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July 31 July 31 - London BrieflyThe worst part of Europe is getting here.
We landed at Gatwick airport exactly on time. The flight was long - 13 hours total. The segment from DFW to London was only half full. The guy sitting next to me was taking more than his share of the row. So, I found my own spot near the back where I could spread out a little.
It was a quick walk through immigration and customs, then I boarded the Gatwick Express and headed into town. During the ride, it was fun to watch and listen as two teen boys enjoyed their first ride in London - complete with repeated exclamations like, "Awesome!"
Once we got to bustling Victoria Station, I caught the Circle Line. Bayswater stop brought me to 30 Princes Square - Vancouver Studio Suites. I was hot, sweaty, and tired. Thankfully my room was ready at noon when I arrived.
After I checked in at the hotel, I took a quick and cooling shower, changed my clothes, then set off for The Museum of London History in the City by St Paul's.
The museum is quite nice, and fairly big. I spent two hours there, but that is all my body could handle. Exhaustion had finally overcome excitement. My body has gone without sleep for about 30 hours! I never dozed for more than 20 minutes on the plane.
So now I'm back at the hotel. My room is on the ground floor with a big window looking over flowering window boxes onto a quiet street. The room has two twin beds, a small couch, breakfast table and kitchenette. Most importantly, it has a fan. All for just 75 GBP per night. Perfect!
The hotel is three blocks from the tube, and the same distance from a Tesco Supermarket. I went shopping for tonight's dinner. I also bought food for tomorrow's very early breakfast. I'm catching my Easjet flight to Venice at 6:20am. July 30 Sunday July 30 - Flight to London via DFW10:45am - I'm snuggled into my sardine can seat, snug like a bug. Sadly there will be no upgrades for me today. But thankfully, I'm seated in an exit row which means I have a roomier can than most of my fellow fish. We are taking off about 15 minutes late, but I have a long wait before my flight to London. I welcome the delay.
I'm feeling both excited and nervous. I think this flight calls for a Bloody Mary! I've never traveled this far on my own. And I already miss Gene. He's always the calm one, so who can I lean on now? My personality is full of contradictions. I need alone time, but I don't like being alone. What's with that?
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5:20 pm CDT - I'm in Dallas now, hooked up to the Boingo WiFi network. I have about 2 hours before my flight starts boarding. I spent the first half hour wandering through the International Terminal. I found a quiet spot next to an electrical plug, along with the added advantage of almost no one around. Soon I will eat a light dinner, walk for a while longer, and then head to the gate.
It's a nine hour flight ahead of me and my butt isn't looking foward to it. In order to increase my chances of sleeping, I've brought along a T-shirt and lounge pants. I plan on changing into my comfy clothes just before taking a mild sleeping pill. If I can get 4 hours of real sleep, I'll be thrilled.
Wish me luck! July 28 Europe Here I Come!I'm heading to London in less than 48 hours. After a full day and night in the British capital, it will be a quick flight to Venice. A few days later I take the train to Castelfranco and meet up with Patrick. I'll lodge with Pat and Cindy for a week and a half, then again travel by train. This time I'll head for Florence. Finally, the Rail Italia will deposit me in Rome for a few days. 19 days after my departure, I'm scheduled to fly out of Rome and return to Seattle via Londan and Dallas. I'm almost completely packed. Once again I'm traveling light with one small bag/backpack - about 20 pounds. A few final preparations tomorrow will set me on course. I'm especially excited because this is my first solo European vacation. I know I will have a blast. July 27 Moving OnOK. The anger and bitterness are subsiding and I'm moving on. I have better things to think about than the rantings and false logic of ignorant civilians and government serfs.
At the bottom of today's entry are a couple pictures of our new home, including the wonderful Space Needle view from our roof top deck. WAY COOL! Our structural inspection for the townhouse took place this morning. Everything was fine with the exception of one strange live electrical wire that was sticking out of a drawer in the kitchen. What's with that? It didn't seem to have any purpose. AND, it was raw, live, and dangerous. But - that's easily fixed by the owner. A couple hundred dollars paid to an electrician should fix the problem by closing time. Tomorrow marks the no turning back day. Once we sign a confirmation that all systems meet our approval, then it's just a matter of time. Closing day is set for August 24 or sooner. July 25 Same Sex Marriage in Washington State?First Massachusetts allowed gay marriage - now will Washington State do the same? Perhaps my state will be the second in our nation to give full marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples. The state Supreme Court announced today they will issue a ruling in the combined cases of Andersen vs. Sims and Castle vs. State of Washington (I know the Castles. Their kids went to my school).
I heard of tomorrows pending ruling, and I admit it scared me. I'm frightened the court will say no, but my fear of that is very small. Most likely that ruling will not be the case. Two lower courts ruled against the state. The rulings were very strong and cited the state constitution, giving us an insight into how our State Supreme Court will view the Defense of Marriage Act which passed the legislature in 1998.
