the devolution of Rick

Four years ago when I went to visit my good friend and former college mate Jarrett - who had transplanted himself from Seattle to Orange County - I was surprised and frightened to discover how aggressive of a driver he had become. Having grown up in a rural Eastern Washington town (which is synonymous for speed trap); Jarrett was an annoyingly cautious driver (we once relieved him of all of his driving shift obligations on a Pullman to San Diego road trip, because we wanted to arrive before our vacation was over). Less than a year after migrating south from Washington; he had transformed into a tailgate-riding, abrupt lane-changing, stoplight-running, horn-blaring, stereotypical California driver. I was amazed at how drastically he had changed.

Two years ago I moved downtown, and - I've become that impatient driver. I don't know exactly when it happened, but I've found myself consistently annoyed at the bevy of hesitant drivers on the road lately. I think this is what city life does to someone. When I lived in Kirkland and commuted to Seattle, I would marvel at the difference between I-405 drivers and I-5 drivers (Eastside vs Seattle). When driving along the 405, commuters will allow you to change lanes in front of them, sometimes even waving you in. When driving around Seattle, people act like you're committing an atrocity against their soul if you even consider merging lanes in front of their Obama decaled Subaru. I'm not this guy. However, I am the guy that will throw up my hands in frustration if you make that inexplicable second stop at stop signs. Or if you drive WAY below the speed limit because you're not totally sure where you're going, and apparently don't want anyone else to get to their respective destinations before you find yours. Or if you wait more than one minute for a parking spot; because gridlocking the entire lot isn't nearly as important to you as parking 30 seconds closer to the gym or Costco. God forbid you get more exercise in your sedentary day. And yes I know the left lane thing has been beaten more times than Jason David (go Cougs), but seriously if you're going the exact same speed as the vehicle to your right - GET IN THE RIGHT LANE.

Am I proud of this personal development? No.

Episode 1: Things girls worry about more than guys do

A few years ago I dated a tall, attractive, intelligent and considerably low maintenance lovely young lady. One day she arrived at my door with blatantly red and impractically long lady claws. An alteration I only noticed because they were purposely wielded in front of my ruggedly handsome, yet indefensible face.

Because this seemed like an impractical (she sat at a computer all day) and uncharacteristic (she was much more of the naturally pretty ilk) modification; I inquired at her motivation. She explained that she had caught me checking-out some girl whose nails were "done." I have no idea who the girl with the salon-ed up nails was, or if I was in fact checking her out. But I can tell you with certainty that if the alleged checking-out did occur, it was in no way related to the ornateness of her fingernails. This is probably the 114th thing guys will notice on a girl. Truly. That said, if you have a creepy fungus or an infected hangnail... we might notice and you should probably go see a doctor. Otherwise, know that time and money spent on your nails is only appreciated by you... and other girls (who actually do notice).

And yes the whole Alanis Morissette fingernails down your back thing; is occasionally sexy. But for this particular epidermis extracting exercise, we really don't care if your nails are red, white or bedazzled.

Just thought you should know.

A witch and a sexy kitten

I was at one time a closet Sex and the City watcher. Who used to secretly switch to HBO when father had gone to bed, quickly switching over to ESPN when he popped out for - whatever it is he popped out for. I really enjoyed the show, but was ashamed to be caught watching it. Thankfully, the perception of this terrific show began to change. I'm not sure when it happened, but gradually it became acceptable for guys to watch and dare-I-say enjoy SATC.

This was probably a result of season box sets and boyfriends/husbands being "forced" to watch. Why was it such a good show? Why do we still like it? Because unlike most sitcoms; it was a legitimate look into real life. The conversations, the heartbreaks, irrational decisions and emotions, and storybook relationships - that don't work out.

I finally watched the movie. I wasn't sure I was going to. I was bitter at the series culmination five years ago. I always rooted for Aidan and resented Big. I suppose this says something about me, but more importantly it shows the legitimacy of the writing.

"Why we feel what we feel isn't logical, it's emotional. (Carrie Bradshaw)"

A mainstream dating guru wrote that "attraction isn't a choice," but I think SATC revealed this proclamation long before it became a famous ebook. When Carrie chose Big (over and over), she didn't make a logical decision, she made an emotional one. Or more accurately, her emotions made the choice for her.

The movie... well I gave it three stars on Netflix (out of five). It was like they crunched four of the lesser episodes into a feature length film, and yeah that's all I really have to say about it. Though the girls all looked amazing.

What I'm listening to

Four discs of lighter inspiring ballad rock - wow!

Inaugural Posting (disclaimer)

Yes I know it's actually "and the City".

My intention is to make this blog about my experience(s) in Seattle, and not so much about the city itself. I'll do my best to make it interesting, even if that means I have to get out and live a little.