Only 49 pages into this book but it’s a five star thirty three thumbs up, reinforcing my appreciation for what goes on in the brain of a writer non stop all the time any time whatever time and what time is it? What appears on the surface may or may not be giving any indication of that brain activity. This book has evoked memories of The Coin
Ask me about the difference between a hyphen and a dash. This free library score brings me joy flipping to any random page and pondering the ridiculous inconsistencies in the English language.
Right Brain-Left Brain. anxiety spirals vs creativity spirals. Good stuff. For real. Really. On so many levels. So much…
Free library score. Can’t say I’ve read it. Because I have not. But I will. Some day. I think.
Another free library score. I was a 509 kid and as those in the know know, that’s east of the mountains here in Washington. The other Washington. Haven’t read anything beyond the story line and the inside cover maps. But I’m looking forward to it and or back on it like a 1997 road trip…
Sunday morning easy like staring at the wall making an effort to not be informed on current events, to remain unaware of breaking news and to not let politicians be what I think about all day.
The other other day at work, Timmy Jimmy broke out a perfectly-timed and spot-on:
Big Fucking Shit
Right Now Man
And it made me smile and nod and ponder Double Nickels on the Dime and ask myself how long it’s been since I sat and listened to all 43 tracks in a row. It’s been a long time. Years and years.
I gave track 5 a spin, but today could be the day I zone out to the whole thing at least once.
"It's Expected I'm Gone"
Minutemen
I don't want to hurt See my position was here I mean as it was I was
So this led to the downfall of man I can make seconds feel hours
I make certain That my head is connected to my body
No hope See, that's what gives me guts Big fucking shit Right now, man
Please take a moment to locate the 22 nearest you. Keep in mind, it may be behind you.
April 23, 2025
Today I’d like to draw your attention to the number 22. And with that attention you’ll start to notice 22s all around you. They’ve been there all along but you haven’t really seen them, until now. Yesterday was April 22. But that was so six hours ago. That two-two is behind you.
Fire Station 22 is on Roanoke. Which is right on my line when I ride my bike to work because the trains are jacked. And a couple weeks ago I spotted Engine 22, which resides at Station 22. It was parked at Urban Horticulture on a non-emergency sightseeing mission.
Two-Two to you two too.
I live way down by Fire Station 33. And the less-train more-bike to work for the past 10 days has been a real Phantom Nostalgia Tour of Seattle for me. Remembering yesteryear, the good old daze. When Capitol Hill was home.
Slowly rolling past the places I used to live. Two of them are long gone, two of them are still there but I’m sure the rent is three or four times what I paid.
My commute seemingly takes forever on a bike. It’s actually just a bit longer but I’ve grown soft over the years on my daily slack jaw zombie train rides with a book or the New Yorker or Wordle and Spelling Bee.
4070 is the PLU number for celery. It’s also the PO Box number for the department of Intercollegiate Athletics at a large state university on the Montlake Cut that’s now in the Big Ten conference. You might know of it. Last week this rubber band ended up on my arm and it reminded me of Cat and her encyclopedic knowledge of PLU #s. So I sent her this photo and she guessed “broccoli?”
In our very brief texts she explained her “knack for numbers” has fallen into the background since she’s had kids. I believe if she was thrown back into that number salad her recall would quickly return.
Bike messengers’ brains grow in a special place to accommodate numbers, street addresses, suite numbers, messenger numbers, times, dates and all kinds of random numerical shit. Just as barista brains grow to accommodate non fat decaf extra hot iced white hemp milk mochas with half vanilla half pumpkin spice moo moo choo choo foo foo horseshit coffee drinks.
That messenger part of my brain glommed right on to the number casserole in my current place of employment. There are a lot of numbers floating around.
