Matterdays

November 12 of 12

2011-11-13T08:46:00.000-08:00

Yes, despite my sporadic (to say the least) posting, I have a 12 of 12 to share this month. It was actually a weekend, a day that both Scott and I had off, and there was actually the opportunity to take pictures. Don't expect this every month! (I'm sure y'all don't ... )

So here we go. All pictures were taken Saturday, November 12, 2011 in Seattle, Washington.

The pond in our back yard. The maples are pretty brilliant this fall:

Looking out the leaded glass of our front door:

Building in First Hill, just outside of downtown:

We grabbed lunch at the First Hill Bar & Grill - the lighting (and my camera) aren't that great, but have you seen "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"?

Cologne dispenser in the men's room. Yes, it's between the urinals. Notice the high quality '80's selections of scents:

I used to live a couple of blocks from here when I first moved to Seattle. I miss a lot of things about this neighborhood:

I love the older buildings around here:

Town Hall Seattle. We're here to be a part of the radio audience for the taping of two episodes of NPR's Says You:

The stage (I didn't get any good pictures of the panelists, so this is it):

One of the windows in the Great Hall. Town Hall Seattle was originally a church built in the early 1900's:

The carpet. I'm thinking of getting this for our house:

Scott and me. We always have fun:

Thanks for coming. Hope to see you again soon. Have a great day!

Today.

2011-10-22T08:01:00.000-07:00

August 12 of 12

2011-08-12T19:32:00.000-07:00

And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.

2011-08-07T17:52:00.000-07:00

She was eight weeks old when Scott got her. A runt of a Weimaraner pup, out of the entire litter she came over to him to say hi. Love at first sight.

The breeder was an older man in a poor South Seattle neighborhood, near Boeing field. The dogs were outside dogs, the pups born and reared under the house. No wonder she always did her business under our deck. Old habits die hard.

Scott would put her inside his jacket and take her to the grocery store with him. She was so proud when she was able to climb up on the couch by herself, climb over the baby gate, climb up the stairs. Still small as she grew up, she was sleek, fast, athletic. She would catch birds in mid-flight in the back yard, leave them on the back step. I love you, I hunted for you.

And such a cuddler. She would burrow under the covers with us. Get up on the pillows behind our heads, get behind them, get under them. Lick our hands, our faces, our noses.

She loved going camping, splashing in the river, smelling the air. She ran like a bunny - hopping, scampering, ears perched back, smile on her face.

She survived learning to live with our next dog, Kitty. And later, with Kali. A once proud alpha dog, she became relegated to the back of the pack. But we were her companions, her masters, her gods. Once we were in her sight, all was right with the world.

We lost Kitty over a year ago. Suddenly we realized they were buddies, she missed her, something was gone from her life.

Four months ago, over fourteen years old, she lost the use of one of her hind legs. Degenerative spinal issues. On with the medications - anti-inflammatory, pain pills, incontinence pills. Then the digestive issues. For four months I cooked chicken and rice for her for every meal - she loved it. Inhaled it. Got use of her leg back, got herself up and down the stairs, smiled and sniffed the air. We had her longer than we thought we would be able to.

She went on vaction with us to the coast, to the mountains on the peninsula. She smelled new things, met new people, laid by the fireplace in our cabin.

And then she started to slow down. Her legs stiffened more. She wasn't as hungry, or as energetic. She'd rather go back up to her bed in the guest room and lay down, please.

Yesterday morning I took her outside before Scott got up. She roamed a little, but mostly just stood in one spot. She didn't want her breakfast. She laid in the living with Scott and watched a movie. She vomited a little. She was listless and unengaged.

Scott was tearing up a bit, I asked him if he wanted to go up to the emergency clinic. We decided to call and see if we could take her to her regular vet, a lovely warm caring woman. He called them, they said they could take her that afternoon.

She was ready. More ready than we were. We knew it was the right thing to do, she was in pain, she didn't feel well. But here we were making an appointment to end her life.

The next few hours were torture. We petted her and kissed her and told her how much we loved her. And then we drove to the vet.

We sat with her while we waited, they gave us an almost-empty bag of cat treats which whe loved. We brought her into that room, with the warm soft blanket on the floor, and cried while we tried to tell her how much she was loved, how we were always with her. She knew, she was ready.

They injected a heavy sedative, and she was out pretty soon. Some twitches, deep breathing, eyes still open but cloudy and tired. The vet and her assistant came in, we had to move to give them some room. Another injection, stroking her muzzle, kissing her face, telling her it was okay to leave, we loved her, we will always love her.

The vet moved the stethoscope around ... and asked her assistant for another dose. She was still with us. We cried ... please just let go. Let go. It's okay.

And then, before another injection, she said "She's gone".

They left us with our baby, our furry lovely beautiful baby with her grey muzzle and skinny body and no more pain, no more pain. Our beautiful, adorable, gorgeous girl who made our lives what they could never, in a million years, be without her there. We left with her collar and our vet and her assistant hugging us, knowing what we were feeling, leaving the only place that we could have let her go knowing she was cared for so humanely, so lovingly.

We came home and dug a hole by the big rhododrendon bush that she had so happily pruned as a puppy, making it grow way over our heads. We burned the receipt, and buried her collar and the cheap plastic shiny mettalic beads we had put around her neck that made her happy. We buried it all, buried her there, buried a part of us both. Stopped ourselves, sobbing, from wanting to dig it all back up, open the grave, have our young sleek athletic puppy jump out from the ground and lick our faces and jump into our arms and burrow behind our pillows forever.

And now we wake up and see the door to the guest room is left open, not having to keep her inside during the night. I go into the kitchen and almost methodically start cooking chicken and rice before I realize there isn't a reason to. See her raised food dishes that I can't even fathom putting away, see the hundreds of dollars of medicines that I just bought two days earlier, that won't do any good, that I don't know what to do with. See her bed in the washing machine that I have to dry and then ... do something with.

I took Kali for a walk this afternoon. I needed to feel life and energy. And we came home and Kali drank out of Stoli's water bowl and then sat out on the porch with me and I gave her Stoli's bone to chew on. Our unbelievable, loving, sweet sweet Stoli girl - she's still here. She has to be. We've lost too much, this past year or so. We all cling to each other and love each other and hope that, please please please, we find a way to go on and not sob at everything we see and think and hear.

Our lives will go one, but never as gorgeously.

This I know - Stoli is still somewhere, never gone. Be at peace, little girl. And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.

The Most Treacherous Aria Ever Written

2011-07-18T18:07:00.000-07:00

That's how a music professor decsribed this in college - from the Mozart opera The Magic Flute. Using a whistle voice and reaching F6, this ain't for amateurs. Here, Diana Damrau performs exquisitely. Treacherous indeed. Don't try this at home, kids.

July 12 of 12

2011-07-13T19:00:00.000-07:00

Hi there. Nice to see you again. My name's Matt. No, no ... don't feel bad. I don't blame you for not remembering me. I've been away for quite a while.

One thing I swore I'd always do was at least do a 12 of 12 post. I missed last month. I know. Shhh ... there, there. It's okay. I'm back.

In the interest of being ... umm, interesting (slightly), I wanted to do something other than the usual workday awful and boring pictures. A friend (hi Stan!) suggested taking pictures of doors. Great idea ... but I didn't follow it very well. I got pictures of doors, and entryways, and a lot of pictures while driving (no officer, I wasn't taking pictures!). But, hopefully you'll bear with me.

Let's get on with it, shall we?

All pictures were taken on Tuesday, July 12, 2011 in Seattle, Washington.

The door to Joe, my Jetta. He has a special place in my heart, having not owned a car for seven or so years before I got him. My first, and sometimes I fear last, new car. He's taken good care of me and I regularly trust him with my life.

Coming up the stairs from the parking garage, the door to my office floor. This place has been pretty good to me with all its ups and downs, and I'm having an opportunity to impress the top brass this year. This is an opening to me every morning.

Of course, I love this view, the door to the parking garage where Joe meets me and takes me home every day. Very important, too.

On the way home ... the awning and entrance to an apartment building on First Hill. I used to live not far from here (years ago), and knew someone who lived here at the time. A cool older building, it just always had such an elegant facade.

The local home of Gilda's Club, a support system for women with cancer founded by Gilda Radner. I've always loved her. Unfortunately this is in an area that gets graffitied a lot, but they always clean it up and keep it looking nice. It just seems like you're entering someplace important. Which you are.

About two blocks away. The owners have a sense of humor ... but the title seems to match the building. Still, I smile when I drive by every day.

A few blocks from home. Something about this view fascinates me. New built into and on top of old, a weird mix of apartments and house and business and bus stop and kinda all over the place. There are a lot of entrances here.

Down the street from our house. This place tries to be open and welcoming, despite the bars and gates and constant overflow of people who are from many walks of life and ... ahem, occupations. We've never gone in, sadly. Just haven't decided if we'd be welcome or, quite honestly sometimes, safe.

The house across the street. Two women lived here for decades until recently. Lots of history and stories about the neighborhood. They're both in their eighties and one at a time have moved to nursing homes, yet still own the house. They would tend to the rose bushes and grow tomatoes. We'd bring them potted geraniums and poinsettias and Christmas wreaths. We grabbed some fellow neighbors and ran to the hardware store and spent the day scrubbing off nasty graffiti when the house was tagged. We miss them.

Our front door. One of the best sites to come home to. Lots of happy inside.

The back door, from the kitchen leading to the back yard. The pond and gardens and dogs (well, Kali at least). The door is dirty and the window screen is ripped from Kali pawing at it wanting to come inside. Kinda the epitome of our house. Humble, needs some work, but in a cool and lived-in condition.

The side door from the basement steps. Nothing fancy. But I like the dog leashes hanging by it. We still have three. We can't seem to imagine getting rid of Kitty's leash.

The upstairs door leading to the balcony. Sunny but still not hot summer weather, so the screen is covering the door ... but the birds in the aviary love the sun and so do we. It's an opening to a cool world. We're very close to getting the deck and balcony replaced, and then more of our pictures will be past this screen. But it's nice to look forward to something ...

That's it. Thanks for hanging in there with me this month. Happy 12!

May 12 of 12

2011-05-14T07:20:00.000-07:00

12 pictures of the 12th day of the month - simple. Actually getting them posted on the 12th - not so simple. But here we go.

Stoli licking her chops after supper. We thought she'd had a stroke a month ago, but it seems she has degenerative back and hip problems, not uncommon for Weimaraners. She's on anti-inflammatory and pain meds, which are helping. She's getting around fairly well these days. Hopefully her paw will heal soon - she developed sores on her paw pads, we think from walking differently - so she can stop wearing the cone of shame.

White lilacs blooming next to the house. I love that smell.

New plants by the front steps - dusty miller and stock. Another nice smell.

Lat year for Earth Day, our company gave all the employees red maple seedlings (yes, even to the employees in New York City). These things can get huge and are the kind that destroyed our sewer line a few years ago. But they look nice in pots.

Hanging basket on the front porch. The weather has been crap this spring, but at least things are blooming.

