The end of another day in Seattle.

The evening ferry came in as the sun went down. This is supposed to be one the last glimpses of the sun we get for a while.
So I thought I would commemorate it in a picture on my blog. I had to actually close the blinds at my desk today because the sun was blinding me, but I poked my camera through the blinds to get this shot of the fleeting sun.

The day is coming to an end, and in an hour I will go home. so that's it for now.

Later,
SteveO

I'm leaving on a jet plane.

Even though most people reading this probably don't use Google Calendar... I do!
so here are a couple links. (anyone with a phone can use these links as well with Google mobile! (that's for your cell phone...)

This is a link to add my flight to Detroit to your Google calendar.

This is the link to add my flight to Seattle to your Google calendar.


However... for the rest of you... or more likely all of you... I have the following time table.


Arriving in Detroit at 5:04AM on December 19th.

I leave Detroit at 7:46PM on December 26th.

or you can also reference my calendar here:


so... that's my update.

Later,
SteveO

It's Rainy around these parts...

I really do think that the day I took that panoramic shot from my office window, was the last nice day we had around here. The past couple of days, I've had a hard time seeing even the buildings in that picture through the rain.

All the mountain passes are closed, and I5 is closed about 62 miles south of my home. There is all sorts of flooding in Redmond (good thing I didn't take that job in Bothell...).

The only view I have is the view I have as my computer background picture. it really is crazy. but it's home. and it isn't that cold. even though I had rain falling up on my face when I went to get lunch today. I guess it really wasn't falling at that point... but that's kinda how it gets in the city when it's raining... and the wind is blowing at about 30ish MPH... and the road is covered with an inch of water... and what used to be Pike street kinda looks more like a river...

It sure is an exciting time of the year... and I do kinda have a soft spot for foul weather. Although I really do need rain gear.... I mean, my gortex coat is really nice... and my pants are good too, but they have heavy insulation. I need something thin, waterproof, and breathable. that won't cook me when I'm sitting in a heated environment. plus I will have a sweatshirt on under it anyway... multiple thin layers. that is what I need.

Anyway. I love it here.

Later,
SteveO

Winter in Seattle

The rain falls cold this time of year,
it gets hard to distinguish if that is smoke I'm exhaling,
at times like this it is easy to remember why they call this the rainy city.

As a jet goes by I even remember why they call this jet city,
and looking out at the evergreen landscape,
I see why they call this the emerald city.
The names fit in every way that I can see.

I sip my warm glogg mixed with blue sky vodka,
the name is enough for my imagination to picture the blue skies,
even though the sun went down hours ago...
the rain started days ago...
and cloudy for weeks...

Tomorrow I will be reminded of where the roots of this city came from.
I'll ride the bus past Boeing field, up past the train station and into down town.
I'll ride past the Bank of America tower...
the Washington Mutual tower...
and to the corner where they big Christmas tree is lit.

I'll walk to my building,
in which I'll ride the elevator to the tenth floor
there I will sit at my desk.
I will watch the rain.

I'll know there are mountains in the distance.
I will know the sun is somewhere up there.
I will be happy just knowing this.

Later,
SteveO

Snow in Seattle!!!

This is the second time I've actually seen snow in Seattle. I'm pretty sure it is only falling up in the hills (like where I am) but it is still so cool!

This means the snow line is currently under 400ft! (or something like that...)


Anyway. I'm enjoying the day off. It's nice not to work on the weekends. I'm going to go get some coffee.

Later,
SteveO

Pictures of my view

I wanted to share the wonderful view I have from my desk. I look at this every day behind my monitor.

To the right (West) is the Olympic Mountain range off in the distance past the Puget Sound. Straight ahead (South West) I can just sit back and look out over Elliot bay to West Seattle and Alki Beach. Finally to the left (South by South West), you can see these building. A friend of mine I met on the train lived in the short colorful orange and tan building at the left, just below the center of the picture. I had to do a little work to combine 3 different pictures into this panoramic shot of my view, but I'm very happy I put a little effort into this.

Barcode to this webpage.

This barcode is a common sight in Asia.


It is a bar code that (in Asia) a camera-phone would be used to store this web site's URL and my cell phone number.

It could be that one day you will see these around in the US and Europe when our technology catches up with East Asia (specifically Japan.)

The three very clear squares (in the upper corners and bottom left) are used to identify the top and left side. The information in the middle is used to represent a 2D barcode.

Crazy stuff!


Later,
SteveO