exorcise
October 31, 2007
Writing exercise. Writing for mental exercise. To exercise the the mind, yeah maybe… Writing exorcise. Writing for mental exorcism. To exorcise the mind. Yes. That’s more like it. Today is my Wednesday. Plastic, petroleum products, Plexiglass P’s, pack, six.
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we have a new policy
October 30, 2007
Safeco is an old Native American word that means: runs like molasses on a cold winter day, clogs up the works. Slow, lazy, inefficient employees in a huge corporation are a small step away from government workers. In 1973, Safeco built the tallest, ugliest office building outside the core, Safeco Plaza, at 4333 Brooklyn Avenue NE. Then last year they sold it to UW for $130,000,000 and began to lease office space in downtown Seattle. Just recently packs of Safeco employees have relocated and started roaming the halls and streets of the core. You’ve seen them, the ones sporting ID badges, chatting it up about nothing and moving real slow. Elevators in 1001 stop on every floor now. 1191 has a “new policy” regarding bike parking in front of the building. “Sir, you can’t put your bike there, you‘re welcome to park on level A in the parking garage or take your bike off the property completely” I’ve been tossing my bike on that bike rack for 10 years, weaving through the smokers and bus stop standers to get inside. Not anymore. They got rid of the bike rack because they “don’t want any trash out front” That’s a direct quote from security, and I have a feeling it’s motivated by Safeco. If I see you at 1191, I might ask for your help moving the garbage can from the bus stop over to the front of the building so we’ll have a place to lock up. 
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28 days later
October 29, 2007
I like bread and butter I like toast and jam I like putting all my eggs in one basket, all of them.
I like Jimmy Dean sausage I like cooking up some sausage with a few eggs out of that basket I like arrows. I like arrows a lot I like white arrows and yellow Ps painted on walls I like crisp clear autumn days I like that this crazy month of October in 2007 is almost over. really
I like steel bikes I like Elvis burritos, top shelf tequila and friends of friends that pick up the tab
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bark at the moon
October 28, 2007
Would you buy 16 bags of overpriced designer cat kibble at the local boutique pet store, if they told you the 17th bag would be “free”? Would walk a mile to collect your free bag of kibble? If you saw a pack of urban coyotes roaming the streets of Capitol Hill on a Friday night would it make you smile and pause to appreciate nature? or would it make you run for shelter and call the authorities? Would you be crushed if your overpriced designer cat was eaten by an urban coyote?
What does that have to do with anything? What does anything have to do with that? 10-9? It makes me nervous to carry around my passport unless I need it. But I have no problem going to the Russian Consulate or the Japanese Consulate and picking up a stack of other people's passports, loose, no envelope, and tossing them in my bag for a few hours until I can drop them at the travel agent. you down with OPP? gimme a P
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the Church of Corned Beef
October 25, 2007
Single story retail, mixed use, light industrial, residential, all of it, a thing of the past. A rare treat to be savored and appreciated in the core, like a soda fountain or a real donut shop or an honest lawyer. I’m guessing that in the next few years this Corned Beef fixture will be torn down and built over with multi-story residential/commercial with street level retail. ###
I picked up a large envelope full of “discovery” today in the case Cookie Monster vs. Hamburgler et al. It was rather bulky and lumpy and I thought I had a bunch of cookie cutters, exhibits in the case perhaps. It didn’t occur to me that this little Podunk attorney wouldn’t be handling a copyright infringement case, trademarks or even a case in U.S. District court. It did occur to me that what the messenger slip states I delivered needs to match what I actually delivered. So when I got outside, I checked. It was a large Ziploc bag full of homemade cookies. From one Podunk attorney to another, going three zones up the hill on a one-hour.
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gimme a "P"
October 25, 2007
What do you do with an 8" magenta upper case P? What don't you do? there's a whole page of photos building up, click on it. it's all about the font.
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RedKev
October 25, 2007
Kevin got hit today... I don't know all the details, I don't want to spread rumors, but he's busted up. Our thoughts are with you Kevin, and we'll visit you and help out too...
