Initial Observations

I had hoped to have a job by the time I first posted to this new blog. That would have been big news, right? But, alas, no job yet. Nevertheless, I have been here almost two months and I do have observations. I guess the 1st observation is that it's almost as difficult for a woman of a certain age to find a job in the greater Seattle area as it is for that same woman in RI. The difference is - the good news? - that I have had interviews. That strikes me as a big deal after a dry spell of over six months with no interviews. I suppose I could get discouraged in that the number of interviews I've had accounts for a mere fraction of the job postings to which I've responded and resumes I've floated. But let's focus on the positive and that I've broken the no-interview barrier.

2nd Observation ~ Weather can be capricious. ~ People here talk about the weather a lot, although that's probably true everywhere. However, when I told other Rhode Islanders that I wanted to live in Seattle they said - in rather a she must be crazy sort of tone - things like, "You must like rain." or, "Bring an umbrella." I invited those naysayers to look around because RI was not without rain, and probably has a greater annual rainfall than Seattle but is just not known for it the way the Pacific Northwest is. It's kind of like a statistic I saw once about wind. Providence was ninth on the list of windy cities, while Chicago - The Windy City - was sixteenth. Go figure. Anyway, rain notwithstanding, the Pacific Northwest generally has milder winters with less snowfall, and cooler, less humid summers. I told those RIers I'd gladly trade some rain for a reduction in the winter/summer extremes. Call me crazy. ~~~~ I arrived in my new region on the 29th day without a drop of precipitation. It was the topic on every one's lips, and all over the local television news stations. Within a day of my arrival the area experienced some on and off sprinkles for a few days and then nothing but sun for days on end. Everyone I met seemed anxious for me to understand that the weather was not normal and I shouldn't become too complacent. At first it was OK because the temps peaked in the high 80s and the nights cooled for sleeping, then the weather got nasty in July. Temps climbed into the 90s and humidity climbed with it. Every day got hotter and more humid and sleeping became stickier and trickier. Things really got ugly on July 29 when the temp reached 103 and set a Seattle record. The irony of this is that reports from RI told of rain and cooler temps. It seems the oppressive heat and humidity I thought I'd escaped followed me. Within a few days of that worst day, the nights and mornings became cool again and people started complaining about the cold. It finally rained, but mostly at night and only a small amount during the day. That lasted about three days and felt pretty good. Since the sun has returned I've heard a lifelong Pacific North westerner remark that it's nice to have the sun back again after all that rain. All what rain? Before that small amount the area had only 3/10 of an inch of rainfall all summer. Now maybe it's up to 3/5 of an inch. Maybe. So it seems that no matter where you are that old maxim about New England weather is true. You know, the one that says if you don't like the weather just wait a minute.

3rd Observation ~ There is a remarkable lack of litter on the ground around here. I hadn't noticed it at first. I walk almost daily for anywhere from 40 minutes to two hours and finally one day I saw a ticket stub or something small on the ground. Then I realized that was what had been missing. I hadn't been slogging through broken glass up to my ankles and scraping gum from between the grid lines at the bottoms of my sneakers like I used to on most of my RI walk routes. My worst place to walk used to be in Pawtucket where the company I worked for was located about half way between a McDonald's and a Dunkin Donuts. In addition to the perennial broken glass and beer cans, the sidewalks there were always strewn with coffee and soda cups, burger wrappers, and discarded foodstuffs. I wonder what makes people do that, and not do it so much around here. It seems the only time I see a tiny bit of litter at all is right after the trash and recycling collection trucks have made their rounds. Inevitably, something falls on the ground during that activity. I could get used to this.

4th Observation ~ I'm losing weight. I could get used to this, too, but I probably shouldn't. I'm pretty sure it mostly has to do with all the walking, and a little to do with my having sworn off ice cream. I seem to have developed a digestive intolerance which manifests itself most aggressively after eating ice cream. I've not had any since before leaving RI. All my other faves like M&Ms and Peanut Butter Cups have disappeared in the wake of the ice cream. I mostly eat just regular meals, along with a protein shake after walking, and drink my usual copious amounts of water. The reason I should not trust this is that the conditions are temporary. There is a huge unknown factor as to how my schedule will work once I return to work. Nevertheless, I'm taking this ball and running with it for the time being.

5th Observation ~ Birds. There are eagles here! I've seen them in flight and perched in trees. And swallows - several at a time - will swoop down and fly circles around me while walking through grassy areas. They are snatching the minute insects that jump out of the grass as my feet stir them up. Is this why they are called swallows? Because they swallow the insects while in flight? ~~~~ But it's the black crows that are everywhere. I'm pretty sure I'd seen the occasional crow back in RI but here it would be noteworthy not to see at least a few from any vantage point. They cackle back and forth to each other from trees and utility lines; they laugh at me while I'm out walking. I half expect to walk into a plate glass window as though I've crossed into some sort of Windex ad in the Twilight Zone. But the eagles are pretty cool.

6th Observation ~ Knitting is big here. There's even a knitting guild I can join if I ever feel so inclined. I miss my RI knitting friends but Jonne, my teacher back there, told me I'd not have to worry about finding a new teacher to help me out of my knitting mistakes. He was correct.

7th Observation ~ When it comes to acting, Meryl Streep has - as the kids say - mad skills. Just saw Julie & Julia and it's good all the way around, but it shines when she is onscreen as Julia Child. Luckily, this film is appearing at the one movie theatre I know how to get to. It has become my go-to place for movie viewing. All other films not playing there will have to hurry to DVD so I can see them.

8th Observation ~ Meeting new friends and networking sounds easy in theory, but in reality, not so much.

9th Observation ~ When one is removed from one's element, one loses the ability to determine direction. In RI, I had a sense of the compass points but not so here. This is not helping since people give directions by describing a place as being on the northeast (southwest, etc.) corner of an intersection. That means nothing to me. I can't even get on the highway going in the right direction. Actually, that only happens while trying to get out of downtown Seattle. I can navigate the highways all right - mostly - from the east side (Kirkland, Bellevue, and Redmond). Of course, back in RI we give directions by referring to lost landmarks like the corner where the old Potter's gas station used to be. That wouldn't help me here, either.

10th Observation ~ No big surprise - I miss everyone back in RI, and especially Teddy, Gianna, and Austin. 'Nuff said.

Although I could add to this list of initial observations, I'll follow the example of David Letterman and others who have spearheaded the whole Top Ten List movement. Thanks for reading!