Things that happened in Seattle which make me smile

1. There is a twenty minute walk (at least) from the airport terminal to the light rail. And the train doesn't always leave on time which can make it difficult to stick to one's itinerary and to make adjustments when you don't know which bus you're trying to meet at the end of the line. However, if helpful people send you to the wrong bus stop, other helpful people will send you back to the right one.

2. A homeless man sitting nearby asked me if I knew when the train would get to Seattle. Since we were all ready in Seattle, and the train hadn't yet begun to move, I just said I wasn't from around these parts and I had no idea. A few minutes later, he took out a blue, disposable razor and began to shave his neck. When the ticket guys came to check our fares, the homeless man was ejected from the train, but I noticed that one of the ticket guys gave him ten dollars and told him to go get something to eat. Homeless Man pocketed the money, then took out his razor to shave his neck one more time as he watched the train leave.

3. While riding on a bus, Tolkien Boy and I were conversing about strangers being in his apartment, as his landlord was showing it while we were gone (TB is looking for a new place to live).

TB: I don't think I like people I don't know being in my apartment.
me: Why? What can they do? Your landlord is with them, they're just looking at the rooms.
TB: They might look in my closets.
me: Of course they'll look in the closets. What's wrong with that?
TB: They'll see my stuff.
me: What stuff? What don't you want them to see?
TB: I don't know. They'll see my comic books.
me: So? They don't know you. What's wrong with them seeing your comic books?
TB: I don't want strangers looking at my comic books.

About this time I noticed a man who was obviously eavesdropping on our conversation. He was laughing visibly each time TB or I spoke, and finally burst out, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! But it's like being trapped in a Seinfeld episode!"

Neither Tolkien Boy nor I are great Seinfeld fans. This was not good news. We looked at each other wordlessly, which only caused Bus Man to laugh more. Darrin tells me our reaction was Seinfeldian in the extreme, which was not our intention. Bus Man continued to laugh at us for another few blocks while we discussed the merits of going to the zoo, at which point he informed us that the zoo sucks. Ginsberg, who was with us, Tolkien Boy, and I decided to go to the sucky zoo anyway, which did not suck at all, but was rather lovely, contrary to Bus Man's opinion.

4. Jason and Leslie's two-year-old loves berries. A lot. I've never seen a child eat them like she does. Berries were something my kids had to be introduced to more than once because the texture, seeds, and tartness seemed to be a little daunting to them--and my children were adventurous eaters. However, the toddler I was with in Seattle ate more berries than I could and when I made a cream dessert to go with them, she ended up with that smeared all over her face...and all over her hands...and the table...She was beautiful.

5. I got to ride in a van beside Jason and Leslie's four-year-old who listens carefully to the lyrics of songs broadcast on the radio, and interprets them literally, and asks questions about them until the answer she receives makes sense to her. I tried to field her first questions about a song we were listening to: "Why does she want to climb inside the window?" and "Why won't she go in the door?" and "What's hold the hand of Death?", but then I decided her parents were much better equipped to answer those questions and it was better for me to just be tickled that they were introducing her to Melissa Etheridge at such an early age.

6. I read a bedtime story to Jason and Leslie's four-year-old...and I also read one to Tolkien Boy. There is nothing more to say about this.