Life is is full of serendipitous gems that add a great deal to your experience. These can come from anywhere, but you have to be ready for them and appreciate them for what they are when they happen, otherwise they’ll slip by unnoticed. It has something to do with not taking anything too seriously and being ready to laugh at any time - often at ourselves. It’s very confusing.
Our trip down the Pacific Coast Highway to San Francisco was such an experience. Somehow, we found ourselves hearing or saying ridiculous things at every turn, and it made the trip that much more enjoyable. Here’s a sampling some of those moments:
Garberville, California. I was waiting to buy a cup of coffee while Michelle waited in the car. Some dude nearby was saying something about police somewhere in Montana being militia. He suddenly stopped mid-sentence and turned to some random guy walking by and yelled, “Did you just call me ‘Commie Pinko Fucker’? Because that’s what they used to call me when I moved here…”
True Sake, San Francisco, California. We were buying a bottle of Sake, and I foolishly asked the woman working the counter if we should heat the Sake up before drinking it. With a look that betrayed a deep personal offense she said, “No, James Bond doesn’t know anything about drinking Sake. You can have it at room temperature if you want, but never hot.” She went on to tell us that when Sake first came to the United States, they only imported bad Sake and the importers told the servers to heat it up to mask the bad taste. I don’t really care whether it’s true or not; I just like the fact that she assumed my question was based on watching James Bond. Which it was, of course. Most of my “cultural knowledge” is based on Bond movies. (So are my fighting moves, come to think of it.)
Rage Against The Machine Concert, San Francisco, California. Insanely cool show. We got there just in time to buy t-shirts and head to the beer garden before the show started. In the beer garden, we were trying to decide between the $8.00 beer or the $7.00 glass of wine, not convinced either was a sound investment. We decided to go with the wine. The guy pouring had clearly been sampling too much of the product, and poured the first plastic cup all the way to the rim. I said to him, “I like the way you pour.” He replied, “You mean, ‘All the way to the fuckin’ top?’” Yes, I suppose “all the way to the fuckin’ top” was exactly what I meant.
During the show, there was a mosh pit just to our left with a bunch of dudes jumping around and getting hurt. This is college code for “fun”. Apparently, Michelle and I are not into “fun” anymore. We demonstrated this by being concerned about our personal safety and being upset that their “fun” was impacting our ability to enjoy the show. Frank’s number one post-show quote: “That fat guy was a hazard.”
But not with an aching in my heart. Michelle and I are taking the car and driving from Seattle to San Francisco via the Pacific Coast Highway to, among other things, go to the Rage Against the Machine show. I’m going to commit to definitely maybe posting some pictures or writing a post while we’re away. Definitely. Maybe.
While we’re really excited to be down in San Francisco again - our favorite U.S. city - we’re already looking forward to coming home to Seattle. Funny how that works.
Some time this past winter or early spring, I got an email from my Uncle in Dutchland, Oom Max. He and my aunt were planning a summer trip to the United States and were wondering if, hypothetically, we would be “willing” to have them and Oom Max’s sister stay with us a few days in August. Michelle and I are very fond of them - Tante Doortje and Oom Max - and were delighted at the idea of having them stay with us.
Dutch Lesson: “Tante” [tahn-tah] means “Aunt” in Dutch, and “Oom” [oh-m] means “Uncle”. Doortje is pronounced as Door-t-yah, and has the American equivalent of “Dorthy”. Max is pronounced with the same “ah” that my name has, M-ah-x, and has the American equivalent of “Max”. Max’s sister’s name, Anyez, is pronounced as Ah-n-yez, and has the American equivalent of “Agnes”. Take-away message of the lesson: Dutch people rule.
My response back to them appears to have been a bit “overly excited” because, in hindsight, I’m quite convinced they had not finalized their decision to come to Seattle, but my enthusiastic reply left them with no choice but to come visit us.