Bench on the front porch, which it will hopefully be warm enough to utilize someday.

Front door mat.

Some lilacs I brought inside. They don't last long, but they're purty and smell nice.

More pictures that Scott has been framing. His mom is trying to help him get some displayed in restaurants, coffee shops and galleries.

My cousin Jo sent me a packet of old pictures that her mom had. Here is a picture of my great grandparents, plus various pictures of my dad.

Re-bandaging Stoli's paw. We're supposed to take her to the vet to do it, but her bandage had gotten wet and it was too late to get to the vet. We did our best.

The sky looking west from the back of our house. I thought the clouds looked kinda cool.

That's all for this month - happy 12 y'all.

April 12 of 12

2011-04-12T19:59:00.001-07:00

Here we go, here we go, here we go again ... It's the 12th again - time to play 12 of 12, Chad Darnell's fun invention. 12 pics of the 12th day of the month. And we're off ...

5:06 p.m. All my pics were taken after work, of course. I work in the building on the right (the half-obscured grey and beige building):

5:07 p.m. Not sure why, but I like this picture:

5:07 p.m. I know they're replacing all the windows in this apartment building, but I'm not sure why it's shrink-wrapped:

5:12 p.m. I've posted this same view on Capitol Hill before, but it always makes me laugh. This is an old movie theater that is now a drugstore. The sign was originally advertising the price of a gallon of milk ... but for the past few years it has read "Gal Milk". It's even more deteriorated now. Notice the Statue of Liberty guy on the corner selling tax preparation services:

5:16 p.m. Cal Anderson Park on Capitol Hill. Actually a pretty nice afternoon, even with a few clouds. Tons of people walking and hanging out in the park, and playing soccer and baseball:

5:36 p.m. Just got my hair cut next to Octo Sushi:

5:40 p.m. 11th Avenue, heading home:

5:40 p.m. How much is that skeleton in the window?

5:43 p.m. Toxin-free dry cleaner. How very Seattle:

5:44 p.m. I can't tell you how excited I am that Skillet Street Food is opening a diner near us:

5:46 p.m. I'll never get tired of the view when you get to the top of the hill at 18th Avenue and see the Cascade Mountains. We live in a cool city:

5:59 p.m.: One of the original rules of 12 of 12 is that you have to be in one of the pictures. I can't remember the last picture taken of me that I liked, but here ya go:

And that's it, kids. Happy 12, join next month, and watch your head as you exit the ride.

Testing Our Strength.

2011-04-09T19:51:00.000-07:00

I want to be strong. These past few weeks have tested that, for me and for Scott.

We have two cats, Kasha and Hunter. Hunter is a big, strong, awfully affectionate kitty. He makes friends with everyone and has no fear. Kasha - ehh, the polar opposite. Sixteen years old (or more - we're not really sure), had medical issues as a kitten, and has always been our "scaredy-cat". Hides out in the bathroom closet, runs from everything, afraid of her own shadow. Both cats are STRICTLY indoor cats. They're okay with that. Hunter may want to peek outside when the door is open, but Kasha - no thanks. Needs her home, her security, her places to hide.

Kasha has been missing for two weeks now. We couldn't imagine where she had gone. A senior cat, we were afraid she had gone and hid someplace, ready to make her peace with the world and pass away. We searched everywhere. Tore the place apart. No Kasha.

Then we realized that we had a dryer delivered the last day we saw her. The basement door was open for quite a while. What if she had been in the basement, freaked out, tried to run up the stairs and - with the door open and blocking her path to the kitchen - ran outside? Impossible. But, the only answer.

We posted fliers. Talked to all the neighbors. Posted, pleading, on neighborhood blogs. No answer. No one has seen her.

The weather has been typical Seattle spring. Not too cold, but wet, ugly, unfriendly. She hasn't come home. We don't think we'll ever see her again. We sob, thinking of her alone, terrified, cold, hungry, too scared to let anyone help her. We go on, trying to keep our hopes alive. She's our baby, one of our kids. She's missing. We never thought we'd see her beautiful, fragile face on "Missing Pet" fliers. We don't eat or sleep or work well. She's gone.

Last Thursday was Scott's birthday. I bought flowers, photography books since he's really getting into that, bought steaks for dinner. I started dinner before he got home, arranged the flowers with his gifts and cards placed just so next to them.

We have two dogs, Stoli and Kali. Kali is big and strong, five years old, a strong warning bark and protector of the the universe (our universe at least). Stoli - not so much. She was, in her prime. The runt of the litter, but sleek, agile, fast, athletic. She would catch low-flying birds swooping across the back yard, leave them as gifts on the back step, I love you, I hunted for you.

She's fifteen years old now. Half blind, half deaf. Her back legs and her spine are giving out, so we carefully maneuver her down the stairs, keep her inside when it's cold out, pick up after her when she has "accidents" in the house. We take care of her now. She's our baby.

Birthday dinner cooking, Scott comes home, we let her in like we do every night to eat inside. She's not walking right. She falls. Something has changed.

Scott carried her out to the front yard to do her business. In horror, we realize she has no use of one of her back legs. It drags, her paw bent under, she can't walk. We start to cry.

Scott is off the next day. He drops her off at the vet, waiting by the phone. I'm at work, stomach in knots. It's an incredibly busy time at work. I dread going to the clinic, watching her die as we make that decision, and then having to go back to work. I don't like to talk about personal things at work, and I'm dying because I have no support. I tell one of my co-workers, another animal lover, she tells me she's so sorry. I wait for the phone call.

Scott calls later, Stoli may have had a stroke. They're not sure. Dogs recover easier than humans from strokes, the vet says. But her spine is deformed, discs out of place, she's an old girl. She seems okay, to the extent she can be. They give anti-inflammatory drugs, pain medicine, send her home. Scott carries her to the car, carries her inside, carries her upstairs. She'll be around a little while longer, but no more walks. No more getting up and down the stairs. No more puppy.

She's doing okay - still has an appetite, still love chewing on the new toys Scott bought her, still loves smelling the grass and the air. But we have to carry her in and out, up and down, steady her and be her leg while she pees, poops, eats.

I wonder if I have the strength for her.

But we do. We do whatever we need to do. We'd do whatever we need to do for any one of our kids, at any time. We'd probably lay down our lives for them. Really.

So we grieve for the fact that Kasha is gone. We grieve for the fact that the young, athletic Stoli is gone. We grieve for Hunter, who doesn't know why Kasha isn't there to play with anymore, and for Kali, who is out in the back yard alone all day. We go on.

But part of us doesn't. Part of us dies, and we grieve.

March 12 of 12

2011-03-13T17:46:00.000-07:00

Welcome to this month's 12 of 12, via our blogger friend Chad. 12 pics of your day on the 12th day of each month. I hope it keeps going, somehow, after this year.

I've been sick this week (again! Jeez ... ) with the cold/flu/crud that has been knocking out everyone in my office. And the weather, quite honestly, sucked. So we have pictures of a wet almost-spring day spent at home.

On with it:

Reading the terrible news about the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan. I hadn't realized how many friends have ties there. Horrible.

My drugs.

I guess we won't be working in the yard today.

Stained glass piece in the stairway window. Scott gave this to me a few years back. Love it.

Quince buds almost ready to open.

Forsythia blooming in the living room.

The container at the bottom of the front porch steps. I think we should just give up and put fish in it.

Soggy garden in front of the house. There are crocuses blooming, though.

Shower time.

The sun came out for a little while later on. Happy Matt.

Dinner time - making cheese sauce for cauliflower.

Beef tenderloin with shallots, madeira and thyme. Not bad.

Happy 12 of 12!! Next month will be sunny. I demand it.

MatterPics

2011-03-06T16:59:00.000-08:00

Spare time is scarce lately ... but I was fortunate to have Scott with me all weekend (we never have an entire weekend off together). It was too short, and we didn't get to the hundreds of things we'd like to do together, but it was quality. And now we've been out in the fresh air, talking to wonderful neighbors (we met a new one today), our hands are dirty and we smell like earth and leaves and early spring.

It's about time for a little rejuvenation. We all need it.

February 12 of 12

2011-02-13T09:47:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm back ... I can't believe I missed last month! That's the first time, I think, in almost four years. In my defense, my computer drew its last breath at the beginning of January and I didn't get my new laptop until the 14th - and to be honest I haven't completely figured out the photo editing software that came with it (and haven't looked into better programs). So without further ado (or excuses), I present to you: Matterdays 12 of 12 for February, 2011!

If any of you still don't know what this is (really, people?), check it out here. Chad will stop hosting after this year, but hopefully it will still keep going.

I ran some errands in the morning - and realized that I'd forgotten my camera. So close your eyes and imagine a nice chilly but sunny Saturday morning, a pretty clear view of the mountains, running around the cool Capitol Hill neighborhood, and cherry trees starting to bloom. Seriously.

Now, for the real pictures:

The backyard and pond - not sure if you can tell, but there are buds on everything:

Valentine's Day flowers I ordered for Scott delivered today - they smell right purty.

Scott has taken some really great photographs, and had a few framed. I want to hang these up somewhere in the house:

And then the winds picked up - a LOT - and the rain came pouring down. The Apocalypse, I'm sure. Mark my words.

I made dinner reservations for Valentine's Day online, at a downtown restaurant we haven't been to before (our regular favorite restaurant closed last month, to reopen in a new undisclosed location at some point). I called to confirm our reservation ... and it doesn't exist. Hmm. Here is their website as I was looking for their phone number. Notice the blank, deathly monitor sitting behind my new laptop. For some reason my laptop suddenly stopped recognizing it. All in all this is a tragic picture.

The usually elusive and hard-to-photograph Kasha. She's about 16 years old.

Still pouring rain. These are some tropical plants - anthurium and hibiscus - that spend the winter in our guest room. They can't wait to get back out near the pond in a couple of months.

Your host, Matterdays. I'm contemplating dinner.

Perhaps some jasmine rice ...

... some broccoli ...

... some avocado ...

... and some chicken. Half-eaten dinner while watching "Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion" - good fluff for a Saturday night.

So, there it is. Happy 12!

Happy New Year

2010-12-31T21:00:00.000-08:00

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each New Year find you a better man.

A health to you, a wealth to you, And the best that life can give to you.

May your right hand always be stretched out in friendship, but never in want.

May the best of this year be the worst of next.

May you never lie, cheat, or drink. But if you must lie, lie in each other's arms. If you must cheat, cheat death. And if you must drink, drink with all of us because we love you.

Love to one, friendship to many, and good will to all.

Happy New Year, friends. May the New Year always be better than the old.

December 12 of 12

2010-12-13T10:00:00.000-08:00

Time again for 12 of 12, five years in the running and created by Chad Darnell. You can find links to other 12 of 12 blogs from around the world at his site.

All good intentions I had of making this an interesting 12 of 12 entry have gone out the window due to the flu or something striking our house. Scott came down with it first, then like always I followed suit a few days later. Ibuprofren, DayQuil, NyQuil ... we now own them all. So even though 12 of 12 fell on a weekend this time, I was housebound. Oh well.

