as this great over-lighted sprawl, so this slice of “wilderness” was a wonderful experience.
Today, while going to someone’s house to pick up something, I found an unlit part of Renton. It baked my noodle all over again. Renton is nominally part of the “Great Seattle Metropolitan Sprawl.” (Really, if you’re in North Carolina, and someone asks “Whare are you from?” the answer is “Seattle” because they know where that is.) No street lights, just a big clump of houses out in the middle of nowhere. The view of the sky was gorgeous. It was, actually, even better than the amazing view I’d had on Lake Washington yesterday, because in Renton I was surrounded by trees that blocked the light pollution entirely.
Between the film Kristi is working on, and some social events with friends this weekend, I’ve had a lot of fun rolling around Seattle. Seattle and Bellevue are cities that are old enough to have huge areas that predate “urban planning.” It is really cool to drive through what absolutely feels like a residential neighborhood and every third or fourth door you see is actually a small business of some kind. Dry-cleaning, café, grocery store, video store, computer store, whatever, whatever, sometimes even a huge park with trees and paths and stuff. I grew up in the suburbs with their housing subdivisions, strip malls, shopping malls, designated recreational area you drive five minutes to get to, etc. The entire model of having the various stores and businesses that people need to live stuffed into odd corners of a residential neighborhood is still new to me. It probably always will be, since I just don’t live in those kinds of areas ;-)
Tonight, I wandered into an Albertsons store and had no idea where to find anything. It was wonderful – a brief respite from “Genericana.” Of course, I did find all the brands I’ve grown to know and loathe, but whatever.
Maybe I’ll go visit my friend SR again (I was tooling down Lk WA Blvd to get to his house). Turns out that just three blocks from his one-quarter-of-a-house-that-is-100-years-old apartment is a family-owned store that has been there since 1953. They’ve carved (probably re-carved) out their niche market by going entirely organic and specialty, targeting the very organic “hippie” crowd. Expensive stuff, but really neat stuff. And absolutely nothing like SafeWalRiteAlbMeyer! ;-)
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