. . . Tupperware Cities . . .

Tuesday, June 28

 

I do not sing the body electric...

Well I don't think I'll be reciting any Whitman this afternoon since I am definitely NOT singing the body electric. I am doing the dance of wincing pain. I am limping like Lon Cheney, Jr. I am amazed at what the body remembers. My car accident, oh, 6 or so years ago really fucked me up. Not internally or anything, but I just HAD to be looking out the window, craning my head to look up into a tree at a bird I could hear. I was waiting for the light to turn green when this big fucking fag (this is a fact, not an insult) ran into me with his boyfriend's SUV. I was in a Geo Metro; guess which car won. I went through a year and a half of chiropractic treatments and muscle tissue manipulation (yeah massage). The treatments were lovely, the pain was horrific. Two days after my accident I couldn't get out of bed alone; I literally could not sit up on my own.

Stress tends to recall the pain, the crookedness, the unintended positions the accident forced my body to take. Last night I went home and burst into tears simply because I was out of body wash. Then it all came out, all the stress of my job, moving, only having X thousand dollars (which Steve thought was a ridiculous thing to cry over), my hair... yes my hair. It's frustrating to work, day in day out at this place. It makes me want to hang myself.

And now, my neck is in severe pain from staring down at these medical records and fucking letters. I swear to god life is too fucking short to be working a job that you hate, people. There will always be other options.

Lynnette 10:29 AM

Sunday, June 26

 

TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF - The Survey
Name:	Lynnette
Birthday:	April 21
Birthplace:	Bellevue, Washington
Current Location:	Eden Prairie, Minnesota
Eye Color:	brown
Hair Color:	light brown
Height:	5'7"
Right Handed or Left Handed:	right
Your Heritage:	german, italian, irish
The Shoes You Wore Today:	birk sandals
Your Weakness:	ice cream
Your Fears:	failure, bankruptcy
Your Perfect Pizza:	tomato/pineapple
Goal You Would Like To Achieve This Year:	Move to Florida
Your Most Overused Phrase On an instant messenger:	all of that shit
Thoughts First Waking Up:	I hate my job
Your Best Physical Feature:	i have lots
Your Bedtime:	10-11pm or so
Your Most Missed Memory:	everything in Washington
Pepsi or Coke:	diet coke
MacDonalds or Burger King:	neither
Single or Group Dates:	I'm no longer a part of the dating scene
Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea:	neither, i hate sweetened teas
Chocolate or Vanilla:	chocolate
Cappuccino or Coffee:	coffee
Do you Smoke:	no
Do you Swear:	fuck yes
Do you Sing:	in the car, the shower
Do you Shower Daily:	yes
Have you Been in Love:	yes
Do you want to go to College:	Already went, going back again
Do you want to get Married:	maybe
Do you belive in yourself:	always
Do you get Motion Sickness:	never
Do you think you are Attractive:	yes i do
Are you a Health Freak:	i strive to live a healthy lifestyle
Do you get along with your Parents:	absolutely
Do you like Thunderstorms:	always
Do you play an Instrument:	piano, bass.... and very badly, but it's fun
In the past month have you Drank Alcohol:	yes
In the past month have you Smoked:	yes
In the past month have you been on Drugs:	does caffeine count?
In the past month have you gone on a Date:	with my boyfriend, yes
In the past month have you gone to a Mall:	YES!
In the past month have you eaten a box of Oreos:	yuck
In the past month have you eaten Sushi:	of course
In the past month have you been on Stage:	yes, at the Gay 90s dancing for exactly 10 seconds
In the past month have you been Dumped:	no
In the past month have you gone Skinny Dipping:	no
In the past month have you Stolen Anything:	yes
Ever been Drunk:	yes
Ever been called a Tease:	yes
Ever been Beaten up:	no
Ever Shoplifted:	yes
How do you want to Die:	In my sleep, at a very old age.
What do you want to be when you Grow Up:	Marine Biologist/Conservationist
What country would you most like to Visit:	New Zealand
In a Boy/Girl..
Favourite Eye Color:	Steve
Favourite Hair Color:	Steve
Short or Long Hair:	Steve
Height:	Steve
Weight:	Steve
Best Clothing Style:	Steve
Number of Drugs I have taken:	What?
Number of CDs I own:	1200 and rising...
Number of Piercings:	zero
Number of Tattoos:	zero
Number of things in my Past I Regret:	zero
CREATE YOUR OWN! - or - GET PAID TO TAKE SURVEYS!

