I haven't been able to post to my website for a while (due to not have the right permissions), otherwise I would have posted more about our drive from Salt Lake to New York in a 24 foot Truck. We loaded it up in Seattle, with Caleb's stuff in the back half of the truck. He drove it to Salt Lake and we flew out to meet him there. His stuff was unloaded and we were off across the country.
In about three and a half days we arrived in Rego Park NY. Passing through all the states in between. We stayed the first night in North Platte Nebraska, in a hotel but the next night we spent somewhere in Illinois at a reststop. We pulled out some of the padding for the furniture and a feather sack we pulled a blanket over the top of us and we went to bed. In the dark were stacks of boxes piled up behind us that we couldn't see and furniture shuffled to the side so that we had room to lay on the floor. The sounds of the night were large trucks as they exited I-80. The thin walls of our truck didn't offer too much shelter from the noise but we slept well enough to make it to Eastern Penn. where we stopped more because of the terrible rain than because of tiredness. Again we slept in the back of the truck, lulled away into slumber by the nearest diesel truck slowly chugging in it's parking spot. Minna said that she was so comfortable that night that she didn't want to get out of bed. But we did. We drove through New Jersey and on through Manhattan and Queens via the tunnel 34th street, tunnel. Thankfully some people from our Branch helped us unload. It would have been an all day job for us without their help... we are very grateful. We are officially living in New York City.
We really live here. It was always beyond me that we would ever have this opportunity. I walk out the door of our apartment down the stairs and skateboard down the street and up Austin street turning towards Queens Boulevard to catch the E train avoiding the strange looks people cast, bewildered by such a long skateboard. Coming out of the subway I walk straight into my building across the dark marble floor past the security guard, into the elevators. I get off on the 3rd Floor walk down the hall and through a door way. Here are my co-workers. I walk around a few cubicles and arrive next to the wall where a cube has my name on it and I sit down, in New York.
Tuesday, September 21, 2004
Alone
Here I am at work. There is no one here. well I can here people out in the hall every once in a while. but nobody is in my office. It's kind of nice just to have the whole place to myself. I just went with minna to the airport. She's flying to Salt Lake tonight to hang out and decorate her brother's house. So I'm alone for a few more days. It won't be so bad since I'm going out of town myself, on an office retreat sort of thing. but I'm with minna so much of the time that it will be quite strange. Tonight it was really fun to hang out with her at the airport before she left. She really is just beautiful. I'll miss her.
Sunday, August 29, 2004
Traveling
We go through life traveling, we moved around everyday it ages us, we gain or loose heath by our daily journeys. Life is a journey. Even if we don't think we are moving, we are. Things are always changing. For example if you live in a home and then move out and then have the opportunity to visit the same home again it's the exact same home and it may look the same but yet it doesn't seem the same, even if it looks the same. Two days ago we arrived in Seattle and drove away from the curb on our journey toward Lake Stevens. We pulled around the way and headed toward the freeway, my wife's father passed this same stretch circling maybe five or six times before he picked us up. Many cars passed this way accumulating thousands of laps every day. I'm suprised that the smog around the airport is not more donut shaped. They should create an automobile race at the airport called the Airport 500. Here the ground is trodden and anything there upon. As we drove away from the airport passing white lines, a car floor-mat half fliped over by passing cars we discussed the flight and flying's usualities.
Yesterday we drove back to the airport picking up my wife's mother having who had been in Utah for the week. Minna dropped me off and circled while I went to the bathroom. Her mother would not arrive for a few more minutes. I came back and took the wheel while she went in to use the facilities. I eased onto the gas pedal to begin my slow circling and add my treads to the unofficial airport 500 race. I rounded the first bend curious about the interesting airport architechture, keeping my eye on the road began the turn back toward the curb passing a car floor mat, the same mat I'd seen the night before but a hundred yards further down the road. It was now at the fork where the road splits to head toward the freeway or back toward the exit. It seemed like the mat had traveled the distance on its own, 100 yards in almost 24 hours. It was the same mat I had seen the night before yet different having moved along on its path it had progressed in its journey unnoticed by passers by. I would say that 100 yards for a car mat is quite a distance (on its own). What a journey. We picked up Minna's mother and I tried to snap a photo of the mat. The photo didn't turn out but I have the memory. This week Minna's brother is getting married. I'll be going back and forth many times to the airport this week picking up relatives. I may see the same mat again perhaps a little further on its journey. I'll try again for a picture but it won't be the same.