Let's get on with it, shall we?

These pictures were all taken on Sunday, December 12, 2010 in a very specific section of Seattle, Washington. Our house, to be exact.

Changed my desktop image to a lovely winterscene. Images later of the blizzards in the Midwest made me wonder if I made something happen ...

HUGE amounts of rain today in Seattle. Yes, we have a reputation to uphold, but honestly, it rains more in Atlanta and New York on average than in Seattle, we just have more days of drizzly, misty gloom. Monsoons like this are unusual. This shot is of water overflowing our gutters and dumping down outside the guest room window.

Yes - we're well aware.

Kali loves to get up in Scott's chair in the office when I'm in there. She doesn't quite fit, since she's about 105 pounds. This picture is funny because she's not at all fat - very muscley - but this pose looks like she's got a big gut.

Nice winter adult beverages. Bailey's isn't good when you've got a congested head, but I tried some Amaretto, thinking it might clear the sinuses a bit. Eh. Went back to tea for a while.

Stoli asleep on her bed upstairs. She's about 14 years old and doesn't like being outside in the rain, so she stayed inside with me.

Uh oh. Water is coming into the basement. Had to move some things around. Luckily it all kept draining and nothing got ruined.

The Christmas tree. It took us four days to get it decorated, with work and illness and all. Its not tilting as much as it looks, I think the trunk is a little crooked. But I think it does need a little adjustment.

Good night for comfort food. Meatloaf it is. Didn't have any bread, so had to use stale sourdough English muffins for a binder. Worked pretty well, actually.

The way my Mom always made meatloaf - line the pan with bacon first. When it's about done, turn it over and out of the pan, then broil it to crisp the bacon. I can't eat it any other way!

Silver reindeer candlholder in the living room. Cool.

Dinner's ready. Mmmmm - health food!!

That's it. Happy 12 of 12! Please exit through the gift shop to your left.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Holidays of every kind to you all. Until next month ...

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T00:00:00.000-08:00

We're heading over to Sammamish, in the east suburbs of Seattle, to share Thanksgiving dinner with some incredible friends and perhaps some new ones. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and the snow and ice will be washed away by some new rain. This has been an awful week, weather-wise.

We're lucky and thankful to have survived dangerous commutes this week. To have our wonderful pets for one more Thanksgiving, although we miss Kitty, who we lost earlier this year. We're grateful that we have the health that we do, the jobs that we do, that as hard as things are for us our lives are so much easier than many others. We're grateful for all of our friends, near and far, actual or virtual. For family, whether we see them often or rarely. All of this is a part of who we are, and we'll say thanks for all we have today.

May you all be as lucky and thankful as we are.

"A toast. An affirmation, a prayer of thanks. I want you to know that wherever we find ourselves in this world – whatever our successes, or failures – come this time of year, you will always have a place at my table, and a place in my heart."

– Lila (Jacqueline Bisset), Latter Days

November 12 of 12

2010-11-13T08:03:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the November 2010 version of 12 of 12 - the love child of the wonderful Chad. While I did remember to bring my camera to work today, I forgot to take any daylight pictures ... so my 12 are all from after 4:30 p.m. Welcome to 12 pictures of my fantastic Friday night. This is how I rock.

Sunset from our balcony. This is facing west - notice how far south the sunset is these days. Damn winter must be coming.

Cool clouds.

Thinking about what kind of fun to have tonight. Scott is working late - you know what kind of trouble I can get into without supervision!

The cool old buffet our neighbors gave us last weekend, since they're moving - still has lots of scratches to buff up, but I'm really liking it.

Guess what I'm about to do. Woo-hoo ...

Down to the basement where the litter boxes are ...

These boxes are all Halloween decorations. Seriously.

The back yard and pond from the balcony. It's dark out.

Saying "hi" to the birds in the aviary.

Friday night feast. Grilled cheese (Wisconsin white cheddar and Oregon Tillamook sharp cheddar) with bacon.

Mmm ... toasty. Okay, a little charcoal-y.

Aaaaand ... starting housework. Welcome to my Friday night.

Next month, the 12th is on a weekend. Expect big things from me. Perhaps a theme ... or a Special Guest Star ... hmmm.

Happy 12, y'all.

This IS Halloween!!!

2010-10-31T00:06:00.000-07:00

Time to get the house ready to scare the neighborhood ...

Enjoy, kids.

It's tomorrow, you know.

2010-10-30T09:02:00.000-07:00

This is MUCH better than the American version ...

Scared. Yes, now I'm scared. Two more days ...

2010-10-29T19:26:00.000-07:00

Almost here ...

2010-10-28T18:18:00.000-07:00

Scary, Mary ...

2010-10-27T18:15:00.001-07:00

Six days ...

2010-10-26T18:06:00.000-07:00

Halloween: Seven Days.

2010-10-25T17:21:00.000-07:00

Yes, I repeat myself every year. Oh well.

Spooky.

Halloween Week. Be Afraid.

2010-10-24T17:52:00.000-07:00

I'll be gentle at first ...

43.

2010-10-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

It happens. Meh. I should be happy it hasn't stopped adding up, eh?

October 12 of 12

2010-10-13T18:28:00.000-07:00

12 of 12 time! You know - Chad's idea. Seriously ... join in next month.

Even though I charged my camera battery the night before ... I forgot about what day it was until that evening. Still time to get some pics in, though. Here we go.

View of the fall sky from the back of the house:

The yard:

Kali's famous "Oh please throw the toy" look:

The koi pond - they're all pretty fat and healthy ... ready for the cold snowy winter predicted:

Rudbekia still blooming:

The shed that needs replacing:

Halloween decorations starting early:

We have lots of seasonal night lights that we put in the kitchen:

The new tile we put in the kitchen a couple of weeks ago (all by oursleves!):

Halloween again:

Hunter, in profile:

Batty:

That's it, y'all. We're having a little party on Halloween night if ya'll wanna stop by!

Why I'm Voting Republican

2010-10-05T18:40:00.000-07:00

A repeat from 2008, but worth it. Thanks, Joe.

Promise Me You'll Always Remember

2010-09-17T18:33:00.000-07:00

"Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."

(Christopher Robin to Pooh) -- A.A. Milne

Note to self.

September 12 of 12

2010-09-13T20:37:00.001-07:00

Again, I'm late. Meh.

These pictures were all taken on Sunday, September 12, 2010 in Seattle, WA. Do it next month.

The back yard and pond from the upstairs deck.

This unbelievably incredible book that I'm (slowly) reading.

Rudbeckia blooming in the backyard. Summer and fall flower.

Lantana. Tropical-ish, one of Scott's favorite plants. Purty.

The yard and house from the end of the yard. Kali would like you to throw her toy for her, please.

Kitty's memorial.

Rusty, falling-apart pink flamingo wind ornament we got in Hawaii a few years ago. I really do like it better the more it ages. Kitschier.

Gardenias, which don't bloom in Seattle. Heh.

Lots of happy koi in the pond.

Looking at the yard from the deck. The light is much farther south these days.

Your host, Me.

We had hoped to be a part of this flash mob today. Maybe next time.

Thanks for visiting my 12 of 12. Y'all come back now, here?

Stunning Music.

2010-09-12T18:04:00.000-07:00

I wrote a paper on this piece, way back in college when I was studying music ... the "Enigma Variations" by Edward Elgar. I'll let you Google it if you want to learn more about it ... but this is, hands down, my favorite movement. Lyrical, sad, pensive, heavy, powerful and uplifting. And the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, my hometown orchestra, whose sound can fill the earth like no other (in my biased opinion).

Four minutes and twenty seconds long. Spend that much of your life experiencing this.

But I Don't WANT Summer To End.

2010-08-31T19:15:00.000-07:00

I know, as you get older summers get shorter and shorter and shorter ... as a kid there seemed to be almost endless days riding bikes and going to our lake house and swimming and playing and and and and ...

This summer never seemed to even really get here. A lot of it was the weather - cool and cloudy for far too long, and a few short bursts of furnace-like weather ... but the summer things never happened. No swimming, no picnics, no camping. Part of that is my own fault, for not planning ahead and for letting other people at work have their vacations while forgoing mine. Scott wasn't happy about that, but neither was I, not by a long shot. I'm old enough that I should plan ahead, should make sure that things happen the way we want them too, to have our springs and our summers and our falls and our winters be perfect and full of what those seasons are supposed to be full of ... but, daily life drags us all down and suddenly it's September and the sky has changed and the light is so much further south and the garden spiders are out and we realize that the tomatoes aren't going to grow any bigger or redder than they already have. And we start planning for fall, for clearing out the gardens and taking down the hanging baskets and getting out the candles and cooking indoors more than grilling outside. We close the windows at night, clean out the furnace filters, prepare to buy chrysanthemums at the nursery instead of basil.

Part of me - a big part of me - welcomes this time of year. It's always been my favorite time, in an odd way. I like the cool weather, the leaves turning colors, the back-to-school, something new feeling even as parts of our world are dying. It's also the season that my Mom died, and that my Dad died, and of sadness and loss and some of the loneliest days I've ever felt. Why do I like this season that's coming up, even with all of that?

I turn inward this time of year, more than I usually do. I find different music, I crave books to read, I live more in my head than usual. I batten down the hatches, try to think of ways to get us through the next few months, continually examine ways to make things good when it's dark and cold and wet and ... well, scary. Maybe this is the year that I'll actually remodel the downstairs bathroom. Or take out my clarinet again, hoping it isn't cracked beyond repair from so much unuse. Or draw, or write, or ... I don't know. Something.

Something ...

August 12 of 12

2010-08-12T19:38:00.000-07:00

12 of 12. Started by Chad. Something to look forward to doing each month.

These pictures were all taken on Thursday, August 12, 2010 in Seattle, WA. Please fasten your seat belts, turn off all electronic devices, and enjoy.

7:46 a.m.: Foggy Seattle.

5:37 p.m. Sunny Seattle.

5:38 p.m. Four Columns Park, overlooking the freeway, the Convention Center and the Paramount Theater from Capitol Hill.

5:40 p.m. I like this apartment house.

5:43 p.m. A run-down apartment building with a sense of humor.

5:57 p.m. Matterdays wants a haircut.

6:02 p.m. Finding out that my uncle died. A month ago.

6:25 p.m. Chinese lantern plant starting to bloom on the balcony.

6:26 p.m. Sweet boxwood basil blooming. Probably should have used more of it for cooking before it bloomed.

6:26 p.m. The pond and backyard from above.

6:39 p.m. Dishes.

7:16 p.m. Carbonara. It's what's (going to be) for dinner.

Thank you for visiting Matterdays 12 of 12. We know you have a lot of 12 of 12 options, and we appreciate you making Matterdays your choice. Please watch your head while exiting, grab a couple of beers from the galley cart, and step clearly away from the emergency chute when you get to the bottom. Thank you, and buh-bye.

Pillow Fight!!!

2010-08-10T21:18:00.001-07:00

Yes, I've been gone for a while. I hope to change that. If you're reading this - thank you.