Lynnette 2:58 PM

 

Lazy Sundays...

I walked to work this morning because overtime is the best. Yes I am posting this at work. It took me an hour to walk here and it was just perfect.

Yesterday I gave myself a day off since I've been working through my weekends. Now that I quit my cafe job on evenings and weekends, I'm taking advantage of the fact that overtime is up for grabs... plenty of bullshit filing and label-making to do over the weekend playing Grandaddy at full volume from my computer since NOBODY is here but me. I love it!!

Last night my friend Shannon came over around 11pm and we watched the first few episode of The Office. It had been about a year since I had been through the DVDs and it was still funny, this fourth or fifth time I had seen them. Classic office humor. That and the movie Office Space hit the nail on the head.

So yeah as I mentioned above I'm at work. I'm here to do some bitch's filing. I think she avoids it to keep her acrylic nails nice throughout the week. I am very much looking forward to a change in work venue. Shit!

Hmm. A filin' I shall go...

Lynnette 11:29 AM

Friday, June 24

 

27 and counting...
I only have twenty seven more days of this shitty, boring, fucking annoying insurance job. Of course this doesn't include all the Saturdays and Sundays I'm working for overtime (which is all of them until I leave at the end of July). So a tad more than 27, but it's still in the double-digits at least!!

The pre-panic mode has set in. I have now officially begun worrying about establishing residency prior to the first day of classes for the fall semester of 2006. My immediate plans, upon landing in the beautiful state of Florida, are to obtain a driver's license, register to vote, obtain a library card, and find an apartment. Preferably in that order. Perhaps I can weasel my way into using the condo's address as my uh... temporary residency. We shall see. Otherwise I may be fucked.

But I'll be there in just over a month. I'm very much looking forward to taking a leisurely drive through the countryside with Steve and our portable DVD player.

Lynnette 12:23 PM

Thursday, June 23

 

Closer to my beaches, bitches...

I don't post on my site as much in the summer.... mostly because it's summer, people. It's gorgeous outside. Lately it's been in the upper 80s, and today the high is 96. Minnesotans are bitching about how deathly hot it is outside. Sure it's warm, and if I was exercising outside or working out of doors I'd say it was probably hot. But it's summer. What don't they understand about the tilt of the earth and the angle of the sun during the summer months?? (at least in the Northern Hemisphere, obviously the Southern Hemisphere is having opposite weather).

So, I'm basically using all of my stored energy to keep my mouth shut, and trying desperately not to say "shut up you fucking babies, if you don't like the heat, move to Duluth". It's just annoying. I'm actually enjoying the weather, the heat, so maybe it's appropriate that I move further South.


I was basically handed a job with my company. Over 175 people applied for the job, and she wanted to try and work something out with me as far as when I could be in Tampa. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to pass. I won't be in Florida for six more weeks, and even then we're staying for two weeks in Fort Myers, two and a half hours south of Tampa. Even if I DID accept the position I would be driving five hours round trip, for a crappy job I'm going to quit in a year anyway. That's even considering she would hold the position for six weeks. Unfortunately, she's looking to fill the job soon, as in the beginning of July. Financially I am able to do it, but I also don't want to waste all the money I have saved specifically for tuition, on buying a car and finding an apartment in haste...all by my lonesome.

We moved up to Minneapolis without jobs, and we had a third the savings we do now. I have solid faith that we'll find something suitable in an apartment and jobs within the first month.

And let's be honest folks, one does not move to a coastal semi-tropical state and NOT take some time to enjoy the beaches, bitches!!

Lynnette 8:43 AM

Monday, June 13

 

So Michael Jackson was acquitted. Here's what my boyfriend had to say about it: "yeah if priests can do it surely the king of pop can get away with it!"

That's beautiful, Steve.

Lynnette 4:32 PM

Sunday, June 12

 

Here I come to save the daaaaaaaaaay!

This morning I'm relaxing, having a banana and a cup of coffee (yes an odd combo but one of my favs) and watching Hannah and Her Sisters, one of my favorite Woody Allen movies. It's just a great flick. Steve screams from the other room, "Oh my GOD! COME HERE, QUICK NOW NOW!!" Christ all fucking mighty, what the hell could be going on. Well our cat had cornered a mouse, and Steve was struggling to hold him back from unleashing the full fury on this little, dark grey almost black mouse....it was hardly the size of a ping-pong ball. I could see it was fine, not a scratch on him so I ran to the kitchen for a plastic cup. Luckily it wasn't an ordeal and it hopped right into the cup. I walked downstairs and let him outside.

