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Aug. 6th, 2012 09:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gwydion* Obviously, I haven't had time to catch up with news and was already behind with the Olympics. I'm travel worn and frankly really upset at coming home to find out about the horrible mass murder that happened while I was gone. As a result, it'll likely be a while for world news, political news, and the weekly archeology round up to all get researched and posted. I'm not sure if I can handle Syria right now.
Most of this was written before I left and forgot to post. I wrote the travel bit before I turned on the news.
* The latest North Korea Post: http://greenwick.livejournal.com/126291.html
* "On Hate Chicken and its Defenders: the Chick-fil-a defenders:" http://www.sparkindarkness.com/2012/08/on-hate-chicken-and-its-defenders-chick.html
"GBLT people and their allies decided “no, we’re not going to pay for hate groups” and “yes we’re going to protest hate groups.” And these straight folks showing their arses with their hate chicken sandwiches and their rallying round Chick-Fil-A? What are they doing? Announcing that, actually, yes they do want their money to go to hate groups! They do hate the human rights of GBLT people! Or are they rallying to say no, actually, they don’t think GBLT people have a right to protest people who attack us. That we have no right to boycott?"
* Happy 51st Birthday Mr. President! http://transgriot.blogspot.com/2012/08/happy-51st-birthday-mr-president.html
* My Trip: I actually made it out of town within five minutes of estimated departure time. Of course, I was meant to get gas and didn't think of it until I was crossing our mountains. It was fine. There was enough in there, that I was safe to run all the way to Sedro-Wooley without real anxiety. (There's gas in the little towns, but there's often a hassle with poor signage and not many options, so given a choice I avoid food/gas toilet breaks in both tiny towns and big cities (Where it can be a hassle finding what you want and the way back to the freeway. With places like sedro-Wooley and Marysville, there's little chance of getting lost and you can get a choice of stuff within sight of the on and off ramps. East Cost readers: Highways out here have emergency rest stations, but they aren't full service like you get in places like the Jersey Turnpike. They are basically toilets, vending machines, a super basic hot caffeine station, and a chance for folks to nap if they are falling asleep behind the wheel. They don't have restaurants/gas/convenience stores/souvenirs. It helps the towns along the highway as folks riding the big highways give them the business, but it means there are stretches where you can go a long way between gas options. If you see a sign saying "Next gas forty miles," stop and refuel if you are in doubt, especially if you are crossing a desert. They really aren't kidding. It can be a major adjustment if you've done most of your driving East of Appalachia, like I had when I first came out here). Anyway, The traffic was pretty reasonable all the way down, and while there was the inevitable congestion from Everett to Seattle, it was moving congestion instead of a stop and go traffic jam, so I counted that a win. Mapquest was actually accurate (never a given) and Evilandi's place was super easy to find with zero driving around in circle. With Seattle, I always figure in a lot of driving in circles time. There was even a parking spot right in front of Andi's building.
We hung out and chatted while watching the women's marathon a while, but it was hot, so we decided to go see Total Recall in an airconditioned theater. (I'll likely write about that in a bit). We then had a delightful dinner at an Indian restaurant. I felt to was to early to go home to hot apartment, so I suggested we go somewhere we could people watch with a view. Evilandi took me to this lovely wooded park on the sound where we watched one of those "I can't believe anything can be this beautiful" sunsets with the breeze blowing the scent of sea and woodsmoke and tar. Perfect weather, a view so artistic an Impressionist would weep, and excellent conversation. We then went back and he let me look at his photoes of his Danube trip. Architecture! Art! Plague statues! Did I mention the Plague statues? This was right up my alley and the sort of thing travelogues tend not to mention. I really need to hang out with EvilAndi more.
It was, alas too hot to sleep, until finally the wind turned. I felt the first gusts playfully dancing with the artificial wind from the fan, smelling of rain, and my whole body relaxed. I did manage to get a few hours of sleep as a result and the rest of the day was at a perfectly reasonable temperature instead of sweltering as I'd feared. I had time to do my first set of meds and let them digest before doing the second with a breakfast bar which is a real help. I left myself an hour and a half to find the Doctor, as Seattle is full of one way streets, strange conflicting angles of the conflicting street grids, and you can't get there from here caused by the highway bisecting it, chaotic lack of rational urban planning, and various water related geography. It makes the city beautiful and gives it that lovely smell, but can make navigation complicated, especially, since I have seldom driven there, usually being on foot of a passenger in someone else's car. My mental map is specialized and spotty, mostly covering areas I've traversed on foot or by bus. The result is, I expect to drive around in circles a lot, having missed a turn or a wending, and trying to navigate back to where I was using the oddly angled streets. It's not actually being lost, as I know approximately where I am in relation to where I am supposed to be, but it means I burn more than twice as much gas and if I have to be somewhere at a specific time, I leave a whole lot of extra time. It turned out the Doctor's office was not in a stand alone building, but part of the hospital. Just like I budgeted twice as much gas money as I ended up needing, I budgeted a whole lot of extra parking money, so I was zen about using hospital parking. I will talk about the Doctor in my trans specific list as it's TMI and not of general interest. (If you want to be on the trans list and aren't mention it in the comments below). Despite all the circling, I was 45 minutes early and actually had tome to fill out the paperwork and do a little reading.
