Another afternoon at 12th and Jackson

I went up to the Saigon Deli to grab some lunch for myself and a couple of coworkers. Everything was normal until I left the deli. It was raining so I decided to catch a 7 down the hill. As I approached the bus stop I realized that I probably should have just walked.

It began with a woman, probably about 4 feet tall, of Asian decent. She was wearing a heavy coat the covered her entire body except her face. She looked up at me, "Do you know the time." "Yeah, sure," I reached for my phone. As I was getting it out she looked down the street and said, "shit", before turning away quickly. I turned to see a gentlemen approaching fast.

This man was probably in his early 40s sporting a five o'clock shadow at noon. He was wearing a pin stripped suit, the shirt of which was not tucked in. He went passed me with an intent look in his eyes and approached the woman. He loomed over her, as if to maximize his intimidation, as she quivered near the building. He spoke in a whisper but the look on his face indicated that his words were intense.

As this scene seemed to be coming to a head another man approached the area. I've seen him many times before and none of our encounters were ever pleasant (in the past he's accused me of being Satan). He's a middle aged Asian man with a beard that makes him look like some kind of monk. Today he was carrying a 7 foot long bamboo bo. As he walked up to the stop he was going back and forth between trying to vend copies of real change and performing some sort of martial art with the weapon. During this time he nearly hit an elderly woman in the face, who ran behind me, giving me a look that suggested she wanted my protection. The man then looked at me and simply said, "you..." before squinting his eyes and stationing himself within the bus shelter.
"Great," I thought to myself. And just as I was about to leave the situation I saw the 7 approach. Thank the maker.

At this point the man in the suit was still speaking to the woman he'd corned, however a new group of guys had shown up. They seemed to be siding with the woman and a shouting match broke out. None of what they were saying made any sense to me. It was English, just not coherent. This is when I figured whatever their problem was I was sure it had to do with drugs.

The bus arrived and many elderly people disembarked. This took some time. The man with the bo was standing right by the door, partially blocking their exit path. The bus driver noticed me standing a ways back and motioned to me that he'd opened the back door. I got onto the bus and sat down.

Then the man with the bo entered. He took notice of me sitting just before the articulation in the bus. As he walked by he squinted again and without warning made a motion that suggested he was going to strike me with his bo. He slammed the piece of bamboo into the metal vertical hand rails, the sound echo'd through the bus causing everyone to turn and investigate it's origin. He then bore his teeth in one of the most twisted smiles I'd ever seen, before moving all the way to the back of the bus and taking a seat.

3:21pm UPDATE: I completely forgot to mention that one of the people getting off the bus was a man in his early twenties with a jacket wrapped around his waste, pants hanging low (almost to his knees), wearing a g-string (exposed by his sagging pants) and a bright red bra stuffed with some thing flesh colored. Can't believe I forgot that part, it was pretty memorable.

Smells like maple syrup

Ugh, I'm not ready for today, hence the early morning post. It helps me to avoid reality...

My neck is all fucked up. Yesterday the left side was sore. Thought I slept on it wrong. Today the right side is sore. I think I'm dying. If my head snaps off from the rest of my body don't be surprised. Just do me a favor and find some super glue to reattach it...

I'm stuck on the Plastic Beach. Can't get enough of it. It's just so damn good...

PMRob got rabies at the Blue Moon last night. I think that you all should take extreme caution if you're going there. Don't trust any dogs, no matter how friendly they might seem. You'll get the "ichy bump"...

I caught an earlier bus to work this morning. Whenever I do there is a certain man on the bus. He's very memorable because he is always wearing aquasocks with individual toes. You know those weird shoes you wear in a pool. I'm very interested by this. I want to know more, but I just can't bring myself to be like, "Hey dude, what's with the socks. You a merman of sorts?"...


It's a beautiful day in Seattle. 46 degrees with a drizzle. I woke up in a great mood and I think it's because of the rain. So far this winter we haven't seemed to have much rain. I think it's because when it's been raining its just been pouring buckets and then nothing for days. I prefer a light misting over months. Hopefully that's how our spring will turn out...

I guess that's all for now...

WAIT!!! I should mention that this weeks episode of LOST was amazing. Now that's everything...

Lost and Found

There was a couple of noteworthy interactions that I had this weekend...

