I really love Seattle. When I’m here, I do mourn a bit that I moved away. . . but things always work out for the best.

So what did I do this week?

MONDAY
J’arrive. I didn’t sleep on the plane. I’m not sure why, but it was the easiest time I have had on these long haul flights. I didn’t have a moment where I was ready to fling myself at a door shrieking, “I don’t care that I will die! Let me outta here!” I did request the diabetic meal and I wonder if the lack of sugary stuff helped. I’m not diabetic, but when I filled in my traveller profile at work I had a flash of trying to be good. I read a good bit of my book, What is the What which is about The Lost Boys of Sudan and watched the films Letters of Iwo Jima (amazing.) Music and Lyrics (surprisingly cute with some great lines like, “I’ll show you the roof. It’s upstairs.”) and The Holiday. (sigh. Nancy Meyers really needs to be beaten for continuing to pour schmaltz all over anyone unfortunate enough to watch any of her films. One of the worst lines, “You know Graham, I just broke up with someone and considering you just showed up and you’re insanely good-looking and probably won’t remember me anyway… I’m thinking we should have sex… If you want.” Why did I watch it? Because watching one important movie (The Eastwood flick if you were wondering) on a 10 hour flight is quite enough. I guess instead of wanting to fry Ms. Meyers in a vat of chicken fat for her over sentimental, over wrought, overly verbose, over the top characters I should instead overly thank her for providing me useless, mindless and entirely forgetful flight entertainment.)

After I check in, I go to Mama’s Mexican Kitchen and eat an enormous plate of carbs covered in cheese and drink three margaritas. In bed at 10 PM PST (6AM GMT) I’ve been up for 23 hours. The beds at The Westin are amazing, comfortable things, but I would pass out even if I was sleeping on the floor.

TUESDSAY

I get up at 5 and do some work so people in London can get my e-mail when I send it. Take a cab to Redmond and meet someone that I used to know from Y! for lunch and have a quick meeting with a manager. Take the bus back to Seattle, meet Meredith and Stephanie for drinks and we have dinner at Wild Ginger.

WEDNESDAY

Get up at 6. Do some work. Walk down to the market and have breakfast at The Athenian while reading the hiring training stuff so I can get my head where it needs to be for the next day.

The words bleed into each other.

I decide to go to the café in Elliot Bay Books and study there. On the way to Pioneer Square I pass an Aveda salon and on a whim, I pop in to see if I can get a massage.

If you are ever in Seattle, go to the Etherea Spa and ask for Keoni. I know some women feel odd when a man massages them, and I must admit there is part of me that thinks, “Okay, there is a total stranger with his hands on my ass” but then I get over it. I walked out feeling like a million bucks and a bit spacey.

Tea at the Elliot Bay. I was good and did not let myself browse because if I let even a toe wander into the bookstore, I know I would buy something. Wander back to the hotel and I take a nap. Dinner, more interview preparation, bed.

THURSDAY

Interview day. Wake up at 6. Work. Leave the hotel at 8. Cab driver is very friendly and is concerned that I will be upset about the traffic on the 520. I reassure him that I knew it would be like this so I left ridiculously early to be safe. He asks me where I’m from. Give him my cliff notes. I can tell he is from somewhere and I guess Africa in my head. I ask where he is from.

“Ethiopia.”

Something the way he said it and also maybe because of the book I’m reading, I can tell this is not quite true but I don’t say anything.

“I was a refuge from Sudan.”

He gets me to the office in a half hour. Those of you that know what the 520 looks like in the morning know that this is somewhat amazing. I give him a good tip, which I probably would anyway but you meet someone who has survived genocide, it kinda puts things in perspective for you.

Interviews. I nearly choke to death during the lunch interview on a bit of lettuce which was embarrassing.

Bus back. A lot of people that work for my company use this bus. I can spot them a mile away. Sort of how you can tell the difference between an American, German and French tourist even before they speak. The bus also has WIFI, which cracks me up.

I’m in bed by 8.

FRIDAY

Up early for work.

Lovely lunch.

Meet Meredith and Scott.

Drink enough to make Dylan Thomas, Richard Burton and Mickey Mantle very proud of me indeed.

SATURDAY

I wake up feeling not quite right. Not a hang over- just not- quite- right. Like I can tell that I am probably going to need to go to the doctor for cystitis. Always pleasant. This is my punishment for not getting enough sleep, having a massage and drinking too much two days later.

Breakfast with Monica, we collect Stephanie and her boyfriend and Meredith and go to Fremont Fair  for the solstice thingy. Something I didn’t know about this particular event is that some people get naked. I didn’t see a lot of naked but there was some. Two young guys at least wore cod pieces. Stephanie dubbed him red sparkle crotch because his body was painted completely in red, was wearing a big red feather wig and. . . . his crotch was all red and sparkly. She got a great picture of him and a friend that I will get from her and post later.

There were also two older men that did not go the cod piece route. They instead painted their penis with the body paint. God bless em- but when we were sitting down on the curb eating our lunch, and they came bobbing along, you weren’t quite sure where to look. As one woman we overheard said, “I’m SORRY! But how can I not stare? Where am I supposed to look?”

Indeed.

When a 60+ year old man with droopy bits and bobs and grey hair everywhere walks by painted in body paint with special attention being given to their neither regions, where are you supposed to look?

Lots of girls where asking to have their picture taken with them. I did think about it, but I didn’t have the guts.

I buy some herbal stuff that I hope will make life easier until I get home and can get to the doc. I’m in bed by 5 PM.

SUNDAY

Awake by 6. Here I am, drinking a vat of coffee. I feel great so I think the herbal stuff may have helped me dodge a bullet.

The plan. Check-out. Meet Meredith for lunch, walk over to the Olympic Structure Park, Shuttle to Sea-Tac, and sit around for hours and hours, flight home.

I love Seattle but I am so ready to get home. I miss Stuart yelling at me for snoring.

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