Yes, flying sucks anymore. For the passengers, and definitely for the flight attendants (some of which I am very proud to say are dear friends of mine).

This made me smile. I wanna be on this flight.

(Sorry I didn't get the size right - I'm tired, but you get the idea).

July 12 of 12

2010-07-12T21:27:00.000-07:00

Boring Monday. Boring 12 of 12 post. Boring Matt.

Oh, well. Let's get on with it, shall we?

These pictures were all boringly taken on Monday, July 12, 2010 in Seattle, Washington.

8:06 a.m. Leaving for work. A bit cooler than last week's 95 degrees. Makes me want to sleep all day and go into work later.

8:09 a.m. Seattle is a microbrew giant. As evidenced by this billboard.

8:12 a.m. Bus. I used to take this one to work.

8:16 a.m. Some downtown buildings.

5:12 p.m. The Seattle Times Building. Very Art Deco. I wish I could take a good picture of it. Quite nice, actually.

5:14 p.m. Heading up Denny Way.

5:15 p.m. Hard to tell in this picture quite how steep this hill is. I came down this hill in ice and snow once. I peed a little.

5:39 p.m. Kasha being beautiful.

6:01 p.m. Heartburn, again. Ugh.

6:16 p.m. The pond from above.

6:19 p.m. I love hydrangeas.

6:29 p.m. I also love this handsome, friendly cat (Hunter).

That's all this month ... Scott is working late, dinner was nothing worth posting, and I'm ready for about 16 hours of sleep. A spectacular post next month - promise!!!

June 12 of 12

2010-06-13T09:25:00.000-07:00

Welcome to 12 of 12, the creation of this great guy. You know - where you post 12 pictures of your day on the 12th of the month, and people from around the world do the same thing, and it's this really cool sharing/learning/friendly thing? You know about that, right?

Good. Onward, then.

These pictures were all taken on Saturday, June 12, 2010 in (or very close to) Seattle, Washington.

3:56 a.m. I've been waking up a little early on Saturdays lately. Then I think of all the chores that need to be done, and realize that I can't get comfortable enough to fall back to sleep because there's a 100 pound Weimaraner trying to push me out of bed. So I get up.

5:11 a.m. Sunrise.

11:27 a.m. Heading towards downtown - the older section called Pioneer Square is at the bottom of the hill, right by Elliott Bay (part of Puget Sound).

11:33 a.m. Heading south on Interstate 5 towards Southcenter. Orange California poppies on the side of the road.

11:35 a.m. Mount Rainier.

1:17 p.m. After shopping around looking at new televisions, heading back home. We decided to stop by Seward Park, on Lake Washington in southeastern Seattle.

1:33 p.m. Walking along the south end of the park. Self-portrait of geeks (me and Scott). It was sunny and about 75 degrees today, the first nice day in weeks, so we were a little giddy.

1:50 p.m. Another view of Mount Rainier. It really is amazing how huge it is, even among the rest of the Cascade Mountains east of Seattle. Oh, and it's a volcano.

2:01 p.m. Quack.

2:24 p.m. In the Mount Baker neighborhood, looking at Lake Washington with downtown Bellevue in the background. The Interstate 90 floating bridge is at the bottom right, crossing Lake Washington to Mercer Island and the Eastside. While it was being built in 1990, it sank. It's doing better now.

3:49 p.m. Scott playing with Stoli. Obviously she adores him.

4:03 p.m. The "Floating Cloud" Japanese maple in the garden in front of our house. Purty.

BONUS PICTURE:

I decided that this month's bonus picture should be "Things That Smell Like Summer". This is Heliotrope - cool little sun-loving purple flowers that smell like vanilla and cherry. I'll send you all some.

Y'all have been the best 12 of 12 group ever, I mean that! Drive carefully!

In Memory.

2010-05-31T00:00:00.000-07:00

"That from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion - that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain - that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom - and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

- Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address

May 12 of 12

2010-05-13T17:37:00.001-07:00

Let's pretend it's still the 12th, shall we? So that I'm in time for 12 of 12? Alrighty then. Here we go.

First off - some of you know that we had to let go of our beloved dog Kitty last weekend. So while my first picture this month was not taken on the 12th - too bad. She was my baby, and Scott's baby, and we're devastated - so I'm breaking the rules a bit to show you what a beautiful, soulful, sweet girl she was.

Now, from today. Heading to work. I hate getting stuck behind the electric buses. Oh well.

Heading up (but downhill) Boren Avenue toward my office. Queen Anne Hill in the background.

The Four Columns Park looking from Capitol Hill toward downtown.

After work - Joe Jetta faithfully waiting for me in the garage.

Our neighbor Tom kidnapped us on Saturday to rebuild the fence between the front of our houses and make it into a wire trellis for some climbing plants. We spent most of late Saturday and a few hours on Sunday working on it. It was exactly what we needed to keep us busy.

The koi pond from the upstairs balcony. Everything's growing in and filling out. You can (and always will) see the paths the dogs wear down heading to the grass in back to do their bi'ness.

The memorial we made for Kitty in the back yard, where we buried her collar and tags and burned the receipt from the vet clinic.

Rhododendrons blooming at the back of the yard.

Our bat houses, which have never attracted bats.

Kali, waiting for us to throw the toy that she placed on the bench. Her eyes aren't always closed.

Stoli, looking for a treat. She's sad these days.

Thanks for visiting ... I'll be more upbeat next month. Really.

My Heart Is Broken.

2010-05-08T10:57:00.000-07:00

Kitty

1996 - 2010

Kitty was about 14 years old. We're not entirely sure - we adopted her about 12 years ago, and we know that her previous owner wasn't completely honest with us.

They were a neighbor of a cousin of a co-worker of Scott's. We had a year-and-a-half year old Weimaraner, and were thinking of getting her a companion. Scott heard of this family who had a Weimaraner of the same age, who wanted to give her to a good home because their family was growing and they couldn't give their dog the attention it deserved. Scott called this woman, described Stoli (our dog), and she exclaimed "They sound like twins!" We arranged to drive down to Federal Way (about 20 miles south of Seattle) so that the dogs could meet.

We left Stoli in the car when we first met their dog. They lived in a neat split-level house in a quiet neighborhood with a fenced-in back yard. She showed us through the side gate to the yard, where we first saw "Jill" (her name back then).

She was not what we were expecting to see.

While Stoli was a smaller (but VERY athletic) dark-haired Weimaraner, "Jill" was ... well, the opposite. Lighter-haired (a more typical Weimaraner coat), large, a bit out-of-shape. The woman explained her skin condition as something she had always had ("She just keeps chewing on that spot!"). She showed us up the deck stairs into their kitchen, the only room in the house that "Jill" was allowed in. There was her crate, a food bowl, a water bowl, and I think one toy. She wasn't allowed to leave the linoleum-floored kitchen when she was inside. She wasn't petted. She wasn't hugged. Her mate ("Jack") had run away a few months before. I wonder why. The woman told us that while "Jill" wasn't spayed, she hadn't had a litter. That was very obviously not true.

Scott and I went outside to talk it over. This was NOT the dog we thought we were coming to meet. This wasn't the dog we thought would be our new family member.

But, there was something about her. We brought Stoli back to the yard to meet her. They didn't play, they didn't fight, they were kinda indifferent to each other. But we couldn't just leave this dog with that family. They could care less about her. She was a liability to them, an accessory to their little suburban existence, something they had because that's what a family had, but they were tired of her.

We took her home.

Once at home, we brought her inside to check it all out ... and she was scared to walk on the carpet. She wasn't allowed. We showed her the back yard, and she looked up at us as if saying "I can live here?" Later that night we coaxed her up the carpeted stairs to her bed next to ours. She was in awe.

We couldn't call her "Jill". She wasn't a Jill. She was big and sturdy, but sweet. Needed cuddling. Scott used to jokingly call big dogs "Kitty" when he saw them, as in "Kitty cat". We called her that once and she came running, tail wagging. That became her name.

Kitty became the alpha dog, much to Stoli's chagrin. There were fights, and more than a few drops of blood, but they settled into the fact that they just had to live with each other. Slowly - VERY slowly - they sorta became buddies.

She didn't have an easy life, even with us. She hadn't been spayed, and we put it off since we couldn't easily afford the surgery, so there was the uterine infection. Massive. Almost killed her. We think there was a mummified pup that hadn't been birthed. Thousands of dollars later, we had her back, more grateful than ever, and more bouncy. Then we adopted Kali, a Weimaraner puppy, four years ago, knowing that Stoli and Kitty were getting up there in years. Now, THERE was some fighting. The Christmas Day Massacre is still a legend in our house (and we still don't know where that part of Kali's ear went - our guess is Kitty swallowed it). Kitty became seriously ill about two years ago, we feared that she had swallowed something and had perforated her stomach or intestine and that she was a goner - and she pulled through, more grateful than ever.

She grew older, her hips stiffened up, she fell on the stairs a few times. But, she was still wagging her tail every time she saw us, still eating voraciously, still being a big smiley dog.

Two days ago, while Scott was off and at home, she started vomiting. Eventually she vomited up a paper towel (we're careful about making sure they can't get into the trash, but somehow she got one). She seemed to be better after that, although she wasn't interested in dinner that night.

She vomited again later that night as we were going to bed - mostly water and mucus. Again first thing in the morning. She still got up with no problem and went down the stairs and outside ... but while she drank a little water, she had no interest in food. Scott was already at work; four of the six team members at my work were off that day. I justified that Kitty would be fine, I couldn't really do anything, we'd see how she was when I got home. All day, my stomach was in knots.

I got home, and she was pretty much the same - but more lethargic. Suddenly she looked skinny to me, frail, tired. She had never ever looked frail, that I had noticed. After Scott came home, we decided to take her to the emergency clinic.

They admitted her. Her temperature was low, heart rate high. Not good. They put her on an IV, took x-rays, did blood work. We were told to call back in an hour or so.

She had something blocking her digestive system, between her stomach and her intestines. Keep her on fluids, it might pass. Keep your phone by the bed and call back in the morning.

The doctor called this morning - no change, the blockage might be getting more impacted. They could bring in a specialist (on a Saturday) to do an endoscopy. They may have to do surgery. Low end - a grand. Surgery - many thousands of dollars.

I wish I was confident that our decision was sound, not just financially based. If money were no object, I probably would have had them bring in the endoscopologist (?). But to be quite honest - we couldn't afford either option. We had already spent almost a thousand at that point. And, she's about 14 years old. How much do we want to put her through?

She's tired. She doesn't feel well. She's not happy.

We decided to let her go.

We drove up there, tears down our faces the whole time. They brought us into a room, where we had to sign that we were her legal owners, we were deciding to end her life, we wanted her to be cremated and her remains not returned to us. Then they asked us if we wanted them to make a paw print in clay to take with us.

We both started sobbing. No. We don't need that. We hadn't even thought of it.

They brought her into the room to say goodbye. She was tired, lethargic, out of it. Happy to see us, but no tail-wagging, no smile, no kisses. She just wanted to lay down. We petted her, hugged her, kissed her, sobbed even though we were trying not to. I went out and told them we were ready.