What I want to know is how did a baby mouse get into an apartment on the second floor of the building? It's sort of freaky. Now I'm wondering if we have mice, and how many carcasses we'll start finding around the house if we do.

Lynnette 12:47 PM

Thursday, June 9

 

And so, the great job search begins. Rather, I applied for two positions that were open in the company. One of them I'm probably a shoo-in, the other may be a bit of a reach. It's a senior position and I know they like to hire from within, but having to put the job on hold while I relocate may not work out. Plus, senior positions are often filled by people in _that_ particular department. So yeah, hopefully I'll get one of them, if not, I keep looking.

Lynnette 9:37 AM

Wednesday, June 8

 

Mrs. Robinson died. You know, Anne Bancroft, the sexy bitch from the Graduate.

Lynnette 10:58 AM

 

So this morning before work I'm standing in my bathroom naked, because I am always pretty much naked at home, and I thought to myself, "You are a moron to think that you couldn't wear a bikini." Honestly, I look pretty good right now save for my gut. It's a bit more than that "you're a normal woman with a round belly", it's sort of a leftover beer gut.

My new chiropractor has also given me lessons for weight lifting that I'm supposed to start doing to strengthen my back. He is AMAZING! If you live in the Twin Cities area I cannot recommend this doctor enough: Christopher Foley, whose practice is located in St. Louis Park just off Excelsior Boulevard. He's wonderful, and the visits are very educational, as opposed to just getting adjusted and paying my co pay and making a new appointment. Dr. Foley showed me exactly which vertebrae were out of alignment, he showed me military presses that would help those areas, and he also explained that I should avoid chewing gum and driving a stick-shift. Oddly enough two weeks prior to this my dentist had told me to stop chewing gum, also. So, as much as I love gum, I love my teeth and my spine a lot more.

Taking the stairs at work is getting easier. Coming back from a shopping lunch hour with a coworker I sort of half-jokingly asked if she'd like to take the stairs with me, and surprisingly she said okay. Awesome! I'm also thinking about buying a new pair of shoes. Cuz I've been a good girl!

Lynnette 10:01 AM

Monday, June 6

 

Today I went to the dentist to have a look at a filling that has been bothering me. My dentist had a booger in his nose.. It wasn't really HUGE or anything it was just like a gateway booger, resting just on the edge of the nostril. I didn't know if I should tell him or not. I figured I'd just keep my eye on it. and if it fell I would duck.

Lynnette 1:43 PM

 

I rock! I finished my resume this morning!! It's one of those things you hate to do, but you have to do it every so often. Hopefully a job in Tampa will come rolling along soon. I'm attempting to move within my company, so hopefully something worthwhile will open up between now and the end of July.

Lynnette 9:11 AM

Sunday, June 5

 

My life is becoming increasingly surreal the closer I get to moving. Yesterday some friends of my boyfriend came by and bought our couch and our dining room set. While I'm glad to have found a buyer the emptiness they left behind screams reality. Moving is no longer just an idle thought, an item on a list entitled "Things to do in 2005". It's very real, and very scary. People are starting to call me nomad, to my face. Ordinarily I wouldn't be offended by this, but that label seems to be someone who wanders aimlessly. I have very good reasons for the things that I do, and for moving to the places that I move. I suppose with all the travel I've done in the last two years someone on the outside of my life could view me as a bit.... nomadic. So be it.

Frankly, the reason I'm moving is because it's time to get on with my life. I have goals, and desires that cannot be accomplished in Minnesota, and therefore I must pack up and leave.

On a positive note I'm becoming less and less attached to my physical possessions. Honestly, the only thing I really care about are my photos. Photos are irreplaceable, as opposed to a mass-marketed DVD, CD or book which can be easily replaced.

Lynnette 3:33 PM

Friday, June 3

 

Christopher Cross would be proud...