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toggle switch
October 24, 2007
On-- Off Hot-- Cold Up-- Down Black-- White Yes-- No All-- None In-- Out Hey Mr. Black or White, try some of this gray-scale pudding?
Copy that, Mr. Toggle Switch…stand by, Mid town. Hello Ms Bi-Polar, would you like some continuum cake?
I hear you Mr. Deep End, and can I offer you some moderation? You don't need to flip that switch just yet. Air it out, water it down, warm it up, simmer, chill out, add some sunshine, take a break, time off, time out, mix it up, mix it in, stir it up, make it up, write it down.
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Industry, cottage cheese
October 24, 2007
pilderwasser sold 7 shirts in the last 48 hours. All proceeds were converted to beer and burritos, directly. I'm not joking. Seriously. For real. No really.
Do you copy? Cottage Industry...
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don't let me get too deep
October 24, 2007
What are you looking at? Are you sure? An ice cube tray, a diving board, a bunch of Styrofoam packing material, a cheese grater? A large office building. Is that blue sky and 70 degrees in late October in Seattle? What?
Enjoying refreshments and good conversation with Jewell on the back patio of 1301. Tucked right up under the Rainier Tower at High Noon, noticing how the arc of the sun in the late October sky is so low it doesn’t even clear neighboring buildings and warm up the patio. The patio that in summer is perhaps the hottest spot in the core. Architecture, art, texture, context, content, contest, structure, structural, structural engineers... I'm not aware of too many things I know what I know if you know what I mean What are you looking at? 
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greater than the sum of its parts
October 23, 2007
Molly's cross bike, built up for racing, but she rode it to work yesterday because of some issues with her other bike. But isn't that my old saddle Are those Justin's pink crank's? Was that Todd‘s frame? There's a lot of history built into this bike. Some would say it's scrapped together. And I would respond to that with "show me the money, show me some sponsors, show me an established racer working full time in a profession that affords plenty of disposable income and I'll show you a top-shelf cross racing bike". What I'm showing you today is a bike that Molly is doing quite well on in her first season racing cross.
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the sound of dry pavement
October 22, 2007
...out came the sun and dried up all the rain and the Flite's ti rails began to creak again Dissimilar metals, road grime, rain, neglect, heavy rotation, ridden hard, put away wet. Do you hear that creaking?
There are special procedures to isolate the source of “the noise du jour”. To pin it down to the rails of your saddle, stop pedaling and shift your weight around on the saddle, waggle your ass, side to side, front to back. You put your ass in, you put your ass out, you put your ass in and you shake it all about…This may be amusing to your co-workers, other cyclists and passing motorists, but it works. They might think you’re attempting to adjust your chamois, or scratch an unreachable itch or that you’re just a strange one. And maybe you are.
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it keeps the rain out
October 21, 2007
Six degrees of Kevin Bacon Grease. In the last few days I’ve heard four people in four different contexts, at four different times, talk about bacon. Maybe it’s the weather. Maybe it’s October. But it’s no accident, it’s a sign, a sign I saw and read loud and clear and went to the store and bought myself some bacon. Even vegetarians like bacon. It keeps the rain out. Might as well cook up the whole package and use the left-over for some wicked Turkey, Bacon, Avocado sandwiches down the road. But before you know it the whole package is cooked and consumed and you’re left with a pan full of bacon grease. And even after your cats have licked up their fill from the frying pan you still have enough left to overhaul your rear hub and repack the bearings in smooth, fragrant bacon grease. It keeps the rain out.
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candle wax
October 20, 2007
Heavy rain, wind, leaf clogged storm drains, wet socks, road grime, cold hands. Wool sweater, dry socks, red wine, melted cheese, Carve pumpkins, old movie, bite size Almond Joys. October.
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on target
October 19, 2007
Accuracy vs. Precision. Repeatable but unreliable. Correct but sloppy. Accurate yet imprecise. Well done, consistent just a bit off-target. I appreciate your consistent attention to detail. But why the hell are you focusing on those details?
What does it all mean? Not much. In the long run, I’m talking the big, long run, the run to end all runs. It won’t mean shit. It won’t make a difference. It won’t get you a gold star. It won’t get you an express VIP pass. It won’t be remembered by anyone, not even you. So why does it seem like such a big deal right now? Right here and now?