I thought the doctor would come in and ask if we wanted to come back and be with her. Instead, he came in with his vials and syringes, ready to go, and explained to us what would happen. Scott used to work for a vet clinic, years ago, and understood. I didn't know how long it would take, what would happen, what I would have to see.

I started crying. I couldn't stay. I wanted to be there with her, I did. But I had to leave.

I went out to the car, where a couple was just getting out of their car with a beautiful young black lab. I was crying as I got into my car, shut the door, and broke down. I was holding Kitty's collar and the fleece that I had left the night before so she could smell us. I cried harder than I can ever remember crying. It hurt.

Three minutes later Scott came out. She was gone. She wasn't upset, she just went to sleep. He had left the room and walked through the lobby past the couple with their dog, and he said the look on their faces was heartbreak when they saw him walk out. We sat in the car and cried and cried and cried ...

We came home on this beautiful warm sunny spring day, with a collar and a receipt and without Kitty. Scott dug a hole in the spot where Kitty loved to sit in the sun in the back yard, where we buried her collar and tags and burned the receipt. We talked about how we loved hearing her snore, the way she rubbed her paws over her eyes, how she tried to curl up on the cat house for a bed, how she used to chew on our lips when she kissed us.

How grateful she was that we loved her.

My heart is broken.

Dogs' lives are too short. Their only fault, really. ~ Agnes Sligh Turnbull

You Must Remember This.

2010-04-30T19:57:00.000-07:00

“A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous.” - Ingrid Bergman

Funky Neato.

2010-04-26T18:12:00.000-07:00

April 12 of 12

2010-04-13T18:44:00.000-07:00

You know 12 of 12, of course. From Chad. You should do it.

I'm doing it late this month.

Composing a 12 of 12 post is hard on a weekday ... especially on a Monday. I always end up with a few pics of my commute to work, a few trips of my commute home (not much interesting to take pictures of while actually AT work), and a few random pictures at home in the evening.

*YAWN*

So while I have a few commute pics and after-work pics, I though I'd just post pics of some things that make me happy. A little pick-me-up is in order these days.

So, Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you April, 2010 12 of 12 from Seattle, Washington, USA.

On my way to work: I don't know why I love this old house so much. Something about this weather-beaten grey house with the overgrown trees and shrubs ... reminds me of places I'd lived in graduate school, in a way. Just comforting. Notice the lilac tree starting to bloom on the far left.

This poor guy has been walking around on this corner, dressed as the Statue of Liberty, for at least a month. He's an advertisement for a local tax-preparation agency. Not exactly sure what Lady Liberty has to do with filing your taxes. And neither does the hipster dude frantically waiting for the light to change so he can cross the street.

The usual picture on my commute: the Space Needle, Puget Sound, and the Olympic Mountains. On a cloudy grey morning. (Really ... we had a mild winter and an early spring ... why the cold grey stuff now???)

After work, a few blocks from home. The "At Last" beauty parlor and "Groovy Dancer" dance & fitness studio. I love my neighborhood ...

Scott's birthday was last week (21 at last!!!). The bouquet of flowers I had delivered to the house is gradually opening ... roses, fragrant Stargazer lilies, and snapdragons. Purty ...

One of the garden statues out back, starting to be hidden by the red-twig dogwood. It's always cool in the fall to see the statues that have been hidden by summer foliage. Now it's time to say goodbye as this one starts to get covered up again ...

Old weathered chairs behind the pond. I think I posted a picture of these last fall, thinking of them as symbols of decay and the end of life. Somehow, these are comforting to me ... not decay, but just growing old and somehow becoming more beautiful.

Inside - items in our china cabinet that Scott inherited. That carving is made from an ivory tusk. Politically incorrect, but still amazing.

Years ago on a vacation in Paris, we stayed a block away from the Baccarat store in Place de Madeleine. This set of wine glasses came back with us. I've never seen Scott sweat as hard as he did in customs back here in Seattle. The suitcase containing the crystal was the only one they didn't ask him to open.

A couple of years later, here in Seattle, Scott gave me these for Christmas. The six triangular-shaped crystal things on each side of the gravy boat. From Baccarat, again (our favorite) - knife rests. So that when you have used your knife to butter bread, or cut meat, or somehow get it dirty, you rest it on these so that you don't soil the table linens. I don't know that we've ever used them (and we aren't fancy kinda guys), but they are just a little bit of decadence that we don't have - other than in the china cabinet.

A very dear, incredible friend of ours (whom we need to get back in touch with!) spent a while in South Africa a few years ago on a scholarship. She brought us this beautiful hand-beaded bowl. I love it and use it whenever I can. Lemons look cool in it.

Lastly - I love stained glass, and Art Deco style/Frank Lloyd Wright designs. These lamps (they're a matching set in our bedroom) were birthday gifts from Scott a number of years ago. Love. Them.

That's it. Thanks for looking and reading. Y'all are great!

And they were going to put her down ...

2010-03-16T19:05:00.000-07:00

From the video poster's notes:

"Edie was so scared at the shelter and was scheduled to be euthanized yesterday. She was so lucky to have Bronwyne visit the shelter and save her life. I just helped with calming her down and showing everybody how these dogs can be easily managed with a little bit of love and patience."

"All Edie needed is a hug".

Amen.

If you're looking for a pet - please start with your local shelter.

March 12 of 12

2010-03-13T06:10:00.000-08:00

Time again for 12 of 12. Here are the pictures of my day in Seattle.

In the car, ready to go to work. Cold and rainy morning in Seattle:

Not sure how I feel about going to work today ...

Crossing Broadway on Capitol Hill:

Leaving the office - I survived, and it's a kinda sunny!

Heading back up Capitol Hill:

Cherry trees blooming:

Gas prices are going up again:

Primroses and hyacinths (and a single daffodil) in front of our house:

Scott's taking pictures, too!

Kali wants you to throw her toy. Oh, we got a new garden bench last week:

Magnolia starting to bloom:

Magnolia and Japanese quince:

That's all for now. See you next month!

Hi.

2010-03-03T21:19:00.000-08:00

That's all for tonight.

Hi, y'all.

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T13:12:00.001-08:00

I had red marbled roses delivered to our house on Saturday (Scott was home, too). Traditional, but pretty.

(That's a bottle of Stag's Leap Petite Syrah that he bought for our Valentine's Day Eve dinner - along with New York strip steaks, fresh prawns and asparagus).

Scott stopped at a florist and designed this arrangement himself - ginger, orchids, gerbera daisies and some others. I think he WAY outdid me.

Sitting on a table in the dining room when he first brought them home ...

... and on the entertainment center in the living room this morning.

He's da bestest.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone.

February 12 of 12

2010-02-12T21:18:00.000-08:00

You know the drill. Post 12 pictures of your day on the 12th of every month. Courtesy of Chad, our founder.

Here we go, kids.

All pictures were taken on Friday, February 12, 2010 in Seattle, Washington.

7:35 a.m.: Chilly, foggy morning in Seattle. But no snow this winter!!! Yay!!!!

7:38 a.m.: The Devil Towers on Capitol Hill. Bzzz.

7:40 a.m.: If I can make eye contact with you, you are being crushed in the back of the garbage truck.

9:15 a.m.: Spending the day going through our master vendor file. *eyes crossing*

1:19 p.m.: The view from my desk. Yes, there are pink and white cherry trees blooming. On February 12. Global warming HAS come to Seattle.

2:30 p.m.: We're subleasing part of our office space, so we're all moving around in the building. Most of my end of the third floor is already empty.

3:17 p.m.: Did I mention the vendor files were making my eyes cross???

4:02 p.m.: The Honeycrisp apple I brought for breakfast is still untouched.

5:32 p.m.: The Devil Towers again. Bzzz.

7:18 p.m.: The Devil Towers at night. Bzzz.

7:58 p.m.: Dinner. Scott's working late, so it's me and frozen pasta. Pretty good, actually.

8:50 p.m.: Just starting to get through a nasty cold. This is my best friend. Especially when I don't have to wake up for the next few days. Thanks, Presidents!

Thanks for stopping by! Y'all have been the best 12 of 12 audience ever, I mean that!!

Who Put That Goat In Here?

2010-02-09T18:47:00.001-08:00

This is old, but it made me laugh and kinda dance, so I decided that y'all must watch it. You're welcome. (Inspired by Scott).

Matterpics

2010-02-01T18:40:00.001-08:00

A rainy Saturday/Matterday in Seattle. But it's been a relatively warm winter in Seattle (no snow!) so it seems more like March than January ...

Forsythia cuttings are blooming inside:

Japanese quince is budding up in the back yard:

Red twig dogwood and Mexican orange:

Some quince cuttings I brought into the kitchen:

Our red poppy front doormat:

Interesting bumper stickers on our way to run errands:

Southcenter Mall in Tukwila (it's not all this outdated):

Taking my cue from J.D> Salinger's death, I decided to buy this book and re-experience it:

Cloudy downtown Seattle on the way back home:

The first place I lived when I moved to Seattle 15 (!) years ago (the building isn't red - it's the reflection of a notebook on the dashboard):

Great wine label:

Next weekend - the Garden Show. More pics then. And maybe I'll actually write something one of these days.

Best Quality.

2010-01-25T18:58:00.000-08:00

Continuing my "video blogger" status as of late - a beautiful scene from The Joy Luck Club. 7:45 in length, but worth it - whether you've seen this (incredible) movie or not, you need to set up the talk between the mother and daughter.

Here's a tissue. You're welcome.

We Are Not A Lost Generation.

2010-01-14T18:51:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you have to read from right to left, down to up. It makes all the difference.

Hope. Is. Good.

January 12 of 12

2010-01-12T21:40:00.000-08:00

Via Chad, who says this is the last year of 12 of 12. I think there may be someone who will take over.

These pictures were all taken on Tuesday, January 12, 2010 in Seattle, Washington, USA.

Rain. In January. Yaaay, Seattle.

Coming to work. Upstairs.

Leaving work. Downstairs.

Heading home. Dark.

Is there another kind? (This USED to be a theater, it's now a drugstore. May explain a bit..)

Waiting at a stoplight. The rain was causing my camera to focus on the window. That, or I'm not camera-smart.

Stoli's dinner. I always give her extra protein at night. She's getting old and frail.

And she snarfs it down. (Those dark spots on her back are water from all the rain).

Still life with wine. Don't mind if I do.

Hunter cat, bright eyes. (Every now and then he falls apart ... )

Dinner. Actually not bad for dried tortellini.

I think the original rules were that you had to have at least a partial picture of yourself in your 12 of 12 pics. Here's a scruffy exhausted Matterdays.

Happy 12 of 12!!!

Snowflake Forming

2010-01-02T19:33:00.000-08:00

Cool, eh?

Happy New Year

2009-12-31T16:48:00.000-08:00

My recycled New Year's Eve tradition for you all, kids.

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. - Benjamin Franklin

For last year's words belong to last year's language and next year's words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning. – T.S. Eliot

In the New Year, may your right hand always be stretched out in friendship, but never in want. – Traditional Irish toast

A health to you, a wealth to you, And the best
that life can give to you.

