Check out the photo credit. They spelled in wrong tho… it’s E-V-I-L-D-E-B.

A building directly across from us, on Lake Union, just caught fire. When we first noticed it, we just saw great billows of smoke, but it wasn’t long before we could see the blaze. And who do you think had the presence of mind to take pictures? EvilDeb! That’s right. Although, she was chanting “fire! fire! fire!” while she did it.
Here are the pictures, click the thumbnails for bigger images. Really BIG images. Probably too big to see in your browser window. Sorry.



The green house boat, next to the burning building did catch fire, but I don’t know how much damage was done. See the police boat, angling up to the buildings, with the spray of water shooting out? He saved the day. I don’t think the street fire trucks could have gotten down there so quickly. The fire boat didn’t show up until the fire was out.
So my whole dept stood, with our noses pressed to the glass and watched the whole thing. From smoke to ash. And now work seems anticlimactic. I think we should run over there and visit the firemen!!

and while I am at home retrieving my glasses…
Today is Pru’s second birthday!!

Happy birthday, Baby Kitty.

I am wearing my contacts today. I can’t see a damn thing on the computer. They are soft contacts, and in reality, my eyes are too fucked up for soft contacts. Astigmatism and such. The eye doctor says I need spectacles for computer work. Because my eyes are working to hard to focus. This also happens when I am trying to watch a movie. The spectacles would relax my eyes, the way my existing glasses do. I can’t believe I need specs to wear when I am wearing contacts. I rarely wear my contacts to work. But it was such a nice sunny day, I wanted to wear sunglasses.
On Sunday, Louise and I went to the grand opening of the new Seattle Public Library Central Branch. This is a big deal. This new library has been getting a lot of press. Louise even saw an article in this month’s W magazine. My favorite headline was from the NY Times that read “Library puts on fishnets and hits the disco.” Although I didn’t read the article because it required a subscription. And I’m against that, as a rule. Anyway, it’s a very striking and modern building. Some people don’t like it, because of that fact. Because it does not look like any other building around it. So what, I say. The other buildings are boring! Others, like me, like it. And inside? Oh it’s wonderful. Nothing traditional about it. There are more computers in that library than you can shake a stick at. The non-fiction stacks are on a “spiral” which means you don’t have to keep going downstairs to the next stack. The floors slope down for several floors, in a spiral. It’s crazy! There is an auditorium, too. It’s huge. For a library. Louise was took pictures, mostly of the flooring, she was very enamored with all the different flooring. But the picts are not up on her website yet. She said she’d put them up last night. But you can see some pictures here.
It was brilliant booky goodness, and it was hard to resist petting all the new books.

As if I were not lazy enough already, with the help of my iPod I can now lie around and “read” with my eyes closed.
If people really do have spirit animals or guides, I’m positive mine must be the sloth.

You know, I haven’t felt much like writing, the last few days. It’s not like I didn’t have anything to talk about. I kept trying to write about Texas State Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn, who has denied a Texas Unitarian church tax exempt status, stating that the UU church is not really a religious organization, for tax purposes because it “does not have one system of belief.” And to further clarify, the comptroller’s top attorney says “..or any organization to qualify as a religion, members must have “simply a belief in God, or gods, or a higher power,”” I’ve been trying to write about it for days, because it’s made me really angry, and also concerned. The state’s court system has overruled her decision, but she is planning to go to the Supreme Court, if necessary. Because, and we quote, “”Otherwise, any wannabe cult who dresses up and parades down Sixth Street on Halloween will be applying for an exemption,” Oh nice, comparing my faith with any wannabe cult member. Whom, by the way, would probably be welcome at my church. Because we do have one system of belief, and that is the inherent value in the search for truth, regardless of it’s source. And we do have a belief in a higher power, namely the human spirit. We believe in ourselves. That’s pretty damn high, when you think about it.

I lost my glasses. They are somewhere around here. I know I had them yesterday. I just don’t know where I put them when I took them off… so I’m wearing my contacts. Which makes things a bit blurry.
I was kinda cleaning, which for me means that I was slowly picking things up for about five minutes, finding some book I love and deciding to read it again. And I came across some notes I took while in a two day Project Management class. In which I discovered I am so NOT suited to manage projects. And, I believe project management is responsible for a large majority of the corporate speak out there. Marketing being responsible for the rest of it. Through out the notes, Evildeb and I would write back and forth to each other, in my notebook. Below is an example of me using some of my new proj. managspeak. I think I was telling her I was thirsty, and that I wanted to bail early.
Me: I could be 50% with 72oz. in 3 seconds. Because I’m GOOD with the soda pop. Damn near professional.
Evildeb: You are very efficient. You’ve optimized your resources.
Me: I might be padding my estimate a bit.
Evildeb: That’s ok, if you are in the right Phase.
Me: It’s a low confidence estimate. I have no discipline, I want to leave right now.
Evildeb: I was just thinking the same thing.
Me: So, we are in sync?
Evidleb: I’m Justin Timberlake.

it’s wedding eve, and I am off to meet my mom for pedicures in a bit. Now, pedicures I love, but somehow my mom has managed to get me signed up not only to have my hair done, but also my makeup? She’s very tricky, my mom. I know she does not like how I do my hair. That’s because I don’t really do it. I have a great wavy mop of hair. And my hair care and style regime consists of washing it. That’s about it. And to put some Frizeeze in it, so it doesn’t frizz out. That’s it. When I “do” my hair, I straighten it. And I was planning on having Sharon straighten it for me tomorrow. But my mom thought it would be fun to go in together to get our hair done. And since I am not exactly an enthusiastic wedding contributor, it was the least I could do. It’s still Sharon, we both get our hair cut by her, but I imagine my mom will want my hair “done.” I don’t know what that means, but I’ll let her do whatever she wants. It’s her wedding. I don’t know how she got me signed up for the makeup. It was done very casually. In fact, right now, all I’ve agreed to is the eyes.
My hair was looking kinda dull, so, in part, to brighten it up for the wedding and also, in part, to exert a little bit of independence, I colored it light auburn. It’s a lighter version of what I’ve done before. I only left it in 10 minutes. It turned out a little brighter, on the ends, than I anticipated. I don’t think Pattie is going to like it. it’s a semi-perm, so I’ll wash my hair a couple of times tonight and tomorrow. and maybe that will take it down a notch. I like it, but I’m a little concerned about Pattie. I don’t think the bright bits would be as noticeable if Sharon put my hair up. Maybe that will be ok. Most people really like it when I redden it. But… most people aren’t my mother.
And, to clarify my whiny tone, it will be fun to get our hair done together. And get pedicures. Because my mom rocks. She’s weird, but she still rocks.