Where are you putting your energy, your focus, your aim? What’s your target, your intention, your goal? What’s important? What’s horseshit? Why?
Don’t know the answer. Don’t think there is a “correct” answer. Enjoy asking the question.
Yup.
today is my Friday.
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gut feeling
October 17, 2007
Pay attention
When Ron Sutphin looks you in the eye and says, “nice bike”
When the dental hygienist pauses and says, “nice teeth”
When David James Duncan says, “well said”
When your dog turns to you and says, “word”
When something hits you in the gut, with feeling.
Pay attention.
At the end of the week you can look back on what you’ve accomplished. Judging not by your checking account balance, not by the credit limit on your visa card, not by the amount of vacation time you‘ve earned. Nope, no, none of those. But by the number of six pack rings you’ve gathered, the number of black plastic bags you’ve accumulated, the number of local bodegas mom ’n pop’s you’ve cased, priced, evaluated and recommended to friends. Show me something real. Give me something I can touch. Say it to my face. Say what you mean. Get to the point. Tell me the truth.
Word. 
Chris Murray photo...see comments on Dan and "just enough beer"
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make me an angel
October 17, 2007
how the hell can a person go to work in the morning come home in the evening, and have nothing to say... are you with me here? sing it ... make me a buckle carved out of plastic make me some bike shoes with plexiglass cleats strippin down to my skivvies just to get in the courthouse strippin down to my skivvies is just a hard way to go...
Recently, powers that be, have turned up the suck on the metal detectors in the courthouse. I’ve been taking off my shoes to get into federal court for years. While at King County I could stroll in with a pocket full of change, keys, spd cleats on my shoes, a big rodeo champ belt buckle and a hefty wrist watch. But not anymore, those days are over. Now I have to take off my shoes and even my boy scout belt if I want to get in without getting the hand wand hold-up. I ain't done nothin since I woke up today
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smells like a wet dog
October 17, 2007
whatever it takes This is the third or fourth year in a row that Atom has asked me about putting a front fender on my bike, aka “admitting defeat”. I have full fenders on one bike and a rear fender on three bikes but I’m not quite ready to put a front fender on my favorite work bike. Not quite…
Looks like rain. Yeah it does, for the next five hours, five days or five months. whatever
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it's the same on the weekends as the rest of the days
October 14, 2007
sometimes I sit and think. Sometimes I sit and drink. Sometimes I just drink, but most of the time I think...too much. Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pitch and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry,
And lose the name of action.
--One of my favorite snippets from Hamlet’s To Be or Not To Be soliloquy.
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what day is it?
October 13, 2007
City Grind
October 13, 2007
City Grind circa 1999 Meet me at City Grind... It was a spot where you'd often find messengers, a great place to meet a driver for a handoff in the trips, a half block from ABC. A place to sit and lounge outside and drink good coffee. A place that would run a tab for you. But now the vortex has shifted. And when you tell a driver to meet you at the old City Grind, they don't know what you mean. CityGrind rolls so much smoother than the church across from 800 5th. ask Matt Case he'll tell you 
"the Old City Grind" 10-12-7
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BE
October 13, 2007
--Be Am, Is, Are. Stick to the here and now. no need to conjugate. No need to worry about the Was, the Were, or the Cans, the Coulds, the Shall, the Shoulds, or even the May, the Might, or the Must. Stick to the here and now. Be Fighting the urge to label, classify, categorize, analyze, predict, schedule, place in a historical context, deconstruct, chart, graph, break it down, over think it into the ground, mapping contingencies, worrying, worrying. What does it all mean? Take all that shit and toss it out the window. Enjoy yourself. Be. Analyze that. Go for a bike ride. Eat a burrito. Eat donuts. Drink beer. Be. I wrote that July 11, 2006. It's a recurring theme for me. Simple words. Elegant advice. Words that fit on a postcard to a dear friend. Words worthy of reminding, reprinting, repeating. I am. She is. We are. It is what it is. Be.