No, I'm not scared of the court denying civil marriage. Actually, I fear they will say same sex marriage MUST be allowed because the constitution requires it. Such a ruling may throw this state into political chaos. I fear a backlash, especially from those who live in Eastern Washington. I fear the angry homophobic reaction of fundamentalist churches and the Roman Catholic Diocese.
Among residents in metro Seattle, most support gay marriage or they are at least willing to listen and perhaps be persuaded. Surveys have shown in my area more than 60% of residents support same sex civil marriage. Even among fundamentalist churches in the area, many people have mixed feelings. But - the east side of this state is much more conservative. It's very possible there will be a sudden and angry surge toward a constitutional amendment. There will be griping and grumbling about "activist judges" and the downfall of civilization.
But at my core, what I fear most is the answer to this question: Will Gene and I get married if the court requires the issuance of licenses to same sex couples? We've discussed the matter, and we are leaning toward an affirmative answer. But what if we marry, and then two years later a constitutional amendment renders our marriage null and void. I would feel crushed, embittered, and deeply hurt. That's what my greatest fear is. Sometimes I feel it best just to stay unmarried to avoid such an emotional rollercoaster that ends in disaster. After all, the institution of marriage is far from perfect and we've been excluded from it our entire adult lives. Why should we want to join a bunch of straight people who don't want us around? Ultimately, we will make our decision as this issue unfolds in the coming days.
Gene and I have been together for more than 13 years. We remain committed to each other with equal if not more strength than when we first fell in love. Our relationship will not live or die based on the court's ruling tomorrow. But wouldn't it be nice if we could get married? I really would like that, if I can keep from crying during the ceremony. Yeah...right! July 24 Not Since the Nixon EraThere hasn’t been such a corrupt or power hungry president as George W. Bush since Nixon - more than 30 years ago. With each passing day, my disgust and frustration grows deeper and deeper.
The New York Times and many other papers (including the Seattle Post-Intelligencer) published a report that the American Bar Association has accused President Bush of, "flouting the Constitution and undermining the rule of law." I could not agree more. It's an embarrassment to our nation and a black eye on American Democracy.
How dare President Bush criticize nations like Russia when he too is skirting, avoiding, and ignoring our own laws? When are the fat and apathetic American people going to rise up and demand his impeachment! George Bush IS NOT the man we need leading our nation during the war on terrorism.
The signing statements mentioned in the article are clearly anti-democratic. Judicial review should be sought immediately. I don’t care how many presidents have used them in the past. I believe they are wrong except in the most extreme circumstances (such as a law that is possibly unconstitutional. And even then, the President should have to issue a statement as to why he will not enforce the provision and he should be required to seek a judicial opinion on the law’s constitutionality. The fact that George Bush has used signing statements more than other presidents demonstrates clearly that he and his administration are using subterfuge in order to ignore the rule of law.
I'm ashamed to call him my President. July 23 Changing TimesYesterday was a momentous day for Gene and I. We made an offer on a new townhome in the Uptown district of Seattle (aka Lower Queen Anne). The seller countered and we accepted. So we are well on the way to buying a new home, selling our current house as part of the process.
The new house is very different from those of the present and past. Primarily, the difference is the size. The new townhouse is smaller than our Magnolia home by 450 square feet. That's a 20% reduction in space. Basically, we are losing one bedroom, a laundry room (the townhome has a laundry closet), and our small TV room. Our new living room is slightly smaller, but the new townhous has 3 bathrooms rather than our current 1.75. But the loss of interior space is not the only change.
The difference in our yard configuration is the most dramatic change. The townhouse has a relatively small back yard - which is desirable for us considering we are growing tired of landscape obligations. A smaller yard will allow us the benefit of some tinkering and landscape creativity, but not an overywhelming amount of work. The townhouse yard is fairly large when compared to other townhouses. It also extends along the front of the home as a kind of shallow front yard. We have many plans for new plantings and structures (like a patio and hot tub). But we don't want to get ahead of ourselves.
For now, we must concentrate on completion of our financing package and preparing our current home for sale. Right now, we expect to take posession of the new townhouse in late August. Then we will paint while our current home is listed for sale. Finally, we will move into the new house by late September. Hopefully, our vacation condo will also sell during that time. Then we can focus on settling in for the winter and planning for our spring projects. July 12 Remember When...?Remember when most people watched black and white TV? Do you recall that each time a change of channel was desired, one had to rise up, walk to the TV, and turn the knob?
I remember when a remote control was a small metal box owned exclusively by families with more money than mine. Even though a remote was advanced technology, one could only click through the stations in order. Of course, that wasn't a big issue because most people had only a dozen channels to choose from.
