living with animals

Our family was never one to own pets. We had a hamster (2, actually) for a short stretch, but they didn't last very long, and were near the end of my time at home. That is to say, animals were not part of the culture of our home. Accordingly, growing up I didn't have a feel for what it meant to have a pet as "part of the family." It just seemed kind of silly to hold an animal in that regard.

Since leaving for college, I've ended up having a couple of closer encounters with animals, from Hannah's dog and reptiles, to Picchu the cat and her brood, and now the McDougal Dachshunds. Living here with Ferg and Gwen has been a much more intimate interaction with dogs (and pets generally) than ever before, and I can honestly say I'm beginning to understand.

This morning the pup are curled up under my blanket after their morning romp. It was cold this morning, so they came in shivering and begging to be loved. Gwen was actually barking repeatedly until I finally let her into my room and helped her onto my bed. Annoying, but adorable.

It's fascinating to me how intuitive it is to interact with them. Not just telling them "Hey, stop that!" or "No! My food!" but even when they want to be cuddled, it just makes me really happy. And especially when they want to hang out in bed, there is a special, relaxed kind of intimacy. Like having another person there to cuddle with, it is relaxing and comforting to have a puppy lying there asking to be hugged and pet and patted.

To a certain extent, I'm sure the feelings of comfort and understanding can be explained away by personification of the animal, blah, blah, blah, but it doesn't change the emotional reality and significance of the connection. They really are very sweet dogs. And for that I am thankful.

Just reaffirms how much I want to have a pet when I am older. Though, my furball of choice will of course be a cat!

sleepless in seattle

So last Monday one of my coworkers sent out an email saying he would be heading to Seattle for a Mariner's game on the then-coming Saturday or Sunday, inviting anyone who wished to come along. When we met a couple of Seattle interns later that week, they agreed we could come crash at their place, thus making a weekend of the trip.

So, Aaron, Allie, and I made the trek yesterday morning to see the sights of Seattle. Allie has ties to Seattle, so she knew many of the places to see, and was able to show us around. We ran around and saw the troll, the gum wall, and the market, along with generally everything else I intended to see while I was in town.

Photo time:

The quirky toy store, suggested by Emma. You can find anything made out of plastic here: Bacon superherous (with Tofu nemeses), Ben Franklin and Oscar Wilde figurines, and of course your standard-issue rubber chicken.

A standard sight to see at Archie McPhee is the "Wallingford Beast." I have no idea what the deal is with this creepy plastic zombie-spider, except that it's there, in a curtained terrarium, so it must be famous. ...

The Fremont Troll. And a monster made of cement. ...

Here's our stalwart crew! That's Aaron on the left and Allie on the right.

And your fearless hero standing before the Seattle skyline.

The Seattle Library! Weird building. But it waters its plants with rain water! Which is cool. It's also a work of art on the inside.

Original newspaper from 1932. Really cool.

The Red Hall. A hallway that's completely red. Actually the whole 4th story is red like this. The camera kind of brightened the image, it's actually a deeper, darker red. 

Pike Place Market! We saw people throwing fish, tried some fruit, and explored the various stands. We got Piroskies, a Russian pastry, from a little bakery next door to the original Starbucks.

I'd heard that duck tours were a cool way to ride around the city and then get on the lake. I did not realize that they are also filled with Jungle-Cruise-style puns. I groaned for a while, but after a while it grew on me. 

Lastly, a duck tour boat with the "Sleepless in Seattle" boathouse in the background. Haven't seen the movie, but I figure if I do that'll mean something to me at some point.

While I had a lot of fun in Seattle, I was kind of surprised that I didn't feel it even more. For whatever reason, I just didn't feel that falling-in-love feeling I had when I went to Chicago, or that I have when I think of San Diego. I think expectations have something to do with it--Seattle is... Seattle. Like, the Seattle. So the thought of seeing it and loving it was so exciting... that perhaps I was slightly let down? Let down isn't even the right phrase. I just had a very romanticized image, not even an image, just a feeling for what it would be like to go to Seattle. Instead, it just felt like being in a city. It was fun, because I like cities, and because we saw some funny things, but it wasn't the Seattle experience I wanted it to be.

By no means am I giving up on the city. It was still beautiful, and I look forward to seeing it again. It might just be that rushing around sight-seeing took away from the effect. Playing pool with Jess and the others was definitely my favorite part of the adventure, even though that could have happened anywhere (except Sequim--there's not a single table in this town).

For now, it's back to Sunny Sequim and the birds.

Some music for the night:

Goodnight!