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paperboy
October 12, 2007
Never had a paper route when I was a kid...but I have one now. Back then: Kids didn’t wear helmets, nobody wore helmets. Kids rode bikes. They rode bikes for hours, days even, unsupervised. Kids walked or rode to school, alone. They rode bikes everywhere, alone. Kids could cover a lot of ground on bikes, cover the neighborhood, back alleys, trails, shortcuts. Kids had jobs. Kids threw papers at your door, hard. Dogs ran free, roamed the neighborhood, no leash, no fence no problem. They shit where they wanted to shit and nobody picked it up, that’s the way it was, stepping in it was part of life. Getting chased by big scary dogs was part of riding a bike, outrunning Chester the mean Irish Setter was a rite of passage. There wasn’t an ordinance governing adrenaline rushes, dares, thrills, bloody knees and hard falls. And now: Some kids wear helmets and some don’t. Some cops write $103 tickets for not wearing a helmet. It’s not for your safety, it’s not a personal choice, it’s the law…(this is another topic) Anyway, I got myself a paper route. I throw papers around, very important legal papers. And there are many times when I would love to roll ’em up, rubber band ’em and throw ’em against your door, Hard. I ride around in short pants with grubby hands and grease under my fingernails. Smudges on my face and a big satchel on my back, eating peanut butter sandwiches and bite size candy bars from large law firms. I roll around talking to myself and talking into a radio sometimes. My neighborhood really isn’t that big. Sometimes it feels like it is, but it really isn’t. Back alleys, trails, shortcuts. Now dogs need leashes, collars, licenses, doggie day cares, pet sitters, dog walkers, dog bakeries, canine coffee shops, mobile groomers and plenty of poop bags. They still shit when they need to, but the people “need” to pick it up.
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one of these kids is doing his own thing...
October 11, 2007
what I hear you saying is...
October 10, 2007
You call it a weed, I call it a cash crop.
You call it a toupee, I call it a hideous piece of shag rug glued to your head.
You call it a career, I call it a compromise.
You call it growing up, I call it selling out.
You call it responsibility, I call it cop out.
You call it vehicular cycling, I call it rigid.
You call it reckless, I call it flow.
You call it peter pan, I call it living the dream.
You call it carbon footprint, I call it whatever…
You call it a business lunch, I call it getting loaded.
You call it drinking in public, I call it step into my office.
You call it this, I call it that.
You cry wolf, I cry don’t take it out of context.
You got a problem? I’ll give you a problem.
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the sun'll come out tomorrow
October 10, 2007
Have you been drinking? Yes sir, I have...for 22 years.
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play nice
October 9, 2007
here's to that. here, here, there, everywhere. Tuesday
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there's such thing as a free lunch
October 6, 2007
10-9? Huh? What? Tuesday is International Messenger Appreciation Day, 10-9 Day. There will be pizza, pasta, salad, icecream and soda-pop at Seattle Legal. All you can eat. It's north of downtown, out of the core way up at WizyWig...but your boss knows about it, your boss appreciates you and your boss will give you a head start on your lunch break so you can get some food. So get some food. It's your day. and it's Justin's Birthday too. Tell all your friends, all your drivers, all your dispatchers, all your messengers. Free Lunch.
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Helga
October 6, 2007
Nothing says October 6 like Helga in a wool turtleneck sweater, her hair in braids, German beer in hand and college footbal on TV...all day long. I like Helga I like Saturdays. I like college football and I like beer too. Friday October 5, 2007 8:53am
Riding up Olive Way, trudging home to feed my cats. Tired and dehydrated my legs feel like rocks my mouth dry with stale coffee breath. Wearing the same clothes I wore yesterday with no consideration or motivation of changing, even my socks. The only reason I’m riding up the hill is because I love my cats, and they’re hungry. I could just be chilling downtown drinking some more coffee and wait for work.
Friday October 5, 2007 8:53pm
Riding up Olive Way, trudging home to feed my cats. Tired and dehydrated my legs are heavy my mouth dry with stale beer breath. Wearing the same clothes I wore yesterday, every single item of clothing, even the socks. This time I’m riding up the hill to feed my cats, but mostly I want to go to sleep. I could just be chilling downtown drinking beer for 5 more hours and wait for something to happen. But I’m tired.