I left work on Friday and it was pouring rain. It was wretched. I went out to wait for the 7. Every part of me was soaking wet. I could feel the water pooling in the crevasses of my hoodie, the tops of my boots, and the inner workings of my ears. It had been a long time since I'd been that wet. After 30 minutes of waiting in God's vengeance the 7 finally arrived.

As I boarded the bus I could tell I wasn't the only one left in the rain. The heat was blaring and the humidity was nearly unbearable. Everyone on the bus looked just as miserable as I did. As I was lamenting my position I got a phone call from Nick. We spoke for a little while and made plans to watch a movie. He had asked me if he should bring a movie, which I confirmed by saying, "Once I get home and dry myself out I'm not going anywhere in this."

The woman in front of me overheard this and turned around to give me a high five. I wrapped up my phone call quickly and started up a conversation with the woman. She told me about how she was regretting her decision to go out and get a gift for a friends baby shower. We exchanged hateful words about the weather and then she began to tell me a story.

Some three weeks prior she had noticed that her bus pass was missing. This was a huge problem being as her arthritis had recently placed her on disability and her fixed income didn't allow for unexpected expenses. However without her pass she'd been having to pay the fare for each ride. So in the last three weeks she'd been searching like crazy to find her pass, with no luck. Now as she was planning her trip downtown to buy a present she decided that she would take the 7 instead of the 106. She hadn't taken the 7 in weeks, but something made her decide to on that day.

She boarded the bus and sat down. Not five minutes later a young man boarded the bus. Upon seeing her he got slightly excited and sat beside her. "I just knew I'd see you again," he said. "I'm sorry have we met before," she replied. "Only briefly. We met on this bus a few weeks ago. Just after you got off I realized that you dropped this.." He then pulled her regional disabled bus pass from his jacket with her picture on it. She could hardly contain herself. She was so grateful.

As she was relaying this story to me she said something along the lines of: "It's just so nice to see. Now I'm not sure if I believe in God but I tell you, there is some higher power out there. These kinds of things don't just happen. And it was a YOUNG person nonetheless. I'm just so happy to see that there is still some good in this world." I replied, "There's always been good out there. It just gets harder to find with every day." At this time we were pulling up the stop at 4th and Jackson, where I had to get off. I thanked the woman for sharing her story with me and got off the bus. The rain was coming down hardest yet. Strange thing was that this time it felt more like a baptismal than a punishment...



Saturday night I met PMRob for dinner. After dinner I expected to go home for a quiet evening but PMRob had other ideas. We went to King's for a beer. The scene was a madhouse so we bailed. Went to the Stepping Stone. Great little place. They had live music and good ales. From there he insisted that we continue one our journey and we went to Copper Gate. Swanky little place. I'd go back, but it would definitely have to be with the right group of people. Now at this point I was completely done with the evening, unfortunately it wasn't done with me. We crossed the street and headed up to the Viking, apparently I was having a vitamin R deficiency. We drank the pitcher of Rainier and I ended up talking to this really chill guy from Germany. We talked for a while about skiing and other such nonsense. The bartender made the announcement for last call and I'd realized that I was out too late. This however still wasn't the end. PMRob convinced me that we had to go back to 7-11 and get some Rainiers to drink while we hit up the wii bowling at my place.
However on the way home from 7-11 I found a phone, Blackberry 8900, just sitting on the sidewalk undamaged. I picked it up. I'd thought of getting one many times in the past but decided against it for financial reasons. After picking up the phone I looked through the recent calls and without even thinking about it called the last number to see if I could determine the phones rightful owner. I called the last three numbers with no answer. Then I started poking around and found the Facebook app on his phone. This identified the man as Rodney and I was able to send him a message over FB. However that would be meaningless as the phone rang.

It flashed the name Stanley as it vibrated. I answered it. A voice on the other end said, "So you made it home Jeff?" This kind of freaked me out at first. Mostly because in some ways I am a Jeff. I recollected my thoughts and replied, "No, I'm not sure he did. I found this phone on the sidewalk." "Well I'd say thats not a good sign at all." "I'd say so." "See this isn't Jeff's phone either. He was keeping it safe for a friend of mine. Is it possible for me to meet with you tomorrow to get the phone back?" "Yeah no problem. Just call me tomorrow at this number."