Don't get it? Tough, I'm not explaining it. This week I decided that I am done using elevators in both our apartment building and the building in which I work. Here's the kicker: I work on the fifth floor. It's minor, yes, but it's a wonderful start to an otherwise sedentary lifestyle I have been leading. Of course I can "blame" the Minnesota winters, or the lack of spare time between two jobs, but really folks, what does it take for suburbanites to get off their ass? I truly despise being away from a city center, I dislike having to drive _everywhere_ I need to go. You're probably thinking, oh you big pansy just walk to the grocery store. First of all there aren't sidewalks in my neck of the woods, and if I do walk I'd have to go over a highway (not fun), and secondly the closest grocery store to me is about 4 miles from my apartment. I want a pedestrian-friendly city without having to move to say, New York City. Yeah, I live around a big, empty, highway-filled, ugly suburb that for some reason people actually WANT to live in.

Sadly, I don't think Tampa is going to be any different. My office is in a business park area, near the airport, and I'll probably move close by. However, I am planning on taking sailing lessons once we're down there. A girl needs a hobby, and for someone striving to enter the field of marine biology, scuba diving and sailing are excellent supplements. Plus, if I could afford it, I'd rather own a boat than a car, but that's just me.

Lynnette 8:40 AM

Wednesday, June 1

 

Pacific Northwest journey and back again...

Wednesday Steve and I arrived just in the nick of time to make our departing flight to Seattle. Steve had time for one beer and I had time enough to buy a small bowl of mixed fruit before we were shuffled onto the 757. Lesson learned: boarding a plane when you sit in the back is awesome, after you land it sucks. Flight was uneventful, and wonderfully enough most everyone around us slept during the flight. Just before arriving at SeaTac I looked out the window and tried to pick out downtown Seattle, however, I was on the wrong side of the plane. We landed on time around 11pm Pacific Time and were peeling out in the totally hot, bright yellow (I'm talking banana yellow) Chevy Cavalier. I have to admit, that Chevy kicks our Mazda's ass. It had some pick up, and I definitely abused the engine all week. Fuck it, it was a rental!

Thursday morning I woke up with a cup of coffee and went out to my Aunt's deck. I was welcomed to the area with my first breathtaking view of Puget Sound and nearby Gig Harbor. I tried desperately to hold in my wanderlust but only made it through breakfast. We drove over the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, two blocks down the street from my Aunt's, to the bridge viewpoint for a majestic view of Mt. Rainier framed in the Narrows Bridge. The mountain was definitely "out" that day! The beach was lovely and rocky, and a lot of people were out walking their dogs. Steve stuck to the rocks above, but I kicked off my shoes and wandered down closer to the water to kick around seaweed and skip rocks. At one I found myself just starting through the waves, enjoying the salty smells....and suddenly realized I was looking at a mammoth size, bright orange jellyfish floating about 5 feet from shore. Stupidly my first instinct was to run towards it, but immediately my common sense kicked in (thank god) so instead I screamed for Steve to come down for a peek. Back to my Aunt's house for the camera and some grub, then it was back into the car (yeah we spent a lot of time driving around) and on to Olympia. Initially we passed by Olympia and followed the tempting exits which promised "Ocean Beaches" in that lovely brown sign which loosely translates to "State Parks, magnificent views, and possible tourist bullshit areas". After about 30 minutes of driving along the highway sans any views of ocean we stopped to check the map, only to realize that we were in the middle of the peninsula, nowhere NEAR a beach. Actually we were only about halfway to Aberdeen, Kurt Cobain's "hometown", but figured it wasn't worth the extra hour or so to the Aberdeen harbor. We laughed it off, chalked it up to a nice car ride through the Cascade Mountains and headed back to Olympia. We went to Olympia harbor to walk around a bit, and saw the capital building. And no, we didn't take the exit for Sleater-Kinney Road. Later that night my Aunt introduced us to her new boyfriend, Duane, and we grilled out and played cards, some game called "Tick". Oh man, I was so stuffed from steaks and tipsy that I slept like a baby that night.

