Mailboxes

Yesterday, I climbed Mailbox Peak. It's "official" name is Garcia Peak, but nobody knows that name. It got the name Mailbox Peak because on top it has, get this, a mailbox.

Actually, now it has two. Somebody hauled up a new one, with "Mailbox Peak" written neatly on the side. Both are filled with postcards, sign-in books, etc. One had a Tacoma News Tribune from September 1. The first time I was there, several years ago, the mailbox had a Dr Seuss book in it, which was being used as a sign-in book. But that was gone now.

Also in the past, there have been a fire hydrant and a ladder at the peak. Yes, an honest-to-goodness super-heavy fire hydrant. At the bottom of the hill, there's a firefighter training facility, so I blame them for all the random heavy stuff. The mailboxes might've been anyone, though, I supose.



It was cloudy, but not rainy. Not a drop.

Portland

Well, I just agreed to live in Portland three days a week in November and December (minus holidays/vacation). Onsite construction administration, here I come.

It will cut into my burgeoning social life, but that was getting too crowded anyway. . . And I'll actually have time to sit down and work on my novels. No more new stuff. I must revise.

Oh, and the powdered-sugar-coated chocolate donuts from Aurora Donuts taste really good this morning. Especially with a green tea to balance.

Ow

Sometime last night or yesterday evening, I managed to twist my knee. Whether it was sleeping or sitting at my desk or laying on the couch or maybe it was doing pushups and situps for the first time in months (apparently not enough because my upper body isn't sore), I managed to hurt the tendons or something so now I limp if I don't walk deliberately. The pain is mainly from the joint backwards, nowhere near the patella. Odd.

I turned thirty and now my body is just going to pieces!

American Prisons

If you ever wavered in your belief that America's prisons coddle our inmates, let this be all the proof you ever need:

A New Hamshire man robbed a bank last Friday, then waited around for the police to arrest him and haul him off to jail. He had recently lost his job and wanted to be "supported."

Apparently welfare isn't good enough for him. . .

Notice to All Women

It doesn't matter how good you look standing still in high heels. If you can't walk gracefully in them, you'd be better off wearing rubber rainboots.

I mean, I see women clomping about like little kids playing dress-up with their mother's clothes. *I* can walk better in high heels than that!

Places You Don't Want to Live

Freedom House yesterday released a list of the most repressive countries in the world. It's really just the same-old, same-old, but it's worth remembering.

Belarus
Burma
Chechnya (Russia)
China
Cuba
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Haiti
Laos
Libya
North Korea
Saudi Arabia
Somalia
Sudan
Syria
Tibet (China)
Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan
Western Sahara (Morocco)
Zimbabwe

And to think the worst I have to worry about is my boss asking me to move to Portland for two months. . .

La Lune

Besides today being Brazilian Independence Day, my parents' 37th wedding anniversary (Happy anniversary!), and the Holy Day of Nanímo (God of Anger, Martian calendar only), today also has a full moon, a lunar eclipse, a perigee, and the moon occulting Uranus.

The eclipse is starting soon, peaking at 9:45 or so PDT, so nobody in the Western Hemisphere will be able to see it. Perigee means that the moon is at its closest point to Earth in its orbit this month, so it should look really big. The occultation of Uranus will only be visible (*not* be visible?) from Australia and environs. But if you have a telescope in the US, you should be able to spot Uranus just beside the moon tonight. And if you can't, you better return your Astronomy merit badge.

Why not Seattle?

In a Vermont town called Brattleboro, teenagers (of both sexes) have been hanging out in the nude all summer. There are no laws against public nudity, but some locals are concerned it will give Brattleboro a bad name and drive away business.

But I wonder, if teens in a rural blue state like Vermont feel free to walk around town naked, why does this not happen in an uber-blue city like Seattle? I mean, we don't even have any clothing-optional beaches!

This city is a lot more conservative than it thinks it is.

Cypress Island

Pack pack pack, paddle paddle paddle, unpack unpack unpack, set up camp.



Pack pack pack, hike hike hike, swim swim swim.



Hike hike hike, unpack unpack unpack, eat and sleep.



Pack pack pack, paddle paddle paddle, wait while other people hike hike hike, paddle paddle paddle, unpack unpack unpack.



Eat and sleep.



Take down camp, pack pack pack, paddle paddle paddle, rest, paddle paddle paddle, rest and eat, paddle paddle paddle, unpack unpack unpack. Whew!

Dear Mom

I made it home safe and sound last night at about a quarter to nine. Long trip, good fun.

And I have no plans to go salsa dancing anytime soon, but I might sometime in the future.

Beer

So apparently, Miller Brewing Company supports illegal immigration. Don't drink Miller! Or any of its sub-brands:

Sharp's
Red Dog
Icehouse
Southpaw
Leinenkugel's
Henry Weinhard's
Hamm's
Olde English
Magnum
Mickey's
Milwaukee's Best
Foster's
Peroni
Pilsner Urquell
Sheaf
Sparks
Steel Reserve

But I really want to know why anybody was drinking any of this stuff in the first place. Don't you all know you should be drinking Moose Drool (or any of Big Sky's other fine beers)? Or at least Pyramid or Bridgeport. In fact, last night, I had a quite fine Widmer Hefeweizen.

With all the fine northwest beers available (Mac and Jack's? Mirror Pond?), why would anyone choose a Miller, Coors, or Bud? Sheesh!

I feel old.

In Rice University's monthly email newsletter, the following headline jumped out at me:

Rice Welcomes Class of 2010

I feel old now.

Is it Friday yet?

?