After A Long Layoff

So, I moved to Seattle. I was in Kansas for a (pretty good) week. Now I'm here. I haven't been moved to blog very much for a number of reasons. One is that the internet connection here (pirated wireless) is pretty sketchy, and I haven't hauled the laptop to the library yet, so there are technical considerations. Another is that I'm not quite comfortable yet (although I was quite comfortable at the party we had Saturday night) because it's a new, still unfamiliar place with new and different people, so no routine has been established. I'm confident that I'll settle in sooner or later, although it might be tough to do with at least the next two weekends spent out of town (at a retreat {for which I'll miss the two Decibel events I'd planned to go to, which I'm not thrilled about} and the Washington MCC Sale). Everything is good so far, I think, but perhaps it doesn't quite feel like home.

Charles will be here tonight through Sunday or Monday. According to his estimates, he may be here as a resident by early October. He should be pulling in around midnight.

Notable people/places/things so far: the aforementioned party, at which I met a lot of former Mennonite volunteers. People told me that many stay here after their year is over, but it's still a little surprising to be more part of a lineage than a closed unit.

The library downtown is breathtaking.

I took a walk north on 15th Ave yesterday. I got acquainted with Sonic Boom Records (playing the Dangerdoom album), which was pretty cool. They had a very good selection of magazines, none of which I could afford to purchase. It felt like about the right size, which for some reason seems to be really important to me when considering record stores. They also had new releases for eleven dollars which I still can't quite believe, considering they aren't Best Buy and their selections weren't exactly Billboard Top 50 material, for the most part. I've yet to search out other record stores yet, but I don't know how much I'll actually be buying records this year, so that might not matter much unless I decide to seek gainful employment here next September.

After that I continued on and gaped at the amazing view east of Volunteer Park. It doesn't seem natural to me, based on where I've lived previously, that I should be able to see something like that so close to my house. I may take pictures eventually, if I feel like it, but I haven't yet.

I've been listening to KEXP when I can. It's been mostly good so far. My impression so far is that it's not dissimilar to The Current in Minneapolis, but I haven't gotten annoyed with the AAA format yet the way I did in Minnesota. Maybe that'll just take time.

I heard three memorable songs last night. The first was something from the new Iron & Wine/Calexico EP, which I was apprehensive about because I thought maybe I was getting tired of how Sam Beam uses his voice, but it worked for me. I also liked a track ("Camera") from the Editors, who are basically Interpol, I guess. I nearly swooned when I heard something or other from Takk. It actually made some kind of weird sensory impression on me, inspiring odd thoughts of pre-dawn landscapes and primeval beauty. I was surprised because it took me a while to get used to ( ). I might have to go pick it up down the street if I can't get it for free, which is saying a lot on my "salary".