Friday, Duane offered to drive us out to the Snoqualmie Falls, whose Salish Lodge & Spa posed as the "Great Northern Hotel" in the show Twin Peaks. Then it was down to North Bend where we came across the Twin Peaks "Double R Diner", now called "Tweede's Cafe". There was a little Twin Peaks photo gallery in the hallway and of course the piles and piles of tourist crap to show that "yes, indeed, I have had Twin Peaks cherry pie". And it was seriously some of the best cherry pie I have ever had. Missed out on the damn fine cup of coffee though. We passed by the train cars where Bob killed Laura Palmer and also, , found out there's another Twin Peaks festival at the end of July!! Why couldn't I time our trip better?!!? We spent the rest of the day driving through the mountains and taking in the landscape. Duane is a landscaper and took us by one of the houses he has been working on for the better part of a year. A doctor's house in Federal Way, Washington; it had a "game room" which was its own building on the other side of the circular drive way. It had a plasma TV, nearly an entire nautilus circuit, ping pong table, air hockey, foosball table, oh and did I mention the floors were all bamboo? It was INSANE. The backyard had a koi pond and a tennis court, and then Duane showed us where the electric gate was going to be placed later this summer. It's good to be rich. Jesus Christ. When we returned to the house, after a long day everyone was exhausted...well except for me. I dragged Steve down to the ferry at Point Defiance and we took the ferry to Vashon Island. It was Steve's first time on a ferry, and our second day of excellent weather. The ferry ride was short, about 30 minutes round trip and then we drove around Tacoma and even by University of Puget Sound which I dream of attending. (Yeah, I can't afford a private college right now, folks).

Saturday was another of the three days of record-breaking temperatures and our final day of gorgeous, cloudless skies. We got a late start that morning and headed north on I-5, through Seattle to the suburb of Lynnwood where I grew up. We immediately found my old house and started taking pictures of me on the corner, me in front of the garage, etc. The neighbor across the street came out and started giving us looks. I walked over and asked if the Baker's still lived in the house (an old grandma and grandpa that used to baby-sit me). She said, "Well, I'm a Baker." So I inquired a bit further and as it turns out Leroy, the grandpa, was her father-in-law, and Cindy and her husband Wayne (Leroy's son) now lived in the house. They remembered me and were amazed that nearly 20 years had passed. Wayne looked just like I remember his father looking, and Cindy now had no teeth. They took Steve and I downstairs and showed me the refrigerator where I used to get my popsicles and the coloring books I scribbled on as a child. It was completely surreal. Then Cindy explained why she had been giving us the eye: they were robbed the day before and the neighbors, who currently inhabited my childhood home, where out of town and she was house-sitting for them. Then the most unbelievable thing happened: she asked me if I wanted to see the inside of my old house, since it was time for her daily walk-through. The entryway was still covered in stone slabs, and the kitchen cabinets were exactly the same as they were when we lived there. My rec room was now split into two rooms: the woman's salon, and a family room with a wood stove and couch. The garage door was also replaced with siding and a window to the newly remodeled family room. In the backyard I was astonished to find that it was 1/3 the size I remember it being. After all, it was my jungle, my haven, my play space. The raised deck my father built was still there, and the stone, outdoor grill was there but looking a little worse for wear (in fact it didn't even look like they used it as a grill anymore). The small patio area was covered in chopped firewood, just as it always was when we lived there. The wooden shed my father also built was still holding up, although the family had moved it from the corner to the center of the back fence. I immediately noticed that my two birch trees I loved so much had been removed from the yard. The woods across the street were all now houses, and my elementary school was only three or so blocks from my house, as opposed to the miles and miles I thought it was when I walked there with my buddy Mike. On the way out of town we hit a Jack in the Box; Steve was DYING to eat there all week, that freak!! We drove straight south into Seattle and then headed west to Ballard and the Hiram Chittenden Locks. We were iffy about taking the tour, since it was an hour long, but afterwards we were glad we did. It was fascinating! Our guide, Brad, started off as this soft-spoken shy man in the air conditioned meeting room, but the moment he stepped outdoors and put in his sunglasses and park ranger hat it was "WALK THIS WAY, QUICKLY, QUICKLY FOLKS!!! YOU ARE BUT LOWLY HUMANS, THE SALMON RULE THE EARTH!!" I'm only slightly exaggerating; this man thought salmon were the greatest beings in the world, no joke. After leaving the Locks, which were created by none other than the genius Hiram Chittenden, a Renaissance man (Brad's words of course), we parked downtown near the Seattle Center and took a walk around the Space Needle before riding the Monorail down to Pike Place Market. Lemme tell you, when it's sunny out all the freaky, wandering tourists flock to the market. It was annoyingly packed, so much so that we really couldn't even shop. I had been there plenty of times in the past, and Steve hates to shop, being a manly man, so we walked down to the waterfront. Somehow we decided to take a last minute Argosy cruise around the harbor. When I say last minute, I mean the cruise started at 4:40 and we bought our tickets at 4:38 pm! After finding the bar, and a nice, shady spot to sit near an open window we settled in for the hour-long cruise; learned a LOT about Seattle and the history of the shipping industry and even saw some California Sea Lions hanging out on a buoy. After docking we had some fish and chips, and checked out Ye Olde Curiosity Shop (Shoppe?) and then realized we missed the last streetcar back to the Seattle Center. One long, uphill walk later we found the end of the Monorail and headed back home to Tacoma. My Aunt had her friend Marty over, so there was more drinks and card playing to end our day. Goddamned I love my family, they're all such card sharks.

