Saturday, May 17, 2008

So that's why I moved to Seattle...

What a day today!

Yesterday, after months of a winter that just would not seem to end, the temperature in Seattle finally broke into the sweet, glorious 80's. Hell, we even had some humidity!

So this morning, after a few hours of a level of productivity that surprised even me, I slapped on my new jogging shoes, tossed a beach towel into my backpack and went and jogged over to and around Green Lake.

Man, I love running in hot, humid weather! Perhaps all those years of exercising in Florida has fried my brain but today's run felt the way jogging should feel: hearty, like doing jumping jacks in a sauna.

And when I stopped my run, it wasn't just because the sweet siren voice of my Nike+ iPod told me my workout was complete (oh, how I pine for you, "Female Spoken Feedback"!), I stopped because I had finished my run. None of that "Well, I'm not even sweating, I guess I could keep going another mile or so" BS. It was more of a nice, healthy "Must. Collapse."

Anyway, Seattle was out en masse and parts of flesh which hadn't seen sunlight since mid-2007 were on display in all their pallid glory. So, after my jog, I found a nice patch of soft grass in the shade of a robust pine (I got enough sun yesterday) and settled in for some Grade-A people watching.

Where I sat presented me with a picture-perfect view of the lake, framed by two clumps of trees and underlined by the jogging path. I even had a view of the Space Needle stuck in the horizon like a meat thermometer. (Although, it could have been a cell tower. I didn't have my contacts in.) Naturally, my good camera was at home so I couldn't grab a proper picture, but here is a poor representation snatched with the rudimentary camera on my Motorola RAZR-POS phone...


You can hardly tell from the picture that the surface of the lake is dotted with dozens of paddle boats and swans (and you can't even see the Space Needle) but you get the idea.

Anyway, there was a steady breeze rolling off that lake that was as heavenly as it was constant. (If only it would last as long as winter had.) As I sat there enjoying the weather and watching Seattleites pass, I realized that, thanks to a geeky few, rollerbladers have a bad rap. I mean, it's gotta be good for you, right? Easy on the knees and all that. So, I promised myself that, were I to see a cool rollerblader that day, I'd consider taking up the sport.

Here are a few other observations from this afternoon:
  • Guys with those bicycles tricked out to look like Harley Davidson motorcycles inevitably have tattoos or mullets. Or both.
  • People who still use roller skates somehow manage to look like they just left an actual roller rink, circa 1986.
  • Sundresses rock.
  • Baby carriages, which once were modest and foldable and kinda resembled a pair of Siamese-twin umbrellas, now appear to have been mated with bikes and SUVs. OK, I get the cup holder and all, but honestly.
  • While 2 wheels on a skateboard may be better for your core muscles, 4 wheels will keep you from looking like a complete idiot.
  • Bikinis rock.
  • My theory about tennis shoes appears to be holding up.
  • While everybody seemed to be in a remarkably good mood, nobody seemed willing to make eye-contact with anybody they didn't already know. Must be a Northwest thing.
  • The size of a teenage boy's bike seems to be inversely-proportional to how cool he thinks he is.
  • Bikinis and sundresses rock.
I could have stayed until the sun set but, after a few hours, an empty stomach forced me to pack it up and head home but, man... what a delightful afternoon. I think I'll sleep with my windows open tonight.

Oh, and I've decided not to take up rollerblading.

No comments: