work and stuffies

so where have i been lately? work. work has now effectively taken up just about all my weekly hours. basically i get to school around 7:30am and don't leave until about 6:30 everyday. usually i get home around 7 or 7:30 because i've been trying to take the bus home. by that time i'm hungry and so tired, so i eat dinner and am in bed by 9:30... repeat, repeat, repeat. i'm pretty exhausted.

but, the good news is that i really like it. the kids are cool (for the most part), and the teachers are excellent. i was nervous before about how much i would actually be able to teach, but i have already done some large group lessons as well as a lot of small group and 1:1 work. i'm very impressed with how the school is really able to challenge each student, at all levels, in particular in math. those math vitamins are really great!

now, of course the downside to all of this challenge for the students is that it takes a lot of time for the teachers to think of an idea, plan, write, edit, try out, create a brainstretcher, type up, then write on the board... almost one per day. needless to say, there are a ton of planning meetings. every week we have: a resident meeting, a first floor meeting, a tower (which is the first and second floors) meeting, a whole school meeting, at least two 2/3 planning meetings, and of course daily informal meetings during lunch. we literally have one planning period during the entire week... for one hour on thursday. there are tons of specials that the kids go to, but we only send half the class at a time, which leaves the other half to work with in small groups. i think that will be really neat, and give a lot of valuable instruction time, but it means "up time" all day long.

so that's where i've been....
that, and making stuffies!!!

so i bought a book that has all sorts of really cute patterns for sewing small Japanese "mascot dolls". i bought it for mary. so like any gift, you really should try it out to be sure, absolutely sure, the other person will like it. and that's what i've done.


this is my first attempt... before i had a sufficient felt supply. (trust me, now i have a sufficient stock!) his body is made of wool roving and needle felted into a rough body shape. he's a little more homely in real life than the picture lets on...
here is bunny, my third creation. he's pretty cute, i think. they are only about 2-3 inches tall. i just noticed his little pot belly!

here's panda, the really adorable one. his legs are stuffed into the keyboard, and his ears blend into the background, but isn't he a cutie?!

mary, i'll have to do a few more just to be sure you'll like it.... :)

Nefarious Agents: Redux

I'm on the phone, at this very moment, with a Geek Squad Agent. She has not only said that the agent in the store was wrong, but that "it sounds like he's trying to make a few bucks".

Fantastic.

I'm about to work on getting some kind of assurance that there is no reason for them to work on, access, throw out, or worship as an unholy object, my hard drive.

I'll take a moment, since I'm on hold and being treated to a very cool, if too short, action-techno-something-matrix, to defend the agent at the store. It's entirely possible that he was told that I could lose all my data, and that he's just trying to help me out. It's also possible there were extenuating circumstances I didn't witness the other day when an old man walked in saying they had taken one of his cables, to which the agents in the store replied that he must have dropped it on the way out to the car. Which maybe he did, but since it's not a far walk, I think there were myriad opportunities to try and ensure customer satisfaction there. But it's not like they can give out free cables, like they just did to the girl in the tight shirt in line before me, smiling and saying it's no problem, she didn't need to pay for it, he has another. Now, in my two times here, I've only seen the agent interact with about 6 customers (including myself), but this was the first time I saw him shake someone's hand and make chit-chat. She probably buys a lot of hardware there. A lot.

So I just talked to "Rob". "Rob" says to tell the agents at Best Buy that he said he'll call me if there's a problem. Just call "Rob". Who Geek Squad has hired, knowing that they would never allow another employee to take that name. When I said that was great, and that the agent in the store said he wouldn't call me, "Rob" said he'd need to talk to his supervisor.

Great googly-moogly! People, just don't screw with my freaking drive! Can we do that. Can we say "We won't touch your hard drive, no matter, what. If we can't fix the problem without touching your hard drive, we'll just send it back. Really it's no big deal to us." No. No we can't. Fascists.

"Rob" is back! Great! And...each store has a different policy? And, now he can't guarantee they'll call me? And there is no Santa Claus?

Crap.

OK, people. You win. I'm backing up my data, and then I'm going to a Best Buy, and I'm handing over my computer. And so help me, if you for some reason erase my data, I'm going to turn my incredible (and delectable) brains from the task of music education to corporate finance, and one day I will own you.

From there I will use your capital mercilessly, regardless of the harm it does to your company, buying pieces of other companies, and selling them off, leaving in my wake a barren landscape dotted with the ruined remains of various corporations, until I hold more wealth thought possible by man.

I'll further use my wealth and standing to invest in foreign powers, manipulating their governments and people around the globe, causing civil unrest and amassing even more power, wresting it from the innocent and guilty alike.

Finally, having complete control of the world's resources, I will ensure humanity's doom, and, if necessary, the destruction of the planet itself.

Do not allow this to happen, Best Buy. Don't screw with my hard drive.

On Best Buy, Geek Squad, and Nefarious Dealings

Case File #375: The Nefarious Agent Dilemma (or, NAD)

Background: Over a year ago, I bought a laptop from Best Buy. Knowing that I'd be bringing this back and forth to work every weekday, I paid for a three year extended warranty that would "fix anything that happens to it, short of you (me) pounding nails through it on purpose"¹. I should state that I have never tested this extreme by accidentally pounding nails through my laptop, though in case any of you scoff at such an idea, I should point out that I have accidentally nailed a backdrop to a stage, accidentally sawed into a table (with a hand saw, not a power saw), and accidentally received a 3.98 one semester when I handed in all my final exams late, ranging from 2 weeks to 3 months (one professor called that "unusual", and gave me my only A-, resulting in a 3.98 instead of a 4.0)².

I have, however, tested the basic premise of this, approximately one year ago, when my power input ceased to function in the proper way. It was still really good at getting incredibly hot, so much so that the cable on my power supply is a little melted, but its primary function, that is, delivering power in any way to my laptop, started to be as successful political ethical reform in New Jersey³.

I was pleased that I got exactly the service I paid for, though it seemed excessive to me that they, according to their agent, had to replace the whole motherboard. Please note that no mention of warnings, possible problems, or anything similar were given to me before, during, or after this process. In other words, this background has no NADs.

Current Proceedings: My laptop exterior has begun to split apart. While it still functions properly, and I've used it for some time, I'm worried since the damage seems to be progressing. I did not get it fixed during the school year because after my desktop died⁴ I had no way of actually doing any work without it. This summer had been too busy, but now that I bask in the joy of unemployment while my girlfriend works from 7:30 am - 6:00 pm every day, I figure I can spare a little time⁵.

So I traveled to a Best Buy, and therein approached their resident Geek Squad Station. Little did I know I was about to confront a NAD.

I should have been tipped off! While waiting in line, this agent advised a woman ahead of me that there was a problem with her motherboard on her current desktop, and the only solution was to purchase a new machine. From Best Buy. And then, because all their machines have Windows Vista on them, and the lady did not previously have Vista, she'll have to purchase all new software. From Best Buy. And she'll have to have all her old files transferred over to the new machine. For $99. From Best Buy. Or Something⁶.

I should have said something to the woman, perhaps, but I was a little stunned, next in line, and not completely sure of myself. For example, I think that with the help of someone with some computer expertise, she could probably just install a new motherboard. Worse case scenario, this person fails, and she's out one motherboard, which on pricewatch.com ranges from about $300 to about $30, depending on your needs. I also think that Vista might be backwards compatible (4th paragraph in) with some Windows XP software, but then again I don't know what she was running. Finally, I'd imagine someone supposedly knowledgeable in computer hardware could install her old hard drive as a second drive in her new computer, so she could access them without paying for a transfer and ending up with a drive she won't know what to do with.

Nah.

So I approach the agent next, unaware that a NAD was looming, just out of sight, behind the counter. I tell him my problem, and he informs me that the problem can be fixed, but I'll want to have my data backed up first. For $99. Or, if I'm up to it, if I think I can master the challenge, scale that peak which is data retention, and yea, burn something to a CD, then I'm welcome to do it myself.

Wait, what?

My exterior is broken. Yes, but they'll want to fix it in the fastest way possible. But the problem is around the monitor. Yes, but if they decide to replace the hard drive, I'll get a new one back and have lost everything. Why on earth would they provide me with a new hard drive for a broken exterior?

Because in some cases, the fastest way to fix a broken computer is not to put your hard drive in a working computer and send it to you, but to put a new hard drive in your broken, old computer, and then extort you in any way possible⁷.

So, according to the Geek Squad employee at this Best Buy, company policy is to issue a warning that your hard drive might at any moment be removed and sacrificed to some ancient god⁸ the second it leaves your hands, without warning, consent, or particular attention to personal hygiene (he was kinda oily).

Recent Developments: Not taking this NAD lying down, I took my computer home. This morning I called the national hot line and told a very nice lady my tale of woe. Her immediate response was "Um, I don't think that's a company policy. Can I go talk to my supervisor?" I always like it when people like that ask me permission. It makes me feel as though I could say "No! Now pray with me, to the great god Odin!" Luckily for her, I kept my proselytizing in check, unlike certain Evangelical Christian Cadets at the United States Air Force Academy. When she was back from her conference, she informed me that in fact saying that the hard drive needed to be backed up was not company policy, and that if the people servicing my laptop decided they needed to to anything to the hard drive, they would have to contact me and get my permission before doing so.

I immediately felt relief that this agent solved my dilemma, instead of presenting me with another NAD.

Conclusion: I head back to Best Buy today. I feel better armed with this knowledge, and if I encounter any more NADs, I will deal with them in the appropriate manner. I also feel better about the Geek Squad as a company, since this is probably just the doing of a single employee, and not the result from a culture in higher management, demanding that they make as much money as possible, and leaving it up to the people on the "ground" to figure out how, regardless of ethics.

Besides, they've never had any other NADs.

Have you ever had to deal with some NADs⁹? Tell us your tale in the comments section!

1.Random Best Buy employee
2.Curse him!
3.Topical, and funny.
4.The horror! The horror!
5.Don't hurt me, sweetie!
6.Ok, what he really said was, approximately, "You'll need a new computer. And since ours only have Vista, you'll need new software. And you'll need your old files transferred, for $99 up to 9 gigs." Then he sprouted devil horns and danced a merry jig while a choir of damned souls rose around him and sang a song of despair and agony in their joyless counterpoint.
7.This is actually proven by Dijkstra's algorithm, if by "Dijkstra" you mean "Best Buy" and if by "algorithm" you mean "taking all your money and laughing at you and then beating you up and laughing some more and then pulling down your pants in front of the whole school so they all laugh at you, and then you get in trouble for it and they never do."
8.Mercury/Hermes was known, in part, as a god of profit.
9.There were 9 in all. Kinda clever, huh?

blogging is hard!

and we have several posts "in the works". in the mean time, however, I'm here to distract you with a little flash and sparkle.

Algorithm March

There now, wasn't that nice?

As I was saying, blogging is difficult. Actually, i was saying it was hard. There's always the temptation to fill the page with foolish crapola, hoping you keep a readership after you haven't posted in a week and a half. Of course, you'd never know if anyone read the thing anyway, because no one except your mother leaves comments...

So! What have we got coming up? A part two, on food and shelves. Homemade stuffed animals, the moon, and various and sundry activities that remain undefined. Like dividing by zero.

Stay tuned! Actual content will be up sooner than you'd think! I hope!

On the Matter of Food and Shelves

To begin:

Food! How I adore thee!
Mellow sauce, and tempting leek!
Thy savor has no bounds to see
what once it was, when raw, and meek.

Now flavor cascades from thee!
Herbs and meat, ground with care!
The spiciest among you will be,
later, burning my derrière.



Ahh! Is it aliens! Is it some horror, forgotten through time's cruel progress? Could it be some manifestation of Cthulu himself???

Oh. It's artistic pictures of blackberries.

These are the beginnings of shelves. I would like to point out, at this juncture, that not only do I have no idea what I'm doing, but that I like to start every project with the firm belief that failure is just around the corner.

'Zounds! They grow higher, these shelf-y delights!
Soon we'll have books reaching heretofore unbeknownst heights!
Yes, the meter is shot. But how often do I get heretofore and unbeknownst together?)

Thy fine and supple extremity
To which though hast applied
Not only to my drawn-wide eye
But to my heart, it glides.

Check out the good form with the power tool! And the poem is about my leg... not my bunion... don't look at it...

(yes, every bit of poetry today will be terrible. if any of you commented on the things you liked, this wouldn't happen.)

Look! Complete! It stands so tall
As if, brave, it proclaims itself
To be the mightest of them all
Whether wood, or steel, or stone, a shelf!

This is a peeling tree. I think it has some kind of disease, perhaps it is infested with the oak boring weasel. No, but really, as we drove we saw posters about some kind of weevil that is killing off oak trees. It's actually less of a weevil and more like a borer. Either way, the bark was peeling and blowing off, leaving really, really smooth tree branches.

It felt really weird.

More artsy pictures, courtesy of you-know-who. No, not me. The other who. Not Doctor Who, no. I think this is beautiful.
Before you judge, and cast aside
The worthiness before you, oaf.
Attempt to consider the beauty found hither,
The gloriously rotund meatloaf.

Courtesy of The Joy of Cooking.

Graduate School Update

Now, you think this is something about University of Washington, but it isn't. Sure, I could go of on how this, my chosen place where I will mature academically and be involved in fine research, is known to the locals as "U-Dub". I could write about how, because our mascot is the Husky, students are referred to as "Dawgs". I could even stretch it a bit and say that the local "Irish" pub is so overrun with frats that they no longer have fiddle players come it (though several accounts say they used to), or that they've ever heard of a bodhran.

No, today's stunning achievement, made by the University of Minnesota, eclipses them all.
When I was applying to grad school, I attempted to gain admission to five schools. Obviously "U-Dub" accepted me with open arms and showers of money. Those of you "in the know" are aware The Ohio State U did the same. But they're in Cleveland, for goshsakes.

Northwestern did try to woo me, a little, but with a base price of 5 hojillian dollars just to walk on to their campus, I decided against it. Besides, they get you out in a year, which doesn't leave a lot of time for screwing up, and I'm sure that'll happen at least once.

University of Toronto flat out refused me. I got the wrenchingly thin envelope in the mail too soon, and my dreams of being cold all the time were ruined. On a similar note, when I was first investigating schools, McGill University in Montreal never even wrote me back. Canada, be forewarned, do not arouse my ire, it will go poorly for you.

Wait, was that five schools? No? Oh, right. The University of Minnesota. I waited. And waited. And finally decided that they are either a)jerks who lose applications, b)jerks who don't bother to tell you you've been rejected, or c)jerky jerks.

It turns out it's just "c".

The picture is a screen shot taken of the webpage which I received the link to last night. Notice the date on the upper left hand side, and the date their fall semester starts.

Since then, I've made a number of new banners for their stationary. I hope they use them. (You're going to have to click on them. It's ok, they'll open in a new window. Because you don't want to leave this page. You never want to leave this page...)

Recounting the trip...

....through Venn Diagrams! They're kinda crappy, so feel free to click on the pictures if you can't read the text. Or don't read them, because they're crappy. Ok! So, this first one, it has nothing to do with the trip. I just really like pie. The next diagram relates directly to one of the last "legs" of our trip. It's up to you to find out which!
And finally, in part courtesy of Alan, my favorite.

On Reccomendations and Traveling

First, I want to apologize for my previous post. If you've read it, you know why. if you haven't well, sorry anyway.

In a brief look back at our trip, Cat and I made a list of sorts. So, here we go!


1. Make reservations early. (Especially when there's both a rodeo and a biker convention occupying the whole state you're traveling through.)

2. Do research about future rodeos and/or possible biker conventions before you go. (See previous comment.)

3. If you have a chance to have frozen custard, have it. You may never have that chance again. (Cat denied me my one chance, and now I'm going to make her drive back to Wisconsin to get it for me.)

4. Don't start a 60 mile trip over the mountains with only an eighth of a tank of gas. (And, if you do, don't drive 28 mile before realizing you'd better turn around.)

5. If a hotel offers you a suite with a private whirlpool for just 20 dollars more, take it. ('Nuff said!)

6. Continental breakfast simply means a bread product and some kind of liquid. This could mean crappy danishes and Sunny Delight.

7. South Dakota is a cooler state than you'd ever think. (And I'm going back!)

8. Michael learned the connection between the word Montana and mountains. (Shut up.)

9. Somewhere in Washington state, there is a Thor Street, and that is awesome. (Yet another good reason to live here.)

10. Always have the camera ready. Taking pictures of state signs is harder than you'd imagine. (For Catherine...)

11. Sometimes you accidentally kill things like small rabbits and butterflies. (With your car, not, like, I'm stalking and killing things.)

(Yet.)

12. Casinos are everywhere! (Well, except Massachusetts. For now...)

13. We have seen motel/storage space/casino, laundromat/casino, laundromat/espresso bar, fast food/casino/bar/liquor store, gas station/post office/grocery store. (No part of this list is a lie, which is why I'm never returning to Montana.)

14. There is such a thing as a Testicle Festival, and we're sorry we didn't go. (We're not all sorry. Which is also why I'm never returning to Montana.)

15. Not everyone in the Midwest is friendly, especially when you look like a dirty hippie. (Stupid AAA lady...)

16. AAA tour books are pretty great. (grumble grumble...)

17. Fillet Mignon is amazing!

18.You shouldn't keep score in a relationship, but Michael has rubbed Catherine's neck way more than she's rubbed his. (That's because my arms are shorter and I have tricky thumbs.)

19. Every place is beautiful in its own way.

Week in review

I'd like to say that since I've come to Seattle I've had many adventures. I'd like to say I haven't spent all my time shelving books, meeting with university people, and reading, and mopping. I'd like to give a reason why I haven't been blogging like a good blogger should, so that you'd excuse my absence and shower my with love and gifts.

I'd like to say that, so I will.

Oh, where to begin?

So, I'm just sitting there, right? And Catherine, she says to me, “I want you to go buy some peaches.” Just like that, “some peaches.” I tell ya. So, like I know any better, I say to her, “What, you got some bowel trouble or something?” Then Wham!!! Now I gotta buy peaches and replace the apple she broke on my head.

Like I got nothing better to do. Sheesh.

So I head down to Safeway, right? I mean, it's the closest place, and I don't need to go all that way to the guy who sells produce out the back of his van. Makes me nervous, that guy. Like, if this is your job, why are you in a van? But anyway, I head to the Safeway, and I buy the peaches. And an apple, don't even tell me about it.

So I'm paying for the fruits, and, I don't know, walking out, when these four guys in masks come in. With guns. I know, you're thinking, “Why the heck would they come to a Safeway?” That's what I was thinking. So they mug some guys, and open some registers, and run around the back or something, and whatever. My mom always says I look like a bum, and I guess it helps, 'cause they don't even talk to me. Except on the way out, this one guy, short kinda fella, I guess he didn't have nobody else to boss around, being short, so he takes my peaches.

Well, damn (pardon my french) if I'm gonna be ok with that.

So I run out, and you know, there's this town car flying out of the parking lot, and it cuts off this city bus. Lights flash, tempers flare, but no one's really hurt, right? Only I run to the street, and the next stop is way too far away. I mean, I'm no jogger, and that town car is headin' up the hill on 45th as fast as traffic will let it go, which isn't too fast. People being very conscientious drivers in these parts. Some of them, anyway.

So, what am I thinking, nothing, right, except I want my da-, excuse, my peaches. So I'm not even thinking as I jump on the back of the bus and hold on for dear life. Just outta the movies, right? Except Bruce Willis never has a cop right behind him. Lights flash. Sirens shriek. Tempers, well, you know. What I hadn't noticed, and neither did the cop, was that another damn (sorry) town car (was there a special on these things or what?) was flying outta the other Safeway entrance. I take my eyes off the cop, look in, and darn it all, there's shorty, eating my peaches!

What a predicament.

So these grocery gangsters (I made that up myself) see the lights, hear the sirens, and figure the cop is there for them, not seeing me as I hafta jump back off the bus (my knees'll never be the same), and they start shootin'. I'd like to say I rushed in, distracted them while the cop pulled off some shots or something, but I'm no hero. I just want my peaches. So the cop stops, they pull out, our city's finest starts to follow (guess he's ok), and I'm thinking “Great, now how do I follow them?”

When the Express rolls by.

Only it's not stopping here like the other one did, so my jump this time was, well, I don't like the word acrobatic, if you know what I mean, but let's just say Mr. Willis would be proud. Maybe that's how all those guys do it, just concentrate on something else. Maybe not peaches, but to each his own, right.

So I'm clinging like heck to the back of this bus, trying get as far away from the asphalt as I can, because it even looks painful at this speed, and trying to poke my head around the corner to see where the little peach-thief is going, and wouldn't you know, they take a left on to Montlake. The express stays on 45th.

Sheesh.

Robbers, left. Cop, left. Me? I'm thinking fruits, and that leads me to one place, right onta the roof of a passing Miata. The driver hears a thump and swerves a bit, and let me tell you, that's no picnic. I've got my fingernails dug into whatever groove I can find between the roof and the windshield, my knuckles white, my heart racing and, hey, I don't know what else. Let's say I'm glad I didn't have that glass of water before leaving the house. The Miata didn't slow down, and thinking back, I have to wonder what the guy was thinking? Maybe, “How the heck do I get this bozo offa my car?” Maybe. The bad guys screw up as they take a right into the University, cause the roads are thin, windy, uphill, and full of coeds. At least, that's what the yells and screams sound like. Big blue follows, and Miata must have an appointment with an academic type, 'cause he's heading up that was too. A coupla bangs, and crash, and the town car is going off the road and down the hill, into the trails through the gardens. On it's roof, like.

I jump off the Miata, good thing, he's stopping at the gate to pay a toll, and I don't have much change left, and run down as fast as I can. Ok, the hill is a little steep. Ok, I fall down. I told you, I'm no action guy. The bad guys look hurt, you know, the officer looks like he knows he's getting a promotion, but I count heads, and one-two-three-hey where's shorty?

Running through the bushes, by the sound of it.

I crash off that way, I hit some blackberry bushes, and, if you're not from around here, we got them everywhere, but what you might not know is that what you look at is the berries but what you feel are all the darn prickers. That little guy is gonna owe me, and I get out just ahead of him, and he's still holding my peaches! What's with this guy, huh? Though I guess I'm lucky, 'cause if the cops got them they'd be evidence, and by the time I see them, they'll probably look like everything else that's left out for more than 30 minutes around here. That means mold, in case you didn't know it.

Shorty gets all tough, “Get outta my way!” But I want my peaches, and I tell him so. He takes out a knife, and I'm like, I gotta deal with this? But I've already had one apple broken on me, and I can at least hit shorty back. Shorty swings his knife, but stubby arms are no good for this, and I step in and belt him one on the jaw. That's it. No big fight, no bad kung-fu moves. Shorty's a one-punch kinda guy. And I'm glad. I grab my peaches (what's left of them, anyway), and head towards the road. Of course, I'm outta bus fare, and so I gotta walk home.

I thought about calling you-know-who for a pick-me-up, but, yeah right, we know that ain't gonna happen.

So I get home to the tune of “How long does it take to get peaches?” No thanks, no nothin'. I mean, show a little, whaddaya say, gratitude, huh?

And anyway, from now on, I go to the guy in the van. I mean, it's a longer walk, but I figure it'll be my, whaddaya call it, constitutional. Ya gotta watch your health, right? I wish it didn't take so long, though.

Like I got nothin' better to do. Sheesh.

jobby job

So my job officially started on Monday of this week. My summer is over, and really it hardly begun. Oh well. This week I've been immersed in a math workshop in the theme of Harry Plopper, I mean Potter. Now, I read maybe 100 pages of the first book and just couldn't go on. It's really not my thing. But with this workshop we worked in "houses", mine being The House of Venn, and wore capes everyday. Sometimes hats too! All of our daily "math vitamins" were in the theme as well... such as Wandmaking 101. I enjoyed it a lot.

Before this workshop I was really nervous about how this job would be. I was concerned about fitting in in a totally new environment, worried that I would find out once and for all that teaching isn't what I want to be doing. But now I'm so excited. I think this is a place where I'll be able to share my ideas, and they will be heard. I think I will learn so much from very talented people. If this workshop is any indication of how the year will be, it should be amazing! Fingers crossed.

the big mess, aka our home...

here it is! i know this post is a bit belated. sorry for that. we think we will still be using this blog to keep all of you, our adoring fans, updated and entertained.


This is how everyone in Seattle dresses.



















I don't know why Catherine insisted I put this...on....my....

This is Michael at his finest. He got a haircut today and his beard is all trimmed up as well. Please note the shower curtain in the background: a map of the world. Although my vote was for the dancing penguins or the tastefut stripes, I have already learned a lot.







This is what the second bedroom looks like. Please notice the crushed Tupperware bins in which we packed the majority of our things. I believe only one arrived uncrushed. Quite unfortunate, although we haven't found a lot of broken stuff. Then again, we haven't really unpacked much either.






This is our new washer and dryer!!! They are hooked up right in our bathroom closet!! We got them on Craigslist, and tried to get a mover from there as well. The guy agreed, but did not pick up his phone on the day of the move and never showed up. We ended up paying a real company to come out last minute at a price of about 4 times more. Oh well. We still got a good deal on the appliances.










Here is our bedroom. I worked on it a bit yesterday and it looks better now. Still not great, though.















And, here's the living room. More crushed totes, piles of things, and crocodile dentist.






