Seattle: Day 7 "New friends"

Day seven was lazy. I just did my laundry and watched rain splash the pond behind the house. I played a lot of Mario with the kids here.

However, I went to a dance party in Seattle. It was a Mormon dance party, so it was clean. The only exception was the tall drunk man who stumbled into the party and started dancing. He made quite a display.

I met new friends there. Mia, Marni and Stephanie are from a place near Redmond.

Meeting new friends and running into old ones made for a good night.

Seattle: Day 6 "I found my soulmate today"

The title was just to get you to read. Sorry.

I had a vanilla bean (coffee-less) frappuccino at Starbucks while designing a postcard. It was an amazing Washington experience.

Today I went to the waterfront in Kirkland for photos. I parked the car and made my way over to the parking meter. The meter did not say how much time I could pay for. I asked a parking lady nearby how much I should put into the meter.

"Just pay for the maximum. You never know when you will meet your soulmate," she said hopefully.

I gave her a quizzical look and paid the minimum.

Soulmate or not, I took some lovely photos.

Seattle: Day 5 "Starbucks and MacBooks"

I used Wi-Fi in a public park today. Washington is a magical place.

I took more photos in Marymoor Park, then immediately uploaded them in the park. It was convenient.

So far this is what seattle has done for me:

1.) Fueled my passionate desire for an iPhone.

2.) Magnified my frustrations toward Microsoft.

3.) Pushed me to become a better photographer.

4.) Enticed me to move here.

The radio doesn't even suck here. THE RADIO.

Washington is so magical that it even has my bank. I was able to deposit $500 that I received when I sold my camera. This, of course, was after I fanned myself with it a few times. There are only a handful of times I will have that amount of money in my hand, so I have to take advantage of it.

I went with Jessica to Bellevue Mall to buy a MacBook. That city seems to be owned by Microsoft, which made the purchase that much sweeter.

We have plans to sit in a Starbucks with our MacBooks talking about how original screenplays are dead while sipping our hot cocoa.

I'm living the dream.

Seattle: Day 4 "Wash me"

The back of a moving van said "Overtaxation is not the answer" written in the dirt that covered it. You know you are in Seattle when hooligans write political statements instead of "Wash me!"

I sold my old camera today. I was a little nervous about money, so I am glad that it is gone. A part of me will miss it, but that part of me is ok with starving to death.

The man who purchased the camera clearly had the money. He arrived in a nice Audi, his hair was slicked back and he spoke to me like a was kin. He was a very friendly man. He offered $400. I told him I would go no lower than $450. He examined the camera while I explained to him why I came to Seattle. I told him about internship opportunities, friends and adventures.

The real reason I was here was irrelevant.

Something must have struck his compassion. He left with my camera at full price. I mustered up all of the stuff and offered him a "call-me-if-something-goes-wrong" warranty.

He was a good man and a Godsend.

I went to Marymoor park today. I took photos of a garden where volunteers grow food for local shelters. Ah, Seattle.

Seattle Day 3: "Night and Day"

Today was a lazy day. I spent most of it playing Rockband and Super Mario with the family that I am staying with. Their 11-year-old daughter loves to cook. Her knowledge of recipes is limited, so I had rice crispy treats for breakfast.

Later that day, I wandered the historic part of Redmond with Jessica. There was a bookstore that sold at half price. Conversations about lowering the drinking age and nuclear war were heard over the cash register. It was good to see a local bookstore do well.



When evening approached, Jessica retired to talk with her boyfriend. Tsige and I ventured to Seattle for some night photography. While I shot, I got to hear her stories. Tsige Tafesse was born in America, but is Ethiopian by blood. She spoke of the incredible story of her parents, her feelings, her opinions and so on. It was a refreshing conversation.


We traversed the city until 2 AM. The city at night is calming in its quiet beauty.


A day of beauty: Stories, cities and people.

Seattle: Day 2 "Clam Chowder Sums It Up"

Let me begin with the following statement: Iver's in Seattle has the best clam chowder I have ever had.

The city of Seattle is calm. It was nice getting a tour from locals because they would be nonchalant about most of the sites, which kept me from being over-enthusiastic about people throwing fish.

The people of Idaho believe that a camera will steal your soul. In Seattle it is an everyday occurrence to see a photographer chasing you. It was like a shooting gallery where the targets don't get mad when you shoot them while they have food in their mouth or when they are not smiling.

There is one universal constant that remains unscathed even in Washington. The single's congregation here is odd.

They are fun, likable people but weird nonetheless.

There was an activity at the church tonight. We performed improv skits. Nothing beats an comedic routine where the only laughs produced were from Star Wars references.

I had fun.

Seattle: Day 1 "Kind of Like Japan"

I woke up to a rooster this morning. No, I am not staying on a farm. I am in Redmond, Wash. which is just outside of Seattle where I arise in the morning to the sound of "urban chickens."

I feel like I have gone to another world where everything is backwards. Kind of like Japan.

Seattle is beautiful and full of interesting people. I thought I would stand out here as the stranger looking to escape his problems by running away to Seattle. It turns out that it is made up of people like me.

My accommodations have been wonderful. Jessica's parents were delighted to meet me. All of my unspoken and unanswered questions about her personality quirks were solved by 10 minutes of conversation with her family. When I arrived at my temporary home, the lady of the house taught me how to give a proper hug, gave me a tour and left for Japan the next day.

In conclusion, Washington is full of Starbucks, hipsters and trees.

It is wonderful.