With home life, work and going to school, seems I might have bitten off a little too much thinking I would maintain a blog. Perhaps part of it is the summer weather, too. I like being out more. So, I will go into “suspended mode” for awhile. When I get back to this, perhaps I’ll do more to promote the thing, as well. So, till then…..
We just spent a long weekend (hot weekend) in Portland. It is called The City that Works. Of particular interest to me was Trimet, the mass transit system. We stayed downtown near Union Station, having taken Amtrak from Edmonds (A small city next door to Lynnwood), a four hour ride which was quite relaxing actually, and walked to the hotel. We found getting around Portland on mass transit to be easy and convenient. While on the Max going from downtown to Washington Park, we noticed numerous folks with baggage. They were riding Max from Portland International to places as far out as Beaverton. The contrast between the Portland metro area and the Puget Sound Region when it comes to mass transit is startling. Trimet, even on a weekend, was well used. I stood hanging on to a strap all the way back from Washington Park to our hotel. Those of you who have been to San Diego are probably aware of the “Trolley” system, mass transit that works well and is well used. The present for some and perhaps the future for others (Puget Sound?) is “tracks.” Seems to me Portland and San Diego put the Puget Sound Region to shame in terms of transit. See the PDF at www.ron-siddell.com/Portland.pdf
We decided to get away from Lynnwood for a long weekend; so caught Amtrak in Edmonds and got off at Union Station in Portland to a 100 degrees-plus sun-drenched afternoon. Riding the rails is quite relaxing and much more comfortable than sitting knees to chest on a crowded airpplane. For a Saturday, I was somewhat surprised at the numbers of people sharing the train with us. People were getting on and off at every stop between Edmonds and Portland. One of the stops was that city just south of Lynnwood known as Seattle. I suspect that Amtrak will see a continuing rise in business as gas prices go up and the airlines price themselves out of business. Of course, Amtrak could raise ticket prices, too. At some point, we’ll all just stay home, too poor to travel.
Lynnwood has at last been bathed in sun…a rare occurrence so far this year. While I’m grateful for sun and somewhat of a warming trend, at the same time I want to count my blessings, rain or sun, when I read about the flooding in such states as Wisconsin. I really have nothing to complain about. Back to sun, see photo as some proof that we see “the light.”
The 4th of July (actually Independence Day for you folks under 30) is upon us and as usual we in Lynnwood will have to find a way to tolerate weeks of booms, bangs, crackles and burning materials falling on our roofs. Seems the city council doesn’t have the wherewithal to wrest control of the fireworks escapade from those who don’t seem to care how much harm they may cause with their ridiculous revelry. Communities around Lynnwood have taken control of fireworks and limit them to public displays. So, the folks from those communities come to Lynnwood and go nuts. Again, this year Pam and I will stay home just to ensure that our house doesn’t burn down.
I paid a visit to Lynnwood’s Fred Meyer store to pick a few hardware parts for the fence gate I’m building. I found three of the items relatively post haste…however; the fourth was hiding from me. I searched the aisle for about 15 minutes, but struck out. There were two store employees nearby, one who was working on shelves just behind me. I was actually getting in her way. She and the other employee ignored me, neither inquiring as to what I might being doing there, blocking the aisle. Finally, I asked one of them very politely, “Could I ask you a question?” Her response, “You just did.” I let that go and asked about the item for which I was looking. She asked the other employee and between them, the item was found.
Now, for the good part. I proceeded to the nearest check out stand and got behind one person who had perhaps a couple of bags of items. She and the clerk were engaged in what appeared for both a frustrating “conversation.” The checker happened to be Hispanic, the customer Asian. Neither seemed able to speak English well enough to conduct the transaction in an efficient manner. Neither understood the other’s native language. So, there they were, two unhappy people just trying to get along without a common language. At last, the checker said in broken English she would call her supervisor and the customer just shook her head. Don’t know if it was a yes shake or no shake. Regardless, I went to another part of the store where the self-checkout stands are located and didn’t have to talk to anyone to make my purchases and be on my way. Now, I know why self-checkouts are a blessing. And when they first appeared on the scene some folks were predicting the end of the world…my oh my.
What follows is text from an email note to me and my response.
My friend’s note:
I found the Lynnwood newsletter (Inside Lynnwood) on the web yesterday ( http://www.ci.lynnwood.wa.us/Content/HomePage.aspx?id=264 ) Now I’m up-to-date. I noticed that you’re the contact guy, so I guess you’re still putting it together. It still looks great. I also read some Planning Commission stuff and found out that the City is gearing up to do some annexation outreach and the Commission is still working on Accessory Dwelling Units. I retired one year ago tomorrow and it seems like time has stood still . . . at least on those projects.