A few months later, they emailed again, wondering if we had any suggestions for a car route from Minneapolis to Seattle which avoided the usual suspects like Yellowstone National Park and Mount Rushmore (which looks “fakey”, by the way). We were stumped, but, as luck would have it, we met a great guy at the Tasting Room who highly recommended the Canadian Rockies via Banff as a worth while route.
Taking nearly two weeks to drive from Minneapolis to Seattle via the route we suggested, they arrived in Seattle on Wednesday evening. Unfortunately, we were both unable to take much time off work, so we were left with evenings to spend with them. We recommended various activities for them to undertake during the day while we were at work, including the Underground Tour, Pike Place Market, the Japanese Garden, the Ballard Locks, and a drive along Lake Washington Boulevard. Each evening, we met up with them and showed them a part of Seattle that we love - like Fremont and Ballard - and then we went out for dinner.
For us, this was a wonderful three days of spending quality time with dear family and sharing with them our favorite parts of town.
The basic trouble with seeing family is that it really makes you miss them just that much more.
When you’re Dutch, you find yourself surrounded by famous friends. Or, it may simply be the case that friends become famous because they know a Dutchman. Chicken or the egg. (By the way, what’s the politically correct version of “Dutchman” that encompasses both men and women? I ask because Michelle’s suggestion of “Dutchie” doesn’t quite have the nuance I’m looking for.)
Back to business. It’s well documented that Tommy M considers me a dear, dear friend - that’s not news. But, our friend Jess has recently also rocketed to stardom. We’re proud to say she had pieces published in both Seattle Metropolitan and Seattle Magazine this month. Here is her Contributors summary from Seattle Metropolitan:
Coincidentally, the Thomsons moved to Seattle from the East Coast the same month we did, and her article talks about her first experiences here. The piece is wonderful, and Jess graciously made it available for reading online for those of you who aren’t local and don’t have access to the magazine. If you live in the area, help support her and get yourself a copy!
Ever since winning this year’s Tour de France, Alberto Contador has been at the center of rumors that he was involved in Operation Puerto. Before Rasmussen was thrown out of the race while wearing the Yellow Jersey, it seemed like no one but Michelle was talking about the fact that Contador was not allowed to start the 2006 Tour due to alleged involvement in the blood-doping ring. Naturally, the day he took his first Maillot Jaune, the chatter started.
It seems to have become a bit more severe this week, with a German doctor claiming to be in possession of documents that clearly indicate Contador is involved, and that his win is “the greatest swindle in sporting history”. (The doctor, Dr. Franke, is the same doctor who repeatedly claimed Jan Ullrich was also involved, which ultimately proved to be true.)
On Saturday, the World Anti Doping Agency requested the documents from Franke and the agency has since opened an investigation into Contador’s involvement.
Today, Contador and his team, Team Discovery Channel, have announced a press announcement to be made on Friday. VeloNews reported:
Tour de France winner Alberto Contador has scheduled a press event this Friday in Spain, but says he will decline to answer reporters’ questions after he reads a prepared statement.
It is impossible to guess what will be said at the conference, but it certainly sounds ominous. I figure a 50-50 chance as to whether Contador will sternly refute the claims or will admit his involvement. If I were to judge based on what has been revealed in press conferences so far this season, I would say the safe money is on an admission, but we’ll have to see.
for them and appreciate them for what they are when they happen, otherwise they’ll slip by unnoticed. It has something to do with not taking anything too seriously and being ready to laugh at any time - often at ourselves. It’s very confusing.
trip to the United States and were wondering if, hypothetically, we would be “willing” to have them and Oom Max’s sister stay with us a few days in August. Michelle and I are very fond of them - Tante Doortje and Oom Max - and were delighted at the idea of having them stay with us.
Puerto. Before Rasmussen was thrown out of the race while wearing the Yellow Jersey, it seemed like no one but Michelle was talking about the fact that Contador was not allowed to start the 2006 Tour due to alleged involvement in the blood-doping ring. Naturally, the day he took his first Maillot Jaune, the chatter started.