May you never lie, cheat, or drink. But if you must lie, lie in each other's arms. If you must cheat, cheat death. And if you must drink, drink with all of us, because we love you.

Love to one, friendship to many, and good will to all.

Happy 2010, my friends. May the New Year always be better
than the old.

What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

2009-12-30T19:54:00.000-08:00

When the bells all ring and the horns all blow
And the couples we know are fondly kissing.
Will I be with you or will I be among the missing?

Maybe it's much too early in the game
Ooh, but I thought I'd ask you just the same
What are you doing New Year's
New Year's eve?

Wonder whose arms will hold you good and tight
When it's exactly twelve o'clock that night
Welcoming in the New Year
New Year's eve

Maybe I'm crazy to suppose
I'd ever be the one you chose
Out of a thousand invitations
You received

Ooh, but in case I stand one little chance
Here comes the jackpot question in advance:
What are you doing New Year's
New Year's Eve?

Matterpics

2009-12-26T10:53:00.000-08:00

Many pictures from the season that I haven't gotten around to posting ...

I hope you've all had good holidays, whatever and however you celebrate. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you!

Ra, Ra, Ra ah ahh ...

2009-12-20T13:38:00.000-08:00

Yeah, this is old, but I've always been behind the times on my Lady Gaga. Finally watched this all the way through, and It. Is. Amazing. If you haven't seen this before, enjoy.

December 12 of 12

2009-12-13T00:17:00.000-08:00

Props to Chad ... these pictures were all taken on Saturday, December 12, 2009 in Seattle, Washington.

7:39 a.m. - sun finally coming up:

7:59 a.m. - frozen koi pond and fountain:

12:59 p.m. - about to run errands - damn, forgot to turn off outside hose:

12:59 p.m. - front door mat:

12:59 p.m. - Christmas wreath on front door:

1:26 p.m. - SeaMonster Lounge in the Wallingford neighborhood, while running errands:

1:43 p.m. - at Archi McPhee's:

2:07 p.m. - Deck The Porch:

3:07 p.m. - Miss Stoli is ready to cuddle:

7:12 p.m. - at my company's holiday party - pics from the photo booth:

7:48 p.m. - The Mad Mirror:

11:02 p.m. - the stairway at my office, while dancing:

All for now - Happy Holidays to all!!!!!

We Need A Little Christmas

2009-12-01T20:49:00.000-08:00

Originally from my grad school of Indiana University - Go Big Red!!!!

"Straight No Chaser":

What The Hell Is Wrong With Our Society??????

2009-11-30T20:50:00.000-08:00

On Halloween night, two police officers parked on the side of a street near our home were ambushed, with one murdered. The city was in shock, with a huge memorial immediately forming at the site, candlelight vigils, the whole nine yards. Not just in our neighborhood - which is on and off a center of horrible violence - but everywhere. You just don't kill cops just because they're cops. You just don't.

Sunday morning at about 8:15, four police officers in a coffee shop in Parkland, a suburb of Tacoma (about 30 miles south of here), were murdered. A man walked in, pretended to place an order at the counter, then turned and executed the officers as they were getting ready for their shift. The murderer is still not captured - although there was a night-long vigil at a home in the Leschi neighborhood (just south of us) where he was last seen, and apparently another surveillance tonight in Renton, just south of Seattle.

Now, I understand that there has been talk of retalliation against Seattle police for brutality in some arrests recently. I don't discount that. That, in and by itself, is disgusting. And hopefully, being investigated and corrected. I get it.

But "an eye for an eye" leaves both sides blind.

All of these officers were, quite blatantly, executed. These were not any officers who had any dealings, to public knowledge, in any case that would call for retaliation. These were hard-working members of a force that is sworn to protect us. These were fathers and mothers who leave behind families who will grieve for the rest of their lives. These were mentors, teachers, people who I wish I had known. These were people who were murdered for the mere fact that they wore a badge and had devoted their lives to the protection of people that they didn't even know. People like the cowards who decided that they weren't worthy of living.

This is all "alleged". Nothing has been solved. And I'm a pretty far-left leaning liberal, who is supposed to fight for the rights of anybody, no matter what they "allegedly" did.

But what the hell is going on in our society???

You kill because you have a beef with the police??? WHY DO YOU HAVE A BEEF WITH THE POLICE??? Is it perhaps possible that you did something that you SHOULDN'T HAVE DONE that got in into trouble in the first place??

I am less and less tolerant the longer I live in this neighborhood. Yes, it's true - you have been living a down-trodden, unlucky life. That in iteself is not your fault. Yes, you've been left out of the good-luck lottery. I get it. I DO get it. I support all kinds of things that will help you. I want you to succeed.

But really. Seriously?? This is what will lift you up, will make your life worthwhile, will show the whole damned world that you are as good as everyone else???

Our neighborhood, our city, our lives are in turmoil right now because there is no respect for authority, for right and wrong, for society, for anything but "an eye for an eye"?

This, truly, is our downfall. The idea that no one is better than "me". We're all in this together. C'mon - this isn't the way to do this. And the fact that this alleged assasin should have been put away for life (another idea that I strongly am disagreeing with - with some, there is no "rehabilitation") is even more dusgusting. How should this person have been "treated"? How far do we go in trying to rehabilitate someone? When do we know that someone should be released back into the world, with the risk that they're going to do something evil, and harmful, and life-altering to someone and to their friends and family and the world and that we should just take that risk???

I realize I'm ranting and am writing in frustration, so I'm ready to take my lumps. I just don't get it. I don't understand - or agree with - the "eye for an eye" mentality. You look at the pictures of these officers, of their families, of what this is doing to my city, and you explain to me that it's right. Please explain it to me ... I have no perception of this.

There's No Place Like Home

2009-11-28T16:20:00.000-08:00

Scott and I just watched a video of the Kristen Chenowith's last performance of Wicked (don't ask how) - which reminded me of this video. Enjoy, kids.

In Which Matterdays Is Visited By The Ghost Of College Friends Past.

2009-11-27T18:48:00.000-08:00

My very dear friend Jodi - whom I went to college with and have not seen in at least 16 years - made the long trek from Columbus, Ohio to Seattle this week to spend Thanksgiving with us. I was, admittedly, nervous about seeing her - what if we had nothing in common and nothing to say to each other after so long? My fears were unfounded, since we have kept in touch on and off all this time. She reminded me quite quickly what a warm, gracious, intelligent and charming woman she is. It went by far too quickly.

My camera was not as active as I had wanted it to be, but our wonderful few days together - and her first visit to Seattle - are at least captured in a few highlights.

We ventured down to Pioneer Square - here's the big totem pole by the pergola:

First Avenue in Pioneer Square - my old stomping grounds, in a way. I really miss working down here:

The ferry terminal at Colman Dock:

Arriving at Pike Place Market:

Putting up the Christmas Tree at the Market:

Christmas decorations at the Market:

The famous "fish throwers" stand. Didn't see any fish thrown - but still entertaining:

The view from the back of the Market over Elliott Bay towards West Seattle:

Looking northwest at a barge:

The Space Needle and downtown from Kerry Park on Queen Anne - with a dramatic view of Mt. Rainier:

The Port of Seattle and West Seattle:

Panorama of Seattle:

Proving that Jodi really was here (how cute is she?):

Wednesday was her birthday - and Scott bought her a cake shaped like a turkey:

We considered posting this as our Thanksgiving dinner:

Jodi and Scott (yes, she's wearing a sweater from The Ohio State University):

Thursday morning - ready to go in the oven:

Jodi helping with dinner:

La Table:

Me and Jodi (nice extra chins, Matt):

During dinner:

The aftermath - table cleared:

Scott bought this - A Charlie Brown Christmas tree - I love it:

Friday morning - after taking Jodi to the airport at 5 a.m. - Stoli already misses her new sleeping buddy:

I'm absolutely exhausted from trying to get the house presentable for a houseguest ... and to be honest, I'm pretty lonely tonight. Jodi's back in Columbus, Scott is working late. But I have great memories and it was so wonderful to reconnect live with someone who has been such a dear friend to me.

Happy Thanksgiving Jodi and all of my friends ... you're all invited for next year.

"Do whatever you wannakuh"?

2009-11-18T20:57:00.000-08:00

So what do YOU think of this GAP ad?

UPDATE: Here are the lyrics - seems pretty all-encompassing to me. I know I'm biased, but I read this as a pretty damn positive message:

Two, Four, Six, Eight, 'tis the time to liberate

Go Christmas, Go Hanukkah, Go Kwanzaa, Go Solstice.

Go classic tree, go plastic tree, go plant a tree, go and add a tree.

You 86 the rules, you do what just feels right.

Happy do whatever you wanukkah, and to all a cheery night.

Your Beach/Disco Needs You

2009-11-17T18:31:00.000-08:00

With windy, rainy fall and winter bearing down on us here in Seattle - I thought a good beach flash mob would make us all smile a little.

Props to Joe.

November 12 of 12

2009-11-12T22:09:00.001-08:00

Welcome to November 12, 2009. My name is Matt and I'l be your host from Seattle. My Master is Chad - pay homage to him.

These pictures were all taken on Thursday, November 12, 2009 in Seattle, Washington, USA.

Chilly morning:

Pretty leaves that have NOT been blown down by the rain - on the way to work on Thomas Street:

Heading towards the Space Needle and the Sound:

Later that day - the view from my desk:

Leaving work - the Space Needle at dusk:

Running up that hill ...

Holy Shmokes, Bullwinkle!!

Love the car on the top of that building:

Out neighborhood Trader Joe's - with the unbelievelably horrible parking garage. We need to just walk here.

Scott bought some more Halloween decorations on sale afterwards. (STOP!!!). Here's one in the refrigerator:

Waiting for a response from my brother - terrified. But it came out okay:

Dinner (spaghetti with meat and tomato sauce):

Kinda drained now. Hope your 12 was happy!!

Something Wicked This Way Came ...

2009-11-01T16:52:00.001-08:00

Our house has been kinda the main attraction in our neighborhood for Halloween for a number of years, and this year did not dissappoint.

It turned out a pretty nice day - no rain, but it was windy - we had to chase some decorations down a few times and find bricks and rocks to keep them in place.

Someone decided to camp out in the back seat of Joe Jetta for the festivities.

Getting creepy out there. A BIG number of our decorations move or fly or make scary noises when people approach ...

Even Scott was a little scared.

The graveyard out front. That guy in the middle slowly stands up from behind the tombstone. Eek.

From across the street. It's a busy place.

Hard to get a good night picture, but let me tell ya - it was spooky. Too bad you can't hear the noises and see the strobe lights flashing in the attic window.

And how was your weekend?

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T10:23:00.000-07:00

We had this record (ask your parents, kids) when I was little - we'd play it over and over on Halloween night after going trick-or-treating, and it scared the - er, stuffing out of us.

This is one of the scariest videos I've ever seen:

BOO!!!!!

Happy Halloween ... IF YOU SURVIVE ... hehehehehehehehe ...