Another view of the living room, looking into the kitchen. Stuff is really all over the place right now. It really hasn't moved much. It'll be quite the project.










In conclusion, a haiku:



home, nice and spacious


like a big, fat burrito


filled with lots of crap.

We made it... (several days ago)

On the last day we had only 100 miles left to get to our final destination. It went by quickly and was a nice drive.
As we drove into Seattle, we were very hungry and wanted to find lunch somewhere. We wandered off to a place called Snoqualmie. They have a waterfall. While it's got nothing on Niagara, it is still beautiful.

This is a Seattle skyline. Notice the Space Needle? No? That's becuase it's not in this scene and it's tiny. Really. Also because we've seen it once since we've been here and I don't really know where it is.

Seattle is treating us well so far. People are really nice here. You go to a grocery store and every employee says "Hi". Even the guy constructing a very careful apple pyramid. That's right... even him.

day 8, pictorial review

To begin, we both apologize, profusely, and ad nauseum, to our adoring fans, who check on our well-being daily. We also apologize, though less emphatically, to those of you who only read this once and a while, and have never really cared for us.

You know who you are.


Our mileage, for your entertainment. You'll notice our "big push" is continuing. You'll also notice that this is the first clear picture of the odometer you're getting. That's because I took the picture.








Mountains. With trees. From my early collection, entitled "Mountains with trees. Oil on canvas." You'll notice it's deceptively titled.











I think the lines you see in the picture are game trails. We've noticed them on many a mountain, with and without trees. They could also be a reverential monument to the mythological being "Whiskey Jack", otherwise known as "Wisakedjak", a trickster god/spirit who has much in common with "Inktomi".

You'll appreciate, I hope, how hard I'm trying here, as all I've got to work with is mountains and trees.



Aha! Mountains and trees, but the trees themselves form a mountain! What supernatural being would have deigned to create such a wonder? We'll just have to guess!

(Thor? Maybe Thor. I always liked Thor. I know a dirty joke that involves Thor, but this is not the appropriate venue. My Noini reads this.)

(How about Captain America?)




Thank goodness, Exit 0. I was running out of thoughts, pride, and deliciousness.






(I just like that there's an Exit 0, and that it's Lookout Pass. Sorry you had to be here for this.)






Here we come!
And...













...there we go!
(There is nothing to see in Idaho.)












The sky is already bluer. I can feel my destiny unfolding before me, like one of those paper "fortune tellers" which always have something horrible written inside, but you play it, because you're 8 years old and dumb. Not that all 8 year olds are dumb. It was just me.









Yes, destiny. I will be the greatest Power Ranger of all.













(I'm hoping you're so mesmerized by the pictures that you're not reading this, or noticing that I've all but stopped writing...)















Ok! Tomorrow I'll try to wrap up the last few installments. Hopefully Cat will actually help me next time. For both our sakes.

(I'm really sorry about all of this...)

Day 7, more pictures.

We stopped early today, having earned, we felt, a reprieve. In order to celebrate our new homeful status we splurged on a suite with a private whirlpool. We also quit the day while the sun still hung in the sky. Its majestic rays reminding us of a bright future hanging before us in the West. It also helps that we started driving early, after waking up in our car at 6:30AM.

Montana is a fascinating state. Here are some things you are likely to see in Montana: casinos, Ron Paul stickers, ugly people, letters on mountains, and casinos.

There was also this huge statue on the top of a mountain called Our Lady of the Rockies, a “non-denominational” statue in the likeness of Mary. She is dedicated to “women everywhere, especially mothers”. She's about the size of the Statue of Liberty.

My mother keeps insisting that we take pictures of horses for her. Most have managed to lightly prance out of view of the camera, but some view have been fixed forever in my mechanical eye. These picture are for her. Mom, if you actually want to see these towering beasts shod with iron and spirit, then click on the pictures to make them bigger.

These were beautiful golden bales of hay. They shone in the bright summer sun. Unfortunately, you'll have to use your imagination to see the shine. It reminded me of my own hair and subsequently of a boy who was in the booth behind ours who said “All blonds are retarded”. I should have given him what for.

It's hay. Freaking hay.

This is my driving thumb.

Isn't he charming?

Ninja picture!

Shucks!

These are crazy mountains. By crazy, I mean cool, but they don't show up well in this picture. So why are we showing it? Because it's crazy!

This is the end of day 7. We know we are two days behind, and we're trying to catch up. See you soon.