I then went down to first street to the Pike Street Market area. My plan was lunch and to stop at two shops. The place I wanted to eat isn't anymore (Out of business, moving, or remodeling). One of the shops is under new management and no longer carries what I wanted to buy. I was able to score a whole bunch of cocoanut pouchong and a smaller thing of a rooibos I like at least. I ended up going further down the hill than I like for food. The hill is super steep, so it's dangerous to go down and getting back up is very close to the edge of being something I literally can't do between my lungs, hips, and spine. Half way (to Post Alley) is unpleasant, but not as horrible and if things go really wrong they will generally let me use the clinic elevator. The Patissrie smelled wonderful, but they had no vegetarian sandwiches, so I had a piroshk and a decadent pastry for dessert. I went back to my car on the other side of the street and gimped into a shop on a whim, expecting just to look, but found something I wanted, but never expected to have, and something I needed. I also had the money to buy, having bought a cheaper lunch and not having been able to score the hazelnut chocolate tea from the shop that changed owners. There was hardly any drama getting back on the freeway, as I knew approximately where the exit was, though graffiti made distinguishing North from South was harder than it needed to be. The drive home went smoothly enough with traffic mostly going at speed, no accidents, and only one speed trap.
There was more than enough gas left, and as I was under budget all around, I had enough left for flea meds for beasties. I gave the clowder a long pet, fed the fish, and had a nice long nap. I'm achy and tired, but it was an excellent and productive trip.
* "Glee: Connecting the dots on the Warblers’ fall:" http://lettersfromtitan.com/2012/08/04/glee-connecting-the-dots-on-the-warblers-fall/
* So I've been watching a lot of the New Whos as they rerun on BBCA. The thing that eventually happens to Donna is brutal and Heartbreaking and pretty much the worst, right? But going back and watching her whole run? Damn. It's one horrible hammering after another for her. Consider for a Second the end of the Silence in the Library and what she loses or the grim reality of Turn Left. Ouch, fucking ouch. Admittedly, this is the sort of thing I routinely do to my characters, and it's a perfectly reasonable thing to do in any art form. It's just I've also been watching Rose, Martha, Amy, and Jo Grant (Pertwee). I can't speak to the seventh or 8th Doctor but with that caveat, I can't think of any other companion who's story was near as dark, and that includes what happens to Adric, something that broke my heart when it happened in real time. That is some brutal stuff taken in aggregate. Like Torchwood brutal. No wonder I loved it.
Most of this was written before I left and forgot to post. I wrote the travel bit before I turned on the news.
* The latest North Korea Post: http://greenwick.livejournal.com/126291.html
* "On Hate Chicken and its Defenders: the Chick-fil-a defenders:" http://www.sparkindarkness.com/2012/08/on-hate-chicken-and-its-defenders-chick.html
"GBLT people and their allies decided “no, we’re not going to pay for hate groups” and “yes we’re going to protest hate groups.” And these straight folks showing their arses with their hate chicken sandwiches and their rallying round Chick-Fil-A? What are they doing? Announcing that, actually, yes they do want their money to go to hate groups! They do hate the human rights of GBLT people! Or are they rallying to say no, actually, they don’t think GBLT people have a right to protest people who attack us. That we have no right to boycott?"
* Happy 51st Birthday Mr. President! http://transgriot.blogspot.com/2012/08/happy-51st-birthday-mr-president.html
* My Trip: I actually made it out of town within five minutes of estimated departure time. Of course, I was meant to get gas and didn't think of it until I was crossing our mountains. It was fine. There was enough in there, that I was safe to run all the way to Sedro-Wooley without real anxiety. (There's gas in the little towns, but there's often a hassle with poor signage and not many options, so given a choice I avoid food/gas toilet breaks in both tiny towns and big cities (Where it can be a hassle finding what you want and the way back to the freeway. With places like sedro-Wooley and Marysville, there's little chance of getting lost and you can get a choice of stuff within sight of the on and off ramps. East Cost readers: Highways out here have emergency rest stations, but they aren't full service like you get in places like the Jersey Turnpike. They are basically toilets, vending machines, a super basic hot caffeine station, and a chance for folks to nap if they are falling asleep behind the wheel. They don't have restaurants/gas/convenience stores/souvenirs. It helps the towns along the highway as folks riding the big highways give them the business, but it means there are stretches where you can go a long way between gas options. If you see a sign saying "Next gas forty miles," stop and refuel if you are in doubt, especially if you are crossing a desert. They really aren't kidding. It can be a major adjustment if you've done most of your driving East of Appalachia, like I had when I first came out here). Anyway, The traffic was pretty reasonable all the way down, and while there was the inevitable congestion from Everett to Seattle, it was moving congestion instead of a stop and go traffic jam, so I counted that a win. Mapquest was actually accurate (never a given) and Evilandi's place was super easy to find with zero driving around in circle. With Seattle, I always figure in a lot of driving in circles time. There was even a parking spot right in front of Andi's building.