One More Day ...

2009-10-30T18:46:00.000-07:00

Two More Days ...

2009-10-29T19:35:00.000-07:00

Three More Days ...

2009-10-28T18:15:00.000-07:00

Four More Days ...

2009-10-27T18:46:00.000-07:00

Poor video quality ... but creepy ... heh heh heh heh heh ...

Six More Days ...

2009-10-25T20:03:00.000-07:00

Thanks, Mom and Dad.

2009-10-22T00:10:00.000-07:00

Matterpics

2009-10-18T18:43:00.000-07:00

And Be Loved In Return.

2009-10-18T18:10:00.000-07:00

The Greatest Thing You'll Ever Learn.

October 12 of 12

2009-10-12T20:11:00.001-07:00

Halloween decorations starting to appear. Boo.

Kitty trying to use the cat's house as a pillow. Cute.

Autumn leaves.

Bootyland.

Waiting for my haircut.

Going home.

Almost home - more purty trees.

The Brandywine in front of the house.

Short hair. Tongue sticking out.

Pondie.

Clean bathroom.

Dinner.

Happy 12!

In Which I'm Told I Destroy Marriage and Threaten Children.

2009-10-11T17:52:00.000-07:00

Scott and I headed up to Lynnwood yesterday, to buy some more Halloween decorations (Scott has a problem) and to go to Alderwood Mall to find a few new clothes for me. Luckily, Scott has worked in Lynnwood for many years (although he just transferred to Northgate), so he could navigate us around easily - I get lost when I get out of the city. What we didn't expect was to come across hundreds of protesters rallying against Referendum 71 - which is on the ballot for next month's election to uphold Washington State's domestic partnership law, which grants state rights to same-sex couples and domestic partners over the age of 62.

We were enraged. Yes, everyone has the right to hold and voice their opinions - but this was unreal. Apparrently this group came from a Russian Baptist church in Eastern Washington, and has been very vocal in their opposition of granting us and other same-sex couples any rights whatsoever.

What really appalled me was the number of high-school-aged (and younger) kids who were out there holding signs. Yes, we learn values from our parents and families (most of us), but I don't truly believe that these kids honestly know what they're protesting against other than "people who aren't like us". That's what they are learning from this. It's okay to oppress people who you don't know anything about other than that you've been told they are not like you, and therefore not as good as you (or not good at all).

I know, I know ... I'm preaching to the choir, so why even bother?

Because in the off chance that one of those people who were carrying these signs reads - actually reads - this post, maybe they'll think about this.

Quoting the bible isn't enough. The bible was written by man, not god. There are examples (in the Old Testament) you can pull from it that say that homosexuality is a sin. There are examples you can pull from it that say don't wear white after Labor Day, if you want to spin it enough (I wouldn't be surprised if that's happened already). It's really about interpretation of ancient beliefs based on the time they were written. If those books had been written today, they'd have a different meaning. Depending on who would have written them. Interpretation is huge.

Securing rights for domestic partnerships is not tantamount to gay marriage. Sure, it may lead the way - and of course I'm for that - but you're putting the cart before the horse. That's not what this is about.

My big fat domestic partnership is not attacking the sanctity of your opposite-sex marriage. You can be opposite-married all you want. If Scott and I being together has attacked your marriage or any others', there are much bigger fish to fry. Look in the mirror.

Feel an overwhelming need to preserve and protect marriage? Make divorce illegal. I'd be out marching and waving signs for that in a heartbeat.

Think that the very idea of same-sex couples harms children? How? Do a Google search on the percentage of child molesters who are straight.

Think that the way that homosexuality - and same-sex partnerhips - would harm children is that all children will be required to view explicit homosexual pornography in schools and libraries (yes, this is actually an argument that comes up time and time again)? Where did you get that idea? Please tell me where in Referendum 71 this is shown.

Please, those of you who are against these basic civil rights for us - come to my neighborhood. Meet out neighbors. The straight, child-rearing, working and tax-paying and voting neighbors of ours. Ask them of the destruction we have wrought on our neighborhood and their families and their children. Ask them why they allow their children to trick-or-treat at our house. Ask them why they knock on our door when their kids want to see our pets, and actually let them come inside. Ask them why they let us go camping with them and let their kids see us holding hands. Ask them why they bring cans of chicken soup to our house when we have a cold. Ask them why they offer to let us borrow their mixer when ours died and we're trying to make banana bread. Ask them why they ask us to house-sit and cat-sit and bring in their recycling bins when they go on vacation, why they invite us to dinner and parties and why they stop by and talk to us out in the yard, in full view of the world, and laugh with us and wave as they drive by.

And then, look in the mirror and take a good, hard look. And wonder if your god sees them as less than you because they love and accept and yes, sometimes actually TOUCH us.

MatterPic

2009-10-07T18:56:00.001-07:00

Tap Tap Tap Is This Thing On?

2009-10-07T16:13:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's on. Sorry - I've been lax at posting anything lately, haven't I?

And I'm only taking the time to post today because I'm at home sick. Bleah. Cold/flu thing - although I'm not really congested anymore, just fevery/achy/exhausted.

Things have been depressing at work, on a personal level - one co-worker had an operation for a brain tumor (which went incredibly well, and she's doing fine). Another was diagnosed with breast cancer - but is in remission after a lumpectomy and radiation. Another suffered a seizure at work (boy, was that scary!), but it seems to be a reaction to a medication, and she's doing fine now, too. And now, another just found out that his wife has pancreatic cancer that has spread to her liver, and there's nothing that can be done to save her life.

These are all people around my age or within ten years of being older than me. It's a scary reminder that we're all getting older and having to deal with things we never even imagined when we were young and invincible. I'm having a hard time accepting the fact that I'm not young anymore, and that I'm not immortal. I find myself thinking of ways to be more active, to get back in shape, to be healthier. There's a lot on my plate there.

And now it's fall. It came quick and hard this year (doesn't it always?). From a hot, hot, HOT dry summer to cloudy and cool and rainy in 24 hours. I feel like I'm waiting for it to be the pretty fall that I swear I remember always having as a child. I don't think I should be waiting.

So, I'm looking out the window and seeing that the sun is out. It's lower in the southern sky, and filtered, and not as bright as before - but it's there. The leaves are decaying and dropping - but the trees are alive, just winding down for the year. The sky is a fading pale blue, with wispy high clouds strung across it - but it's there. It's still above us, and the ground is still below us, and our 104-year-old house is still standing and solid and warm and it's all okay.

I do miss the anticipation I used to feel this time of year ... football games and marching band and homecoming and my birthday (which does still happen - October 22, start shopping!) and Thanksgiving. That still happens, too, doesn't it? I guess it is time to start inviting everyone we know to Thanksgiving dinner and planning my favorite holiday, where we get to share what we can with people we love and who love us back. I need that right now. Life keeps moving and days pass by and it's hard to see anything but a week or a day at a time. But I'm sensing that I need to breathe in deep and take in what's happening around me and embrace the days that I live in.

Thanks for letting me ramble and vent. I think I'll go pet the dogs now.

Referendum 71.

2009-09-21T19:13:00.000-07:00

Last May, Washington Governor Christine Gregoire signed into law an expansion of domestic partnership rights that gave same-sex couples and others very close to equal rights regarding "traditional" same-sex married couples.

This has been challenged, and those who oppose this have petitioned and gathered enough signatures to have this put to a vote this fall. While the methods by which they gathered the required number of signatures are dubious at best, this is the law and it now goes to the popular vote.

I encourage everyone to look at both the link above to those who oppose these rights, and to the link to those who are in favor of them.

If you live - and vote - in Washington State, be advised that voting for this referendum means voting for equal rights as domestic partnerships. If you vote against this referendum, you are voting to overturn equal rights for domestic partnerships - and not just same-sex partnerships.

Think carefully. Just think. Try to put yourself in the mind of those who disagree with you - no matter which side you are currently on. Educate yourself. Hear - and listen - to both sides. Decide what you think is really, truly right. Logically, truly, really right.

If you don't live in Washington State, talk to people you know who do. If you don't know anyone who lives here, talk to people you know anyway. Have discussions, dialogue, conversations - not flag-waving, sign-toting, anger-filled deaf-eared protests (from both sides) ... honest dialogue. Listen to each other.

I'm asking a lot.

Just think. Please.

Matterpics

2009-09-20T17:14:00.000-07:00

There's still another day left of summer, but let's face it - it's fall. It feels, smells, looks different ... the light is lower and even though the sky is blue, it's paler than before. It's kinda like everything was taken with a Polaroid camera.

I'm not totally complaining. As much as I love summer, I couldn't live without the seasons changing.

Now if only we could have spring start in full force on January 1 - I'd be happy.

Anyway - here's today's Matterday (and Scooterday):

Trees turning prematurely red and orange. (I just got my hair cut - I know the feeling. Umm, except with grey).

Christmas decorations at Lowe's. On September 21. I believe the elegant phrase "WTF?" applies here.

I didn't realize that Tin Tin had a laundromat in the Rainier Valley/Columbia City area.

Pioneer Square, near where my office used to be. Smith Tower (with the pyramid-shaped top) used to be the tallest building west of the Mississippi River. If you look right in the middle, straight up Second Avenue, you'll see the Space Needle.

Heading up First Avenue.

The Seattle Central Library downtown. Rem Koolhaas was one of the principle designers. I've only been inside briefly, and didn't get a chance to explore much. I think it's a very cool building and would love to see more. Oh, and I totally miss working near downtown.

Back home. The impatiens and lantana at the bottom of the steps to the backyard.

Japanese barberry. I love the color, and it will turn bright red in the next month or two. And it has very sharp thorns.

One of our banana trees. No fruit, and it dies back to the ground every year, but very cool. (It's about eight feet tall).

Sunflowers that grew after Scott threw some seeds into the garden (that were mixed in with birdseed). These are perfect sunflowers, I think. Not too tall or demanding - just purty.

Bougainvillea in a basket. Go child go.

We have a plethora of garden spiders currently subleasing space in our yard. This is Sidney.

Blue lace cap hydrangeas.

I love hydrangeas when they fade - they're supposed to make great dried flowers, although I've never been into that. Maybe we'll try it this year.

And another.

A Japanese maple starting to turn colors.

I could never grow miniature roses indoors, like I wanted to. But stick them in the ground outside and ignore them, and they do great.

Japanese blood grass - or, something close to it. It doesn't turn as red, but it's a very cool ornamental grass.

More fading hydrangeas.

Blurry Buddha on the edge of the pond.

These poor old wooden chairs have seen better days. Seems like a perfect end-of-summer picture, though.

The end of summer means we get to see our statues again. This one is still being a bit shy.

Hope you enjoyed our day and the garden tour. Dinner's in about an hour - go wash up and I'll pour you a glass of wine.

Goodbye, Mary Travers.

2009-09-16T20:06:00.000-07:00

Stay.

2009-09-13T11:29:00.000-07:00

Okay, this post on PostSecret made me cry a little.

September 12 of 12

2009-09-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

Jump over to Chad's site to see what the cool people of the world do on the 12th of every month.

