Archive for Uncategorized – Page 54

Renewal…

Camillias

Camellias are blooming in our courtyard. After the wettest year in Seattle’s history the sun is finally shining and temps are near 70F. These things do wonders for my Sunlight Affective Disorder. It’s transition time and though the SAD is starting to remit I still cringe and anticipate a cold wind off the lake when the front door opens. But, as things begin to warm up there are more people on the street, new restaurants opening, gallery shows changing, new films being released, plays in preview, and music venues crowded. Renewal and regeneration are in the air. read more

Alexander Hamilton – We Want You Back!

Republicans

Three years ago, when I started the Surviving Seattle blog I thought it was important to look for a silver lining up here in a corner of the country cursed with short days and wet weather. Could a high-desert émigré find happiness in the soggy Northwest? I thought I could. I decided to write my way out of the gloom by finding interesting and entertaining things around Seattle – travel, books, art, music, dance, food and local theater.

That plan was working fine until August 6, 2015 when fifteen Republican Presidential aspirants showed up for a debate on Fox News. It was disturbing. I struggled to understand how the American electorate could tolerate a slate of such self-promoting, narcissistic, vulgar, blockheaded candidates? I tried to look away and trust that America would come to its senses. As much as I wanted to ignore it, I couldn’t. It was like watching a slow motion train wreck, and it made me wonder what the Founding Fathers would think. read more

Escape to Hawaii…

Seattle Rainfall Record

On the 18th of February the National Weather Service reported that Seattle had broken a monthly record for rainfall – 22.78 inches in 18 days. On March 1, Cliff Mass a well-known University of Washington meteorology professor announced that it was also the wettest winter in in Seattle history. The surface of our small fenced courtyard is bilious green with slimy moss and the windows are streaked with dried rain.

I had already started an essay on the rain when my son, Brent, who works for the Weather Service in Salt Lake City sent me Professor Mass’ blog. This says it better than I can: read more

Testing the Limits of Tolerance and Compassion

Refugee Camp

9,000,000 Syrians displaced from their homes since 2011,

4,000,000 Syrians seeking asylum in Western Europe,

1,900,000 Syrian refugees in Turkey

1,100,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon

629,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan

3000 refugees camped in squalid conditions on the northern tip of France.(above)

3000 refugees arriving DAILY on the Greek island of Lesbos

2174 Syrian refugees accepted in the US since 2012

What would Will McAvoy and MacKenzie McHale do with this material?

Will (Jeff Daniels) and MacKenzie (Emily Mortimer) are, respectively, the news anchor and executive producer characters on HBO’s drama, The Newsroom. They are also my proxies for how news should be delivered. I recently binge watched the whole of the HBO series about a fictional news network. I was upset to discover that the show had been canceled after Season 3. Though flawed in some respects, the underlying premise of this Aaron Sorkin drama is that a news network committed to excellence can, without compromising principles, deliver a quality product and shed light on what’s happening in the world. Wouldn’t it be refreshing to get our news straight up, warts and all, in spite of  “market forces” – ratings, social media, and low expectations – working against us? read more

A Lesson in Humility

Robert Heilman

Starbucks and public libraries have become offices and workspaces for the free-wheeling, untethered GenTech demographic – students of all levels, flextime workers, freelancers and other self-employed. I never gave serious thought to a full-blown retirement, but three years ago when I left the world of the regular paycheck I started looking for a work environment where I could feel comfortable and productive as I started the next phase of my work life. In that process I tried various coffee shops, libraries, public spaces, and and my own home as offices but I disliked the choking air, obligation to buy, and smelly clothes that came with Starbucks, the library spaces that never felt comfortable or private enough, and the distractions of working at home. read more