I even recall when our TV went on the fritz, my Dad could fix the problem by opening the back, finding a tube that had blown, then replacing it himself. He had to be careful because the tubes got hot enough to fry the flesh off his fingers. Back in the day - the 1960s in San Diego - we had only five broadcast channels (ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, and independent XETV channel 6).
Once we got our first color TV (it was huge! 18") it was quite literally the size of a piece of furniture. At the same time, we were the first family on the street to get cable TV. That happened in about 1975. Still, we received a measly 13 stations and my parents still couldn't afford a TV with a remote control. Honestly, when one has to get off the couch to change the channel, there was a lot less channel surfing going on.
When I became an adult and moved into my first apartment, I took a step back. Again I was reduced to black and white TV and this time it was only a 12" set. I couldn't afford cable service. Oh the horror! But the situation wasn't too dire. Back then I actually had a social life - I was 18, living on my own and I had my own car.
Things are a little different today. The space age has come to the library and media room at Edenhill. As of today, our roof is the resting place of a new satellite dish, along with a state of the art HDTV 32" flat screen LCD television (surprise!).
Gene and I have the pleasure of 185 channels of digital television and satellite radio. The remote control is so complex, it's difficult to use. But we have ultimate pleasure of surfing a wide variety of channels catering to every taste and whim. And believe it or not, it's actually going to cost less than our former cable TV service. The colors are rich and crisp - nearly as good as a movie theatre. There are no more little rickety TV carts with yellow plastic wheels. The TV is mounted on the wall. Tubes are a thing of the past since the invention and mass production of transistors and, more recently, the processor chips.
My goodness, how far we have come. In 1970, you'd never hear words like "ass" or "bitch" or "piss" on TV. But now our vocabularies will benefit from hearing those words in digital Dolby stereo! Don't you feel like the human race is elevating itself?
Though I don't long for the "old days," it's obvious technology hasn't made life much better.
Will these new technological additions to our spoiled American life make us into better people? We all know the answer to that. July 02 RecentlySummer is here, and there has never been a better one in Seattle. The weather has been flawless - sunny day after day and about 80 degrees. I've already spent more than a week by the pool absorbing plenty of cancer causing rays.
Something new: two days ago we ordered satellite TV service through Direct TV. Believe it or not, it's actually going to cost less than cable TV service. The most recent rate increase the cable company forced on us finally made satellite service less expensive - especially since the phone company and satellite company are working together to bundle services at a discounted rate.
Though we don't watch all that much TV, what we do watch tends to be on cable stations like Comedy Central and SciFi. I'm excited that we will get Logo TV with the new dish service. Logo is a cable station that caters exclusively to gay viewers. Comcast will probably never carry Logo, so I'm glad we are making the leap to satellite.
Also new is the fact that I refinanced my student loans. The monthly payment will drop just a little, but that's better than the dramatic rise we were expecting due to the many times the Federal Bank has raised interest rates over the last year. The new consolidated loan should help stabilize our budget. Previously we were having to adjust our budget every quarter because of the constantly changing interest rates. Now my student loans are much more predictable because the interest rates is now locked for the life of the loan at 5.6%.
On a more exciting note: my trip to Italy is approaching. I spent a lot of time looking into renting or buying a cell phone for Europe - but the expense outweighed the short term benefits. If I was traveling to Europe 1-2 times every year, I might feel differently, but we are spending most of our vaction time in North and Central America as well as the Caribbean recently. So the rental or purchase cost is just too high.
I checked out the bookings for my flights to and from Europe and I noticed they are still only half full - so I think there's a good chance that my AA Platinum status will get me a free upgrade to Business Class. They raised the fare too. Interesting that they raised the fare despite the plane being half empty. I may actually be able to sleep on the way across the Atlantic if I get upgraded to Business Class. But if an upgrade isn't in the cards, at least I know I have exit row seats with extra leg room.
And speaking of vacation time - last week we set off on a smart but sad pathway. We listed our vacation condo for sale. The Ocean Shores real estate market is up right now, and with all our other travels plus work, family, and hobbies, we just weren't using the condo as much as in the past. Also, the monthly costs have continued to go up as assessments and HOA dues eat into our budget. So, we decided it was time to sell. The condo is in great condition after we put so much of our time, talent, and money into the interior. Our unit is definetely much better than when we purchsed more than 5 years ago. The HOA recently finished painting the exterior as well as completing some repairs - so the place has never looked so good. My head tells me now is the right time to sell, but my heart tells me to hold on. In the past six years we've very much enjoyed our seaside escape, but my head is winning this argument. The place is listed with an agent and we've already had some interest. Finally, Sophie - our newly rescued Schnauzer is adapting well to life in our Schnauzer-centric household. She has a unique personality - very different from Amy. But she still demonstrates all the usual Schnauzer characteristics. She barks at everything that walks by the house. She gets vocal when I pick her up off a comfortable bed (she growls), and she has a lot of energy in the mornings.
I have a good life. All is going well. |
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