Out of the Shoebox: I want to go back; is that denial?
Always have a notebook and pen at hand. I thought about this post a lot tonight. I had some real pithy zingers. Those zingers have been relegated to the abyss. Godspeed zingers, we hardly knew ya.
But to borrow an annoying word (among many) from the past year or so that I hope rapidly disappears from the everyday lexicon - I can pivot. I should make a list of other words and phrases. Now do X / what about / read the room, etc. Someone else is already compiling that list, and while I appreciate their work, they're part of a group that is too negative, cranky, and cynical for me. So, they're a lot like me, a me I don't really want to be.
Damn I had some funnyisms in my head. Vanished, gone.
I lost my favorite boots last year. It's not a long story. It's a very short story that paints me as the idiot I am. So I'm not going to tell it. That's one of the nice things about running a blog. Editorial something or other.
That left me unprepared shoe-wise.
We might get some snow this weekend in Seattle, and that's directly related to me being an idiot. I needed to get some shoes that could handle rain and snow. I just chucked my Vans, which fell apart pretty quickly. On a scale of 0 to 10 on wearing Vans authentically (10 being selfied with cool long boards and awesome half-pipe tricks) I was a -13.567. My Vans didn't fall apart on the board. They fell apart walking to the QFC. I can't recommend them to anyone. No, wait, that's not true - if you're going through your 3rd mid-life crisis, pick up a pair. You'll feel great. But if you hit that half-pipe, wear a helmet and pads.
Where was I? Ahh yes, I needed shoes. I wanted some Boulder Boots, and the REI page said they had them, so I walked over there. Driving would have meant a lost parking spot. No sirree, I'm not moving that car I pay for so I can make sure I keep my spot.
Luckily, you can walk just about everywhere in Seattle. I walked down off the Hill to REI. In the middle of the I-5 overpass I realized my fly was completely unzipped. Masked man unmasked. I tried as nonchalantly as possible to correct that embarrassment.
I made it to the REI without any additional wardrobe malfunctions (I think). REI does so many things right. They hire nice, helpful people who welcome you into the store and invite you to be COVID-serious. They're also masters of temptation with that checkout lane - you know, I do need 3 different sizes of carabiners!
Turns out the boots I wanted were online only, but there was a plan B. I got those. They're not impervious to snow, but they're better than what I had. I bought two other outdoorsy items that I probably won't use. If you're worried about going into places, good on you for taking things seriously. But if you need something from REI and decide going into a store fits in with your risk calculations, I think you'll be happy with the REI precautions.
It's 0200 and my eyes are closing. Since I don't have my pulitzer prize winning notebook of pithy jokes, I should probably go stoic and wrap this up.
Chow Hall food. If I could go back to March I'd do a lot of pandemic things differently. For example, I would have invested in Zoom, started a mess hall kitchen YouTube channel, and started running 40 miles per day. But here we are. If you like mussells or mackerel, give the Patagonia Provisions a shot. A little expensive, but if you're a disciplined meal prepper, you can definitely get value for money. Ugh, value for money - jargon. You can create three meals with a tin. Pasta, rice, or quinoa + chickpeas + Patagonia Provisions. Bob's your uncle. (Bob is actually my uncle.)
Now it's really early. Time for a few photos. In mid-2017 I took photos at a trans pride event at Seward Park. While skimming through my archive to find photos for another project, I happily remembered that day. I think I posted some of the photos to an old site, but that's going away soon, so I figured I'd post a few of them here. I hope all the people in the photos are doing well, and I can't wait for people to race, hug and high-five again.