Mark your calendars. October 5 was the first day of the season where I got out of bed and picked up every layer of clothing from October 4 and put them all back on and went to work. Just call me angel in the morning, just touch my cheek before you leave…Don’t get me wrong, I often wear stuff more than once but I usually give things some time off or toss them into a rotation, a transitional state and mix it up a bit. But now the it seems the temperature and layering will allow for some overtime shifts and long haul trucking in the clothing department. And it all snuck up on me.
In the summer a two T-shirt day or just a single sweat-soaked shirt does not lend itself to repeat use or marathon wear as a messenger. Take a whiff of the shoulder strap on my bag or my watch band on a hot day and it’ll all make sense. The smell of freedom.
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into the wild
October 6, 2007
Roughing it, stripping down to the bare essentials, with plenty of time to think about what’s really important. What matters. What’s fluff. What’s complete bullshit.
Getting back to nature in the parking lot of a middle school in small town Iowa, it’s RAGBRAI, and I did pitch the tent on a patch of grass but it was mostly smooth asphalt and there were hot showers inside the school and plenty of electrical outlets to charge your cellphone and the gentle hum and soft orange glow of the street lights. We were 20 yards from the road and before the sun came up there were hundreds of cyclists heading out for a day of riding to the next town, the next beer garden the next cherry pie stand, the next girl scout fundraiser. Their headlights blinking in the pre-dawn mist, sound bites of their conversations drifting into my tent. And I was thinking “what time is it, and why the hell are you jokers riding already?”
It’s now October, but I want to remind you once again that RAGBRAI is an experience, a spectacle that I wish everyone could see at least once.
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I saw you
October 5, 2007
You saw me? Yeah, I bet I saw you too, why didn't you say something. Now I gotta pay $10 to leave you a message and then see if you'll call back and my friends are making fun of me.
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word
October 3, 2007
remember this ad? The NY Times would not run it, saying it was "in poor taste"... the Reagan Years. a little slap on the ass, she's taller than he is, she makes more money than he does, in that short skirt she wears the pants, all that and more was too much for the establishment She's very kickstand, 20+ years later... kinda here kinda now. kinda hot kinda Wow
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wait time
October 2, 2007
Yesterday I took a pile of documents to the Social Security office on Lenora, I took a number and I waited my turn. In the past when I’ve been to that office I could get someone to sign for the package and run, run away. But this client needed the messenger to wait and have the documents processed. So I took a number and I waited and waited and waited. After a very short time I learned that the first day of the month is a not a good time to hang out in a Social Security office. I learned that it is in fact the worst time. I learned there are also offices at 675 South Lane and 132nd & Aurora. I learned that working in a government office will slowly, consistently, steadily suck the life out of you, as will spending too much time waiting in line in one. I read every single word of the NY Times Book Review. I stared at the wall. I looked at the little clock on my Nextel about 217 times. I looked at the red digital sign that said “Now Serving number 43” about a gazillion times. I was constantly looking up at the only TV in the office, which was playing a wildlife show with the sound turned all the way down. Which made me wonder if it really was a wildlife show, or some subliminal images designed to subdue the herd. The bewildered herd waiting for their government checks, changing their names, applying for new cards, proving their disabilities or proud new citizens. Near the entrance there’s a big American flag like you had in your grade school classroom. On the wall there are large portraits of George Bush and Dick Cheney, who is smirking a truly evil smirk. I looked at those jokers and thought how far away they are from these people, from the bewildered herd. I thought how much I don’t like paying into Social Security. I thought about having a cash-under-the-table job and living in a small cabin near a river. When they finally called me and my “number 61” I went up to the clerk behind window 3 and handed her my documents., explaining that all I needed was a stamp on each of the return copies so I could take them back. After a few minutes of her shuffling the papers, I...
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third degree
October 1, 2007
Big, bigger, biggest. Dumb, dumber, dumbest. Fun, more fun, most fun. Bright, brighter, brightest. Heavy, heavier, heaviest. Once in a while it’s important to take it to the third degree, when you describe something. Bullshit, fucking bullshit and finally horseshit Photo courtesy of Folly Moster
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