I then spent the next hour explaining the PMRob the situation with the phone. It was a little complicated and he was struggling to understand all the players in this scene. "So you have Stanley's phone?" "No I have Rodney's phone." "Ok, so who's Jeff? And why are you talking to Stanley?" It went on for some time like that. We were up till nearly 5am bowling and drinking and trying to figure out all the pieces.

I woke up Sunday morning and the phone had been ringing off the hook from a variety of different numbers. I finally connected with Stanley who promptly came and picked up the phone. Later that I day I got a call from Rodney. I guess he wants to buy me dinner. It's not a new phone, but I'll take a free dinner for doing the right thing any day...


As I passed through the warehouse this morning they were playing the Beatles. This pleased me greatly...

"Do we eat this?"

I was on the bus coming home from work. A man sitting next to me was reading the paper. He pointed at a picture of pumpkins and began to tell me about a giant pumpkin that he once saw. He then paused for a moment and asked, "Do we eat this?" I chuckled and said, "Yes we do. WE make them into pies!" This pleased him greatly.

Ode to Sweat

Its on my forehead, in my eyes, saturating the air around me. I wonder who damned the 7 to this fate. I can now taste it in my mouth and feel a burning in my lungs. There is nothing like the smell of humans rotting in the sun long before they die. I urge you, Reckoner, we've paid the price.

Midday on the 18

The bus is smaller and seems to have lost many of its spiritual qualities. However there is still an abundance of human life found in the eyes of elderly men and fashionable young girls trying hard to cover their long legs from prying eyes, with mini skirts. A middle aged woman of Pacific Island decent exits the bus. Her dress flowing with twenty shades of blue, much like the ocean that surrounds her homeland. If i cant see the waves crashing through the breakers at least shes there for me.

Sunday Morning on the 7

While many people commemorate the sabbath by attending Church i ride the 7. The lack of seating options make it clear im not the only one. They come from all walks of life to meet and say their silent pagan prayers. Many hide behind headphones and fictious novels in a vain attempt to block out the veiled humanity. They cannot hide forever.

A man boards the front with all of his belongings tied to his back, a philosophy i once subscribed to but found too daunting a task to be sustainable. From the weathered look on his face its apparent he would agree. He takes a seat in the center of the articulated bus where there is ample space to spread out his life. He pulls a tall can from one of his sachels and much to my surprise it is some kind of tea and not a mind numbing fortified beveridge. A little boy has escaped his mothers eye and stands before the vagabond as if he were watching the shock and awe over baghdad. His mother was preoccupied by a novel whose cover portrayed a half naked man standing on a rock surrounded by crashing waves holding a lust ridden woman in his arms. When she notices his absence panic sets in. She spots the boy and rushes to scoop him up. The dilapidated man cracks a small smile and waves to the boy who bursts into laughter. After everyone settles back in the man pulls a book from the largest of his bags and begins to read. A few people come and go before i realize from the cover picture he may be reading the same story as the boys mother.

A little more serious perhaps?

So after that last post I figure that I should put up something of value...

My dad started a new blog to showcase his building designs. It's pretty cool stuff. You can check it out here....

I haven't been on a bus in over three weeks. It's very strange for me. I hope that when I finally get back to it that the 7 is just the same as it's always been. Luckily for me I don't think that my presence or lack thereof will have any effect on the 7...

The President announced 17 billion dollars is cuts from the federal budget. There is a lot of uproar that it's insignificant. However the figure as small as it may seem is larger than the GDP of 85 countries on the planet. So while it may seem like a drop in the bucket, 17 billion is still a huge number. Don't forget that...

I cannot wait for the Beatles albums to be remastered. They're being released 9/9/9. I'm already starting to plan the festivities...

And I think that I'll close with a little "happy" corn...

















I guess this wasn't worth much in the end either. Oh well...

On the 7 again

The bus driver has no hair on top his head and a large beard. Three stops in and we've already had two lifts. The young man with the bike has no idea a small girl has been staring at him since he boarded. His helmet must act as a sort of armor in this place, much like my headphones. Everyone is protected in their own way.
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The long ride home

Its really not so long. Just 3 miles down rainier...

There are two men at the bus stop. One is yelling about proposed schedule changes. The other is shaking his head...

The bus is packed. There is an old woman who reminds me of my great grandmother. Only shorter...

I left work earlier than expected...

Tv on the radio is amazing. You should all check them out...

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I have no idea what to blog about...