Yesterday we drove back to the airport picking up my wife's mother having who had been in Utah for the week. Minna dropped me off and circled while I went to the bathroom. Her mother would not arrive for a few more minutes. I came back and took the wheel while she went in to use the facilities. I eased onto the gas pedal to begin my slow circling and add my treads to the unofficial airport 500 race. I rounded the first bend curious about the interesting airport architechture, keeping my eye on the road began the turn back toward the curb passing a car floor mat, the same mat I'd seen the night before but a hundred yards further down the road. It was now at the fork where the road splits to head toward the freeway or back toward the exit. It seemed like the mat had traveled the distance on its own, 100 yards in almost 24 hours. It was the same mat I had seen the night before yet different having moved along on its path it had progressed in its journey unnoticed by passers by. I would say that 100 yards for a car mat is quite a distance (on its own). What a journey. We picked up Minna's mother and I tried to snap a photo of the mat. The photo didn't turn out but I have the memory. This week Minna's brother is getting married. I'll be going back and forth many times to the airport this week picking up relatives. I may see the same mat again perhaps a little further on its journey. I'll try again for a picture but it won't be the same.
Monday, July 26, 2004
Dental Convention
Smart Irony, this place was full of it.
This past weekend my friend Weston came to town, it was good to catch up.
He works for a company that makes money on one of the most hated ways to spend money by one of the most hated professionals. The company is called Wykle Research. This company makes amalgams. An amalgam is what is used to fill the cavity in your tooth. There were two observations to me that were interesting when I visited Weston at this dental convention. Before I make these observations I would like to note that the majority of the dentists were male while I never did spot a male hygenist (everone wears tags telling their position).
1 - the many isles of booths were filled with hundreds of people, milling about, who make their living by sticking their fingers into other people mouths. As I passed one vendor selling rubber gloves I thought, "if there is any company that would make any money at this convention it would be this company," that company and the three booths that were selling jewelry to the hundreds of hygenists, these people are smart.
2 - many of the vendors selling products to these professionals were handing out candy.
And so to all the companys at the convention, who know a whole lot about job security, Wykle Research says, "Thank you"
This past weekend my friend Weston came to town, it was good to catch up.
He works for a company that makes money on one of the most hated ways to spend money by one of the most hated professionals. The company is called Wykle Research. This company makes amalgams. An amalgam is what is used to fill the cavity in your tooth. There were two observations to me that were interesting when I visited Weston at this dental convention. Before I make these observations I would like to note that the majority of the dentists were male while I never did spot a male hygenist (everone wears tags telling their position).
1 - the many isles of booths were filled with hundreds of people, milling about, who make their living by sticking their fingers into other people mouths. As I passed one vendor selling rubber gloves I thought, "if there is any company that would make any money at this convention it would be this company," that company and the three booths that were selling jewelry to the hundreds of hygenists, these people are smart.
2 - many of the vendors selling products to these professionals were handing out candy.
And so to all the companys at the convention, who know a whole lot about job security, Wykle Research says, "Thank you"
weekend trip
Once upon a time there were two people who liked to do very fun things. So one weekend they decided to go camping in Winthrop, Washington.
The two set out on their trip late on a Friday night just in time to experience the Cascade Mountains by sunset. They arrived at their campsite and put a soft memory foam mattress down right next to the car and fell asleep looking at the stars and listening to the river. What a wonderful drive it had been. The next morning was started with unsuccessful pancakes and tastey turkey jerky, while observing a hot air balloon above. Winthrop was a funny little town designed to look like it was directliy out of an old western. The fun loving people hitched their Honda to a post and looked at all the shops, entering a select few before driving toward home. The road meandered around rocks and trees and snaked through steep hills around Diablo Lake, a very green lake.