9410 forwards to 4943 which forwards to 8051
4990 used to forward to 4950 but now 4400 forwards to 4990 so don’t fuck it up
5320 and 5325 go to 1800 and so does 1812
5915 goes to 1635
Most of the mail for 3903 Brooklyn Ave NE doesn’t go to 5667 the department in there, it goes to 4969 which used to be at that address before it moved to 4300 Roosevelt but now it’s at 4328 Brooklyn NE
regurgitated
reiterated
renumerated
two actuaries
walk into a bar
play it again
numerology
numerals
numbers
taxonomy
codification
nomenclature
jargon
lingo
language
meaningless
gibberish
out of context
room numbers
street addresses
zip codes
post office
box numbers
hand delivered
analog
analogy
number salad
route the route
run the numbers
don’t fuck it up
1150
1202
1207
1248
1210
1230
1237
1242
1243
1244
1245
1263
1264
1265
1266
1267
1268
1270
1271
1277
1310
1410
1525
1550
1560
1570
1580
1610
1615
1616
1617
1618
1619
1620
1621
1622
1640
1651
1652
1653
1654
1655
1700
1750
1800
1812
5200
5320
5325
5720
5726
5730
5734
5740
these are the box numbers on my morning route but I'm not necessarily hitting them in this order
we can talk about street addresses too as much as you'd like to
we can also talk about the afternoon routes and their box numbers and street addresses some other time
One day among the days that all seem to blend together in the daze that blends it all together, I was on the loading dock that’s spitting distance from the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network HQ loading and unloading Amazon boxes from the electric ass bathtub I was Mr McFeely-hamster-wheelie-final-fifty-fucking-feeting.
Some people call that loading dock 3920 Okanogan Lane NE. Some people call me Maurice. I call that loading dock MOLES with a side of ATG.
One of the PNSN guys was loading up his truck with what I like to think of as Sasquatch Surveillance equipment. If anyone is going to spot Bigfoot out there in situ, those guys are. As I was getting back on the bathtub the PNSN guy said “LoLo” and I guess he was speaking in my direction. But I was all the way down Okanogan Lane before I realized what he was talking about. I chuckled to myself thinking maybe someday I can talk Zero-Sevens with that guy. I’m surprised he could read the digits on my hand from 15 feet away.
When I got the tattoo, Joe Who the tattoo guru said “don’t you just want to go with 707? You know, LOL?” I said “no. no I don’t”
Lolo is a badass in the movie "Joy Ride" and you can google L-o-L-o and make it mean whatever you want it to mean. But the tattoo is no no LoLo bro.
It’s 07:07
just last night I added a couple surplus address number 7s to that road sign with spray adhesive, giving it a touch of 07:07
got my hands on some fresh black paint and some kick ass spray adhesive and now Bret’s crows from ABQ are once again popping up on projects and postcards and flying into zipcodes here & there
The other other day I showed that urinal photo to a UW plumber on the train ride home in a have-you-ever-seen-such-a-sight-in-your-life kind of way. It’s the Schmitz Hall 2nd floor men’s room by the way. He laughed and quoted me building code center-to-center urinal installation measurements. That Schmitz setup is a joke, like a bad piss joke punchline. As we were talking urinals, the 5 Point periscope came up and another train passenger jumped right in telling us he replaced the roof on the 5 Point many years ago and earned free meals for a long while as interest payments on his delayed roofing job payments. The 5 Point is legit real deal Seattle history and this guy let me know it all the way to Beacon Hill.
no eyed deer
I only visited The 5 Point a few times. But it brings up a certain memory that lingers somewhere in my phantom nostalgia syndrome, all these years later. The lingering memory does not surprise me. But I’m amazed I was able to find these photos to back it up.
I was just beginning my morning routine of legal messenger deliveries at 2101 4th. When these two crusty old messengers were strolling south through Bell Town after opening The 5 Point. Or maybe they closed it at 2am and opened it again at 6am. Either way they definitely opened it and were carrying on with their day. We chatted briefly and I snapped a few shots on my digital camera.
The plus or minus 1.67mm of Rainier Can protruding wrapping enveloping circulating cascading visibly is no sloppy oversight. It’s out there to let you know that I know that you know that I shimmed it out with a beer can.
this Ritchey Force stem brings me joy NITTO going forth with whatever handlebar needs that need to be handled
bringing even more joy than the Ritchey Logic cranks which we can talk about on another day
As I’ve ridden this SHOGUN to work for two days in a row now onto day three. On an odometer that’s like 9 miles. As the crow flies with the bike along for all the train rides, that’s like 90 miles. Either way. Anyway. It’s a lugged steel single speed circa 1987. As heavy as the day is long. Cadillac smooth 27” wheels on the downhills. Cadillac heavy everything adding up on the uphills.
