The biggest luxury of my new apartment is the air conditioning. Not the fancy compressor kind. Seattle itself is a swamp cooler, especially on the underground side. All I brought is the fan. The whole apartment is a breezy 62° at all times. Having an entire separate room to sleep in – lap of luxury that I’m in – allows me to keep a permanently warm 75° den for just my bed, my clothes and my cats. It’s an interesting environmental duality. Gives me endless choices when it comes to yoga. Continue reading Conditioned Air
Category Archives: mur
Bad Sex
Since I’ve been in Seattle, I’ve managed to get laid twice and not lose my independence. I think mostly just to see if I could. I view myself as somewhat asexual these days, so it’s always a surprise when someone wants that sort of thing from me. I tried to play coy for a few days but my desire for orgasms is very real. I figure why not have some fun, right? My misguided motivation is probably why things didn’t shape up that well. Sort of like instant karma. Continue reading Bad Sex
Round and Round
Using the bus system to get around Seattle proper is easy. There are apps to tell you how to get places and apps to tell you where buses can be found stopping. The only thing I didn’t account for is my own insecurity on public transit. Continue reading Round and Round
Amazon Prime, NOW!
There’s an app for Amazon Prime members that offers a 2-hour delivery service in your local area. It should be noted, the app is rated T for teen. Because getting shit without exerting effort is how teenagers generally view the world? More likely they are marketing young so there will be an entire generation of spoiled brats who don’t remember waiting more than an hour for anything. I think that sums up about how vital a service like this is for daily living. Then again, it’s available in my area and they deliver food from local restaurants. So yeah, I’ll probably use it.
The part I find most disturbing is the public opinion expressed through, what else, Amazon reviews. Hovering around 3.7 stars, the people that laud the idea with 5 stars (41%) are appropriately awed at how fast and convenient it all is. Then there’s the 1 stars reviewers (32%) that either complain it’s not available on laptops or bitch about “hidden fees”, like tipping the delivery person. I guess these people have never had anything delivered by a person ever? Just because Amazon is offering the service doesn’t mean the custom of tipping has been obliterated. As the adage goes: fast, cheap, good – choose two.
The fact it’s only available as a phone app (in opposed to accessible via web browser) makes sense to me and honestly seems like a blessing. This isn’t a service you should use for everything; having it available at all times can only facilitate more impulsive purchasing. Most Americans are more attached to their phones than their house keys and phone use is far more prevalent in the younger market, which they’ve already admitted to targeting. So in general, if typing on your phone is too annoying, maybe you’d prefer to walk down the street and pick up your own loaf of bread. No? Well then pull out your phone, thank the delivery person and don’t forget to tip!
Streamline Tavern
Americana distilled, this dive bar apparently got ousted from their original spot on Mercer a year ago due to increased rent costs. So they picked up the bar and walked it one block over to set up shop in another dive spot that was about to close down. Timing worked out for everyone but the bartender confessed that it’s a sign of the time. Apparently a wave of dive bar closures hit Queen Anne recently and the two I’ve found are the remaining holdouts. Based on what I’ve seen, this place should be able to eke out another decade or two at least.
The entire place is lit by neon lights and Christmas lights scattered like cobwebs around the ceiling edges. It’s my second time here and I’m already chatting with the adorable bartender who also reminds me of an old friend. Maybe I’ve had too many friends? Of course, I met most of them while drunk so there’s still room to make an impression. The Wednesday night regulars are filtering in, filling the gaps at the bar. There’s a community of artists in the corner booth with paper and sketches spread out. Two strangers sit across from me watching TV over my head.
The pints of cider are $5 and there’s a coin-op pool table. Most of the patrons seem to smoke cigarettes outside, so having a dugout/joints with me will blend right in. I predict a lot of my laundry money will derive from visits here. “Uh oh, I’m low on quarters. Time to play some pool at the Streamline.” I wonder if they have a weekly pool tournament?
Lower Queen Anne
In this neighborhood I’ll never run out of things to do. It’s the perfect mix of ritzy hippie to allow an artist like me to occupy the basement units. I’ve developed a 6th sense for dives because at least twice I’ve walked by a place on my way somewhere, stopped, turned around and gone into the place. Both have been excellent. The Mecca, mentioned earlier, and now the Streamline Tavern. Continue reading Lower Queen Anne
The Lizzie Borden Chronicles
Terrible show. If I’d had to tune in once a week to watch that I would have dropped off around episode 4. And that’s only because I love Christina Ricci. I spent the entire first episode trying to figure out if Clea Duvall is actually Claire Danes. Watched the whole 8 episodes and I’m still not sure.
Overall it’s not a bad summation of the mythology surrounding the true story that inspired the show. The directing is in that fun retro-rock style with extensive slow-motion walk aways and piercing stares. Gratuitous scenes where she primly arranges her murder victims echos Christina’s early role as Wednesday Addams. This character just has an overdose of Prozac in the eyes. The woman in power dynamic and hiding in plain sight make her a lovable anti-heroin.
At some point, the writers ran out of true story material and by then they’ve pretty much killed off anyone with a speaking role. That’s when things start stretching. By episode 8 it’s clear they simply had no material to continue to series with. That said, I love the poetic justice spelled out in the final scene. Befitting of Greek tragedy if you ask me.
Wild Ginger
I successfully applied for my new social security card. To celebrate I’m trying one of the downtown eateries that has a $$ rating. It’s a swanky joint with reasonable prices and a heavy business lunch crowd. It must fit snugly into the petty cash budget. I ordered a hard cider served in a wine glass. The bar is separate, dark and quiet. Perfect for me. The dining area of 2 and 4-tops is bright and airy with floor-to-ceiling windows. There’s an upscale feeling to the place that leads me to believe I won’t get out of here for less than $35. I did say I was splurging. Continue reading Wild Ginger
Tinder
I met a great person over the weekend. He’s a nice guy that I really enjoy and he seems to like me a whole bunch in return. So I figure this is the perfect time to try out Tinder. Just like not going to the supermarket hungry, I don’t want to try out the most effective hookup app of all time when I’m desperate and lonely. It’s much easier to spot sketchy people when your self-esteem is recently boosted. It’s probably why getting job offers always seem to come in clumps too. Continue reading Tinder