The two fun loving people decided the lake was a perfect destination for next years saint patricks day. The views and weather were top notch as the couple wiped sweat from their faces. It was so hot but why wasn't anyone in the lake. Was it contaminated with unusual toxicness that made it green? was it really shallow? was it really hot water. The answer came as Dan dipped his feet in the water and immediately became numb. At first it shocked his toes and immediately it cooled his internal temperature, then promptly began to sting his skin. The water was very, very cold.
As the afternoon wore on the two thrill seekers found themselved once again on I-5 headed for home, having successfully visting Winthrop, Washington and finding out why no one was swimming in Diablo.
The two set out on their trip late on a Friday night just in time to experience the Cascade Mountains by sunset. They arrived at their campsite and put a soft memory foam mattress down right next to the car and fell asleep looking at the stars and listening to the river. What a wonderful drive it had been. The next morning was started with unsuccessful pancakes and tastey turkey jerky, while observing a hot air balloon above. Winthrop was a funny little town designed to look like it was directliy out of an old western. The fun loving people hitched their Honda to a post and looked at all the shops, entering a select few before driving toward home. The road meandered around rocks and trees and snaked through steep hills around Diablo Lake, a very green lake.
The two fun loving people decided the lake was a perfect destination for next years saint patricks day. The views and weather were top notch as the couple wiped sweat from their faces. It was so hot but why wasn't anyone in the lake. Was it contaminated with unusual toxicness that made it green? was it really shallow? was it really hot water. The answer came as Dan dipped his feet in the water and immediately became numb. At first it shocked his toes and immediately it cooled his internal temperature, then promptly began to sting his skin. The water was very, very cold.
As the afternoon wore on the two thrill seekers found themselved once again on I-5 headed for home, having successfully visting Winthrop, Washington and finding out why no one was swimming in Diablo.
Monday, July 19, 2004
end of the road
Well, we found it. Minna and I did, the end of the road. We went on a fabulous drive on one of the more fun packed saturdays that we've ever had. We drove past Granite Falls and Verlot on this a winding road along side a river. The road was packed with trail heads along the sides and some hikers here and there. The pavement ended and we kept going on the gravel that kicked up the dry dust onto the freshly washed car. Oh well it is worth it to wash the car again to see where this road goes. Finally we drove up to a concrete blocker and a "road end" sign. We found it. We hiked a bit on the road and we saw this collection of jumbled rocks and fallen trees that had been over grown by moss, softening the trees to a rotted wonder. I walked up from the road, stepping on the soft jumbled hillside. It felt like there was something underneath, like there was a hidden world of gnomes and hobbits hidding underneath all of it. I was just making flip-flop prints in their ceilings.
Minna took this awesome picture.
The rest of the day consisted of a picnic lunch and driving to a golf course to hit on the range for a bit. It was Minna's first time. She is quite athletic and did a fabulous job of swinging. If she practices a little more I'm dead meat in a round of 9 with her.
Wednesday, July 14, 2004
swim
tonight I went swimming. by my self. it was amazing. swimming at night has it's amazing qualities. it is first of all, still... the water is picturesque and black. reflecting any lights from yonder near perfect. you can't see anything underwater but close to the shore... where you realized how clear it really is... even in the dark you can see your feet stepping through the water as rises past the belly. the water is cool but not so cold it's unbearable. its just waking temperature. and my body feels alive slipping into the unknown. all I feel is water no ground. I am deeper, I don't know what's below me. but controlling the fear is good practice. I move the water past me and slip away from the shore. it becomes distant and so does everything else. The stars close in and viewing them at night while swimming in the lake rivals that of hearing the silence that falling snow brings to a hillside. further from shore the slightest water movement is very loud, the next state could hear these micro splashes it if they were awake. My own foot surfacing surprises me. I'm out pretty far. it's quite thrilling to think of how deep the water could be. i look around nobody, nothing seems to care I'm there. it's a good thing. the lake though is just as thrilled in it's quiet excitement that I'm learning again how great the stars are from the middle. I tread for a bit, taking in everything, heading back to the shore I'm swimming and focused on the floating buoy I went under when I crossed the swim boundry, and beyond that much further I see the shore. eventually I'll get there again.. I'll just feel the water's quietness for now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)