These pictures were all taken Saturday, September 12, 2009 in Seattle, Washington.

We're switching cell phone carriers so had to get new phones. I'm illiterate when it comes to cell phones, so mine is the basic model shown here. Scott got a Crackberry. I'm already looking into 12-step programs for him.

Saturday is chore day. Starting with emptying the dishwasher.

It definitely feels like summer is ending, even though it was 85 degrees today. The light just looks different. Nice that there are still flowers blooming outside the kitchen window, though.

The backyard and pond from the upstairs deck. I'd meant to take a picture of this view every month, but I don't think I have. I'll do that going forward - it's cool to see how much this view changes every month.

The handsome and friendly Hunter, lounging in his favorite spot by the stairwell window.

Oh, yeah - chores. Kitchen cleaned. Watch your step - the floor is still wet.

Quick run to the grocery store - umm, why are some of the trees turning yellow and orange???

Scott recently bought this lamp that's in the dining room. Purty.

Scott, home from work and taking close-up pictures of dandelions for his 12 of 12. Yes, the lawn needs to be cut. Tomorrow.

A gardenia from one of our gardenia shrubs in the back yard. Yes, they will bloom in Seattle if you're good to them. This is one of my favorite flowers and frangrances in the world.

Dinner. Take-out from Teriyaki Seven.

Pretty sunset. They're coming earlier every day.

Thanks for stopping by!

How DARE he talk to the nation's children about edukayshun!

2009-09-08T18:22:00.000-07:00

High-larious. Thanks Kyle.

Life in the Central District.

2009-09-01T21:07:00.000-07:00

From our neighborhood police scanner blog:

10:34AM - E Olive Way & E. Denny Way - Welfare Check - Man with an unleashed dog is walking in and out of traffic. He's a white male early 20s, 6' tall, with flowers in his hair, and hitting himself with a rope.

Welcome to my world.

Dog Is My Co-Pilot.

2009-09-01T20:27:00.000-07:00

Dogs are the most incredible thing ever invented.

"There is nothing you can't do"

2009-08-30T12:22:00.000-07:00

From Ted Kennedy, Jr.'s eulogy for his father (thanks, John):

"...But today I'm simply compelled to remember Ted Kennedy as my father and my best friend. When I was 12 years old I was diagnosed with bone cancer and a few months after I lost my leg, there was a heavy snowfall over my childhood home outside of Washington D.C. My father went to the garage to get the old Flexible Flyer and asked me if I wanted to go sledding down the steep driveway. And I was trying to get used to my new artificial leg and the hill was covered with ice and snow and it wasn't easy for me to walk. And the hill was very slick and as I struggled to walk, I slipped and I fell on the ice and I started to cry and I said "I can't do this." I said, "I'll never be able to climb that hill." And he lifted me in his strong, gentle arms and said something I'll never forget. He said "I know you'll do it, there is nothing you can't do. We're going to climb that hill together, even if it takes us all day."

Sure enough, he held me around my waist and we slowly made it to the top, and, you know, at age 12 losing a leg pretty much seems like the end of the world, but as I climbed onto his back and we flew down the hill that day I knew he was right. I knew I was going to be OK. You see, my father taught me that even our most profound losses are survivable and it is what we do with that loss, our ability to transform it into a positive event, that is one of my father's greatest lessons. He taught me that nothing is impossible..."

"There is nothing you can't do".

Socialism Is Not An Evil Word

2009-08-30T11:08:00.000-07:00

This is a great video about the need for government-funded healthcare. I am 100% for this. Bash me in the comments if you feel the need.

Thanks to Kyle.

Can't Get It Outta My Head

2009-08-30T10:32:00.001-07:00

Okay, now I'm on a Flash Mob quest and we're going to do the next one ... so I was searching for videos on YouTube, and this looks like one of the funnest ones to do ...

Some fun fun fun fun fun sounds good about now, no?

No One Wants To Be Defeated

2009-08-29T19:40:00.000-07:00

There was a flash mob in Seattle today, performing the dance to Michael Jackson's "Beat It" in three different locations to celebrate his 51st birthday. I found out 12 minutes before the rehearsals started - it would have been a blast to be a part of this! A co-worker was one of the mob - he's a riot and I bet he had a great time! (Dance, Clarence, dance!)

The first flash mob took place in Pioneer Square, about a block from where our offices used to be when I first worked there; the second is at the Pike Place Market (home of the fish-throwers). Fun fun fun. Enjoy:

(Update: The Official video including the third performance at Kerry Park on Queen Anne)

12 Years.

2009-08-27T00:03:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary, sweetie.

Dog Is My Co-Pilot.

2009-08-22T17:23:00.000-07:00

I admit it, I stole this. But hell, I can't look at our dogs and not believe every single word of this.

This is an excerpt from the book "Dog Is My Copilot" (Three Rivers Press, ISBN 1-4000-5053-7). The author is Pam Houston. Enjoy...

LESSON #1 That if your paws are too big to fit in your ears, you have to get someone else to do the scratching.

LESSON #2 That if you want your hand to be licked, you might have to put it under somebody's nose.

LESSON #3 That the exact right dog will always come into your life just when you need him or her most.

LESSON #4 That loving in the face of inevitable loss, is the single most important challenge of our lives.

LESSON #5 That all your new habits. like weeping and praying and talking about your feelings, will actually endear you to more people than they will drive away.

LESSON #6 That sitting in the grass together doing nothing isn't really doing nothing at all.

LESSON #7 That if you love somebody deeply enough, cleaning up their diarrhea doesn't make you want to puke.

LESSON #8 That in the end, the money doesn't matter a bit.

LESSON #9 That sometimes, even if you haven't acted perfectly, the good thing happens after all.

LESSON #10 That everything is forgivable, that every moment contains eternity, and that loving unconditionally doesn't mean you are a self-annihilating fool.

"I ask (my dog) for a story to go with lesson #10, and he says in his Zen-ish way that there isn't one story that goes with this rule because they all do. He says that lesson #10 is what every dog has been trying to teach every human since the beginning of time."

Hit and Run Hula

2009-08-19T18:21:00.001-07:00

Yeah, I'm stealing this from Joe ... but it's a gorgeous hot summer day here in Seattle and this video is absotively perfect for it. Enjoy.

MatterPics

2009-08-16T16:55:00.000-07:00

We took a day trip down to Mt. Rainier National Park today, a little over an hour away. Unfortunately it was cloudy down by the mountain, but it was still nice to get out of the city for a few hours.

Heading toward downtown:

Leaving the city:

Seattle finally has some semblance of modern mass transportation:

Passing near the adoption agency where I got Joe Jetta:

Farther south, somewhere near Puyallup:

Really in the middle of nowhere ... getting close to the park:

Yes, that blue sign says "Volcano Evacuation Route":

Entering Wilkeson, the last town before entering the park:

The long and winding road:

Too cloudy to see the mountain:

The Carbon River flowing from the Carbon Glacier - the water is kinda milky-white from the mineral content:

On this side of the sign, you're in Mt. Rainier National Park ...

... and on this side, Mt. Baker - Snoqualmie National Forest.

The road was closed and we couldn't go up as far as we wanted, but we took a short hike through the rain forest:

There's Scott - he really is standing on a path:

Hiking up the mountain:

Hiking down the mountain:

Crossing that bridge when we come to it:

On our way out:

There's a steep drop-off to the right - and one lane of the road had, well - dropped off:

Looking down at the valley:

NOW the sun comes out:

Back in Seattle - for those of you who really believe it always rains here:

Downtown:

We won't talk about the other road we took in the mountains to see a pretty lake. Let's just say that I think it is completely idiotic to have a gravel road hugging the side of a mountain with no guard rail. Since my hands were sweaty and I'm pretty sure my heart stopped a few times, I wimped out with no shame. I'm like that.

Hope you enjoyed our little trip!

August 12 of 12

2009-08-12T20:39:00.001-07:00

Read it here. Do it next month if you haven't before. I know who you are.

I present ... Tropical 12 of 12. Ummm ... Seattle style. How 'bout "Flora and Fauna"?

Schotzie the Preening Wonder Bird.

Cool things Scott inherited (yes, that's a carved ivory tusk)

More CoolThings Scott Inherited (also carved ivory):

Pineapple on top of the fridge:

Tiki Bob clock from Hawaii:

Hunter the Wonder Cat - grrr:

Very fragrant white lilies on the balcony:

Banana tree in the back yard:

Stargazer lilies - one of the best fragrances in the world:

Bougainvilla:

Kali the Wonder Puppy:

Boo Boo the Indian ringneck parakeet:

Happy Tropical 12 of 12!!!!

But Who May Abide?

2009-08-08T16:18:00.000-07:00

I've posted Matt Alber before. Here's another video, just to remind you who he is:

But did you know he can also sing contralto (well, I guess technically countertenor)? Watch this:

Cool, huh?

Goodbye, John Hughes.

2009-08-07T20:12:00.000-07:00

His movies were usually set near Chicago, mostly in places that I recognized since they were very close to where I grew up.

This tribute rocks.

Matterdays

November 12 of 12

Today.

August 12 of 12

And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.

The Most Treacherous Aria Ever Written

July 12 of 12

May 12 of 12

April 12 of 12

Testing Our Strength.

March 12 of 12

MatterPics

February 12 of 12

Happy New Year

December 12 of 12

Happy Thanksgiving

November 12 of 12

This IS Halloween!!!

It's tomorrow, you know.

Scared. Yes, now I'm scared. Two more days ...

Almost here ...

Scary, Mary ...

Six days ...

Halloween: Seven Days.

Halloween Week. Be Afraid.

43.

October 12 of 12

Why I'm Voting Republican

Promise Me You'll Always Remember

September 12 of 12

Stunning Music.

But I Don't WANT Summer To End.

August 12 of 12

Pillow Fight!!!

July 12 of 12

June 12 of 12

In Memory.

May 12 of 12

My Heart Is Broken.

You Must Remember This.

Funky Neato.

April 12 of 12

And they were going to put her down ...

March 12 of 12

Hi.

Happy Valentine's Day

February 12 of 12

Who Put That Goat In Here?

Matterpics

Best Quality.

We Are Not A Lost Generation.

January 12 of 12

Snowflake Forming

Happy New Year

What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

Matterpics

Ra, Ra, Ra ah ahh ...

December 12 of 12

We Need A Little Christmas

What The Hell Is Wrong With Our Society??????

There's No Place Like Home

In Which Matterdays Is Visited By The Ghost Of College Friends Past.

"Do whatever you wannakuh"?

Your Beach/Disco Needs You

November 12 of 12

Something Wicked This Way Came ...

Happy Halloween!

One More Day ...

Two More Days ...

Three More Days ...

Four More Days ...

Six More Days ...

Thanks, Mom and Dad.

Matterpics

And Be Loved In Return.

October 12 of 12

In Which I'm Told I Destroy Marriage and Threaten Children.

MatterPic

*Tap Tap Tap* Is This Thing On?

Referendum 71.

Tap Tap Tap Is This Thing On?