So I'm sitting here trying to figure out what to blog about today, and I'm not having much luck. Seems like nothing is really happening on this dreary day in January. The sky is toned with suicide grays and everyone seems to be under the strange spell that is Monday. I guess I can't really complain about the weather. There isn't a foot of snow outside or a deluge of water bearing down on us (at the moment) and besides it's just really cliche.

I guess I'll tell you a little more about this project that I'm working on. It's a sort of epic poem, in the sense that it's long and a poem. It's all about the 7, but also not about the 7 at all, hence my obsession with the number 7. What I'm doing is taking 7 different concepts from 7 different religious ideals and forming a poem of 343 lines. Each stanza addresses one of the 7 concepts, however each stanza could be seen as an individual piece when read alone. Here's a little excerpt, it's unfinished as you may assume:

Jesus is sitting four rows up,

shaking his head, as a man, with a paper bagged 40,

slurs his words of the Lord

to anyone willing to listen.

Everyone around holds on to each word,

except for Jesus, who reads a sign out the window,

"I have a dream today."

It's a pretty interesting project so far. Most of the scenes are directly taken from my experiences while riding the 7 and then adjusted to be more as I see them, adding a little of my own interpretation. There are so many of them to choose from the whole thing is a little overwhelming, but I'm pleased with my progress so far. If nothing else I'm hoping that this will help break my writers block on another project. We'll see.

I really want to see the ocean soon. I hope it happens.

Can I do this bit by bit?

So I'm going to try this a little different. Instead on one big post all at once I'm going to update the blog throughout the day. So just because you're already read it doesn't mean it's the same...

The bus didn't stop for me today. I was 20 feet from the stop when it pulled away and left me standing, isolated, on Rainier. I was only 5 minutes late for work though...

Mmmm, coffee...

In light of recent news I have a bit of advice for everyone. Don't climb fences. They're there for a reason. Failure to follow this advice can result in impalement or decapitation. Neither of which is too much fun...

The florescent above me are having adverse side effects. The rays seem to be seeping in through my skull. Maybe I just don't want to be at work...

I'll let you all in on a little secret. At heart, I'm afraid of Karaoke...

Another beautiful day in Seattle...

Rode the ever elusive 9 this morning. The 9 is one of the most interesting buses in the city. It travels from Rainier Beach to Capitol Hill making only express stops on Rainier. The people are what make the experience, coming from all walks of life. There was a boy with large diamonds in his ears wearing a back turned ball cap with the sticker still proudly displayed sitting next to a woman who appeared to be a nurse for one of the local hospitals. Students were everywhere with their text books drawn, trying to get those last few minutes of studying in before getting to class. A group of women at the front of the bus were all carrying garden tools and speaking in a foreign language. The 9 is made for everyone. And there I was in the rear lounge, headphone defenses, watching it all around me...

For all of you who don't know about the Olivia Tremor Control, I highly recommend them. There is just something about their sound that just screams out an affirmation of everything right and good in the world. It's very powerful, but not the kind of power that crushes you. It more wraps itself around you and does everything within its strength to lift you up...

Many people now have mentioned that my blog is either "dark" or "depressing". I guess I just don't see it that way. Too all of you who do, I encourage you to search for the drull in it all. Keep in mind that through all the desolation there is still a sense of forgiveness. It's that forgiveness that gives us sanguine composure to keep going...

We barbecued last night. It was good. Spent hours in the yard soaking up the sun. David and Christina came over, along with Evan and Mickey. Matt made a cameo appearance. I got the trellis in place for the rose bush. It's afternoons like that that make Seattle the best place to live...

The farmers market is tonight. I've been a few times so far this year. It has yet to impress me, but it's early. I might buy some tomato plants and some bread. Could always use some more cheese. Armando is supposed to be back soon. Maybe he'll be there today and we can make the Kung Fu Crying Game. I'm not going to get my hopes up...

Here's another quote that I have up at my desk. "This wasn't the sea of inexorable horizon and smashing waves, not the sea of distance and violence, but the sea of of the eternally leveling patience and wetness of water. Whether it comes to you in a storm or in a cup, it owns you - we are more water than dust. It is our origin and destination" -Denis Johnson...

There are planning a new skyscraper in Dubai. The entire structure is designed to move continuously, never looking the same twice in a life time. It's an interesting idea but begs the question: Just because we can does it mean that we should?...

The brewing season is upon us. We have very ambitious goals for the next few weeks. We'll see if it all gets done...