Down here in South Carolina there are a lot of black folks and they are very happy about Obama’s victory over Hillary. But, I’ve noticed that it’s not an “in your face” sort of reaction that often accompanies a sports victory. Instead, they reflect back to the early days of slavery and all the little steps it took to gain some degree of equality. They often refer to MLK’s comments about equality for everyone, not just blacks. So, the overall atmosphere seems (to me, at least) to be one of humble gratitude that a person of color has finally risen to the position of being their party’s nominee for President. It’s a very significant step in history and probably appreciated much more here than in the Northwest. At one time Charleston had a white population of 11,000 and a black population of 14,000 (mostly slaves and their families). Another interesting twist . . . I’ve been watching the local TV, radio talk shows and the newspapers and a very high percentage of people appear to support Obama, provided he doesn’t drag Hillary along as his running mate. That should be an interesting decision.
My response:
This issue of IL is my last as it is being transferred to another department.
Annexation is in the wind. It’s likely to be a several-year-long campaign. Also, there’s going to be some fighting among the cities and county as to who ends up getting what piece of unincorporated territory regardless of what the MUGA delineates.
As of yesterday, it appears Hillary is doing what she can to position herself for something special in the Obama campaign and presidency. She’ll cling to some element of power no matter what it takes.
I’m glad to hear about your experience with the South Carolina folks. Unless something changes drastically, I believe Obama will be the next president. Along with his appealing personal attributes, he, in my opinion, is appealing to a new and another populist uprising in our country (there have been a number of Populist uprisings, something of which the elites need to be aware. As being pretty much a rebel and populist in my life, I find significant merit in this.
Yesterday, the third day of June, and it might as well have been January. It was unseasonably, unreasonably cold. Further, it rained all day (ALL) with torrential downfall most of the afternoon. Rain continued throughout the night. At the moment (about 1 p.m. June 4) we’re experiencing overcast skies, but heck, its not raining. My recently retired friend and his wife are on an extended road trip and their travels are currently in Florida. Warm, sunny…I’ve suggested to him that he may not want to come back to the Lynnwood area. He and his wife are producing a truly excellent travel blog. I recommend it…go to www.ronandbonnie2.blogspot.com
Here it is last day of May and it is overcast with on and off light sprinkles most of the day. I rode my bike to class this morning and to and from stayed dry. Class is at Edmonds Community College and the first in a program leading to a certificate in computer forensics. Like many of my fellow Lynnwood citizens, we’re hoping for some global warming.
Along with resurrecting my website (www.ron-siddell.com) I recently started this blog. I’m hoping over time to develop the blog into a kind of diary with a mostly Lynnwood orientation (take a look at previous postings). Perhaps I will become somewhat of a “gadfly” bringing attention to the city’s deficiencies and promoting improvements. Lynnwood has a great deal of unrealized potential. It needs a sense of community and it desparately needs effective leaders.
At the risk of offending Hilary supporters, I will admit that when the campaigning began for Pres ‘08, I was drawn favorably to Obama. I have become disgusted with politicians of every stripe and I think the country, the state and even Lynnwood have few if any people in elected positions for any reason other than to take care of themselves and they will say and do whatever it takes to stay in office. So, I was enamored with the idea of change and a shake up in Washington D.C. However, I’m becoming concerned that too much may be made of Obama as the new Messiah, the savior, the one who has come to rescue us from the “Wrong Way.” In my lifetime (a substantial number of years, I have not been aware of a candidate for public office achieving a status of near worship. Perhaps the montage I’ve called Obama Shrine will best depict my concern. Afterall, as said by many, a photo (or a montage) is worth a thousand words (click on photo to enlarge).
Here in Lynnwood folks seem to be in great hopes that there might be a summer. Maybe Spring is here but then maybe Spring sprung and we’re going to pass from Winter into Summer, or maybe we’ll just go directly to Fall. Regardless, we do have some nice blossoms “springing” out. See photo. Speaking of Summer, Spring and all that, global warming doesn’t seem to be a problem in Lynnwood. Its the coldest and wettest I’ve ever seen at this time of year. Speaking of global warming, it seems to have made Al Gore even richer then he was before morphing into Mr. Green. The hypocrit flies and drives around in high-fuel-consumption vehicles and at the same times gets peace prizes and million dollar awards for his work to stop the ravages of global warming. My mother wanted me to be a lawyer. I became a journalist. But it seems I missed the most rewarding calling of all: flim-flam man.