Sunday morning I was greeted with a nice, cloudy, overcast sky with rain begging to be let loose upon the bay. Oddly enough, it ended up not raining a single time we were there. After some discussion about how to spend our time best, we started south through Olympia, towards Castle Rock, Washington. Oh yes, folks, it was our trek to Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument!! WHOOOHOOOO!! Well, the thing was... let's just say the drive up there was beautiful and the visitor's center located about 50 miles west of the volcano was very interesting and informative. But ladies and gents, if you're planning on seeing a volcano, try to avoid the journey on a cloudy day. Yeah that's right, we didn't see shit. I have a fabulous photo of me in front of the building giving a pouty face and a dramatic thumbs down. As I drove up the mountain, it was Steve's turn to drive down; it was much scarier once the clouds started coming in, some of the roads were right on the edge of the mountain, with nothing more than a simple guard rail to save you from plunging to your death off the cliff.... coupled with near zero visibility due to the clouds and it was a fun, white-knuckle tour back down to sea level. On a positive note, since we didn't spend so much time gawking at the crater we had plenty of time to head further south to Portland, Oregon, allowing both Steve and me to cross off Oregon on our list of "States To Visit". Of course it was beautiful and green and lovely. What else can I say? Oh somehow the exit we took landed us smack dab in the middle of the queer part of downtown. But hey, the Thai food we had was amazing!! Highly recommend the Thai Peacock restaurant and the Ozone UK Record shop around the corner, across from Powell's bookstore. We picked up the new Stephen Malkmus and the new Smog, both of which made the ride home much easier and seemingly shorter.

Monday morning, I was able to finally get in touch with Diane Sandvick, my neighbor from Lynnwood, two houses down. Her son, Mikey (now he's just Michael), and I grew up together, were potty trained together, fought over He-Man figures, flipped off the neighbor kids through the fence together. He was my first friend in the entire world, and Diane and Mike's stepdad, Glen, baby-sat me often. Diane would yell from the kitchen when she didn't hear me playing piano (I was supposed to be practicing), and she was like my second mom. We planned to meet in Bellevue, ironically the city in which I was born. As soon as she saw me we both did a classic movie run-to-each-other-and-hug move. The four of us sat down for lunch, but I could barely put a bite of food in my mouth because Diane and I were going through pictures of me and Mike as kids, and Mike's wedding pictures, and pictures of the family. It was so amazing. All the sights we saw could not match the wonderful time we had meeting up. Luckily, Steve and I may be able to see Mike and his wife on our way to Florida, and Diane often visits Orlando for conferences. So it will not be our last meeting, by any means!! We parted ways, and I cried and cried. Later that afternoon my Aunt Kay, her boyfriend and Steve and I headed down to the Mariners/Blue Jays game at Safeco Field. Oh my goodness it was marvelous! The roof was open and despite the cloudy sky all day not a drop of rain fell on the field. It's VERY different than going to a game at the Metrodome. The vendors have sushi (Ichi-rolls....get it), and a full seafood to-go restaurant on the upper deck. Imagine being able to get beer, ball park franks and then turning around and having garlic fries (amazing!), sushi and shrimp cocktail at a baseball game. It was just wonderful to be in Seattle. The Mariners won, of course! (Okay, okay, I know last year they were the worst team in the League... I know!) Steve said I was a good girl and treated me to an Ichiro 51 shirt and an old school, 1977 Mariners fitted baseball hat. Yes, a fitted baseball hat that fits my child-sized head!!! Then off to the airport where we sat, bored, taking pictures randomly, killing time.

Washington how I miss you so. I love you so dearly, and I always thought it was just nostalgic longing for part of my childhood gone by. After my trip I've realized that she is near and dear to my heart. I have a feeling I'll return there someday to stay.

Lynnette 4:15 PM