We hung out and chatted while watching the women's marathon a while, but it was hot, so we decided to go see Total Recall in an airconditioned theater. (I'll likely write about that in a bit). We then had a delightful dinner at an Indian restaurant. I felt to was to early to go home to hot apartment, so I suggested we go somewhere we could people watch with a view. Evilandi took me to this lovely wooded park on the sound where we watched one of those "I can't believe anything can be this beautiful" sunsets with the breeze blowing the scent of sea and woodsmoke and tar. Perfect weather, a view so artistic an Impressionist would weep, and excellent conversation. We then went back and he let me look at his photoes of his Danube trip. Architecture! Art! Plague statues! Did I mention the Plague statues? This was right up my alley and the sort of thing travelogues tend not to mention. I really need to hang out with EvilAndi more.
It was, alas too hot to sleep, until finally the wind turned. I felt the first gusts playfully dancing with the artificial wind from the fan, smelling of rain, and my whole body relaxed. I did manage to get a few hours of sleep as a result and the rest of the day was at a perfectly reasonable temperature instead of sweltering as I'd feared. I had time to do my first set of meds and let them digest before doing the second with a breakfast bar which is a real help. I left myself an hour and a half to find the Doctor, as Seattle is full of one way streets, strange conflicting angles of the conflicting street grids, and you can't get there from here caused by the highway bisecting it, chaotic lack of rational urban planning, and various water related geography. It makes the city beautiful and gives it that lovely smell, but can make navigation complicated, especially, since I have seldom driven there, usually being on foot of a passenger in someone else's car. My mental map is specialized and spotty, mostly covering areas I've traversed on foot or by bus. The result is, I expect to drive around in circles a lot, having missed a turn or a wending, and trying to navigate back to where I was using the oddly angled streets. It's not actually being lost, as I know approximately where I am in relation to where I am supposed to be, but it means I burn more than twice as much gas and if I have to be somewhere at a specific time, I leave a whole lot of extra time. It turned out the Doctor's office was not in a stand alone building, but part of the hospital. Just like I budgeted twice as much gas money as I ended up needing, I budgeted a whole lot of extra parking money, so I was zen about using hospital parking. I will talk about the Doctor in my trans specific list as it's TMI and not of general interest. (If you want to be on the trans list and aren't mention it in the comments below). Despite all the circling, I was 45 minutes early and actually had tome to fill out the paperwork and do a little reading.
I then went down to first street to the Pike Street Market area. My plan was lunch and to stop at two shops. The place I wanted to eat isn't anymore (Out of business, moving, or remodeling). One of the shops is under new management and no longer carries what I wanted to buy. I was able to score a whole bunch of cocoanut pouchong and a smaller thing of a rooibos I like at least. I ended up going further down the hill than I like for food. The hill is super steep, so it's dangerous to go down and getting back up is very close to the edge of being something I literally can't do between my lungs, hips, and spine. Half way (to Post Alley) is unpleasant, but not as horrible and if things go really wrong they will generally let me use the clinic elevator. The Patissrie smelled wonderful, but they had no vegetarian sandwiches, so I had a piroshk and a decadent pastry for dessert. I went back to my car on the other side of the street and gimped into a shop on a whim, expecting just to look, but found something I wanted, but never expected to have, and something I needed. I also had the money to buy, having bought a cheaper lunch and not having been able to score the hazelnut chocolate tea from the shop that changed owners. There was hardly any drama getting back on the freeway, as I knew approximately where the exit was, though graffiti made distinguishing North from South was harder than it needed to be. The drive home went smoothly enough with traffic mostly going at speed, no accidents, and only one speed trap.
There was more than enough gas left, and as I was under budget all around, I had enough left for flea meds for beasties. I gave the clowder a long pet, fed the fish, and had a nice long nap. I'm achy and tired, but it was an excellent and productive trip.
* "Glee: Connecting the dots on the Warblers’ fall:" http://lettersfromtitan.com/2012/08/04/glee-connecting-the-dots-on-the-warblers-fall/
* So I've been watching a lot of the New Whos as they rerun on BBCA. The thing that eventually happens to Donna is brutal and Heartbreaking and pretty much the worst, right? But going back and watching her whole run? Damn. It's one horrible hammering after another for her. Consider for a Second the end of the Silence in the Library and what she loses or the grim reality of Turn Left. Ouch, fucking ouch. Admittedly, this is the sort of thing I routinely do to my characters, and it's a perfectly reasonable thing to do in any art form. It's just I've also been watching Rose, Martha, Amy, and Jo Grant (Pertwee). I can't speak to the seventh or 8th Doctor but with that caveat, I can't think of any other companion who's story was near as dark, and that includes what happens to Adric, something that broke my heart when it happened in real time. That is some brutal stuff taken in aggregate. Like Torchwood brutal. No wonder I loved it.