Locksmiths can be a wretched group of people. In the five years that I've been dealing with them I've found them to be an impatient, demanding, foul, ignorant, controlling, rude, racist, insane, dillusional, trite, odorous, cynical, offensive, nefarious, sorry lot. But in the end they're not all bad. I guess its not just locksmiths...

The city took the Sonic to court. After all that's happened in recent years, who still cares?...

I've developed a hatred of plastic. It's everywhere. I planned to spend a day a while back trying to figure how many times I encounter plastic in my daily life. I gave up before I even left my house. Ever since I've been trying to eliminate as much plastic from my life as possible. For every one thing I cut out, I realize 10 more that I should. In my immediate view I can identify 100 different things made of plastic in less than a mintue. 100 years ago there was no plastic. They seemed to get along ok...

One day I hope to go to Monaco. I don't know much about the people there or the sights to see or exactly where is it. I guess it just seems like the kind of place that I'm supposed to want to go...

The darker the setting, the brighter the light...

The bus was uneventful this morning. I got on the 7X at Orcas and sat near the back door. A young woman was in the seat in front of me with two children, a boy and girl. The boy was sleeping. The girl was watching me. I was looking out the window...

Our climate is changing. No one is listening to the facts. Is it because they don't care? Don't really understand? Probably not. I get the feeling that many of the people out there, religious types mostly, are really hoping for the worst. If everything is all fine and dandy why would Jesus come back?...

I'm wearing a nicotine patch today. I've been trying to quit smoking. It's as hard as everyone says. The patch is a strange thing. At times I don't even notice it. Other times it burns and itches. It's also very hard to keep attached because I didn't shave my arm so I use band aids to keep it attached. To the untrained eye it looks like a giant wound. I guess that's what it really is...

If ever given the oppurtunity and training I would walk on burning coals. But just not right now...

Above the cabinet at my desk there is a gorilla. My boss brought it back from Randall for me on a trip to Mt Rainier. By the way, the mountain is out today, what a strange saying. He is wearing a red and white striped shirt and a small hat. His face and hands are made of plastic. The ends of his legs are covered in a glue residue that used to be his feet. There is a switch on the back and if you turn him on he does the macarena...

Right now what we need is more Sonic Youth...

I had a dream last night. I lived with Nathan. I think we were on Capitol Hill. The moon was everywhere. At one point I put on a pair of pants that were so tall they covered my face. Then I began to make faces through the zipper. Nathan couldn't stop laughing. He laughed more when I told him about it today...

The "Big Bright Yellow Sun" set long ago but the question is still very valid. How are you?...

They demolished the Ballard Denny's this morning. I can remember a certain New Years Day. It was the early morning of a late night. We sat in the bar and ate grand slam breakfasts while drinking bloody mary's and white russians. Mickey spilled his drink all over the table and then proceeded to slurp it up with a straw. The waitress was surprised to see people in the bar that early. I think it was even more surprising to her that we weren't hung over when we arrived, but still drunk. RIP Ballard, I'll always remember who you were...

The sun is out in Seattle. I'm going to BBQ tonight. Mickey will be coming over. He has a way of leaving his possessions in all kinds of strange places. Maybe I'll get lucky and he'll leave me his laptop so I can tap into the great knowledge of the internet while riding the bus. More likely he'll just leave a bowel movement...

Here's another quote I have up at desk: "And when we break we'll wait for our miracles, God is a place you will wait for the rest of your life" - Neutral Milk Hotel. Love that...

Riding the 7 #1

Saturday November 10th, 2007
So I was coming back from Kirkland and there was a young man, probably about 22, on the bus. He was sitting in the far front of the seven and his eyes moved about like an insects. He was wearing tattered sweats and a hoodie that was missing the ends of the sleeves. He also was not wearing any shoes. This bus was packed mind you and I couldn't go passed the first 5 feet. So while we're traveling down Rainier this woman in a wheelchair, generally disheveled in appearance with long tangled hair, wearing a pair of corduroy pants with a white sweater (both of which looked like they recently survived a fire), then takes off her shoes and gives them to this boy. He looks at her blankly as she says "Try them on, they'll keep your feet warm" to which he just continues to stare at her. She repeats this 3 times before he puts the shoes, which are more like open heeled slippers on to his feet. I have never seen a human smile quite like that man did.