Do you run in the rain?

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Do you run in the rain? Do you pull out an umbrella at the first sign of of drizzle? I can always tell people who are not from here (Seattle) they are afraid of getting wet!

We have a lot of transplants who have come here to work at microsoft and other high tech companies and you easily tell they are not from here.

I like talking about Seattle, it is a great place to live, if you can stand living here.

Where are you from and what do you like about it? What are the idiosyncrasies of your little part of the world?

Homegrown Seattleites do not own umbrellas, although we have three day celebration of them every year, the funny thing is most people have no idea that is what it is all about. We also have web feet and drink a lot of specialized coffees. And we do not particularly like Starbucks either! We have a spring and summer full of celebrations and parades, every neighborhood has one of their own, the first is in Freemont it has naked bicycle riders and sperm chasing ova down the street. It isn't too far from the "Troll", the one under the bridge that has squashed a real VW Bug.

We are big on unspoken communication, we hold conversations on the spur of the moment with strangers, we like visitors but make it clear we do not wish them to move here.

We are not afraid to express our individuality and start a lot of things here, "the wave" at sporting events was started here as well as grunge, we are indifferent to politically correctness and the poorest has no qualms about standing up to the richest. Real Seattleites are related to each other in some way, I found out my neighbors kids and my kids have cousins in common, if you are not related, you know someone the other person knows.



-- Cherri (sams@brigadoon.com), May 18, 2000

Answers

I have a friend from Seattle. She moved to Indy 3 years ago to be near relatives. She loved Seattle but is sad by how much it has grown over 25 years. She finds it too crowded and chaotic now. Maybe you shouldn't tout it. Keep it as your secret.

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), May 18, 2000.

Cherri:

So you are now writing pulp for the Chamber. I spend a lot of time in the Northwest because of my work. In addition, most of my family lives there. A few in Portland, one in Seattle, one each in Medina and Bellevue. Most live north in the islands. Parts of the islands are near desert conditions. It doesn't really rain in Seattle. Just mists. People there are frightened by real rain; lightning makes the front page of the Times.

Real Seattleites are related to each other in some way, I found out my neighbors kids and my kids have cousins in common, if you are not related, you know someone the other person knows.

This sounds like a joke about Arkansas. "you know the ones; my father is also my husband, etc."...

Best wishe

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), May 18, 2000.


Cherri:

I forgot. I also have relatives on Mercer Island; where the state is spending approximately 30,000 each to build parking spaces for a wealthy citizen's park and ride. They are spending an enormous amount of money on light rail to carry a fraction of 1% of the commuters. I was there not long ago. On I-5 the south bound traffic was stopped all the way to Marysville. I may retire there to be near family. But it won't be in Seattle. Actually, that won't be necessary. Most of my family intends to leave the area as soon as they retire.

I remember Seattle from the 50's and 60's. Great place. IMHO, it is no longer a place to live.

Best wishes,,

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), May 18, 2000.


(A question of law for ya Z... If a couple from Arkansas get engaged in Tennessee, marry in Nevada and then take up residence in Mississippi, are they still considered brother and sister?)

-- CD (costavike@hotmail.com), May 18, 2000.

CD:

(A question of law for ya Z... If a couple from Arkansas get engaged in Tennessee, marry in Nevada and then take up residence in Mississippi, are they still considered brother and sister?)

The simple answer is in Arkansas [not recognized], in Tennessee [yes], in Nevada [no one really cares], and in Mississippi [if it isn't a multi-racial marriage no one asks].

Cherri's comment brought up the old joke in my mind; in Arkansas what is the definition of a 10 year old virgin; Answer; a ten year old girl that can run fast enough to get away from her father. If you live in Montana, the jokes are the same but they are about North Dakota.

So it goes.

Best wishes,,,

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), May 18, 2000.



Marysville is north of Seattle (grin). We have had to put up with all the junk that having microsoft and their millionairs brings. The high cost of land on Mercer Island is why parking spaces cost so much. It's too bad you don't want to live around here, I miss the 60's and 70's too, I hate all of the "new" construction. We have put a lid on just how far they can go with it, the cost of living sucks, but for us oldtimers who don't live on "The Hill" and who know where to go to be away from the riff raff from the "east side", life is pretty good here.

It is irritating how people move here and decide they do not like something and want to change it, we even had complaints about the noise the Blue Angels made during Seafair a few years ago. Can you believe the nerve of thos people??? If they don't like what we do here they are free to leave.

-- Cherri (sams@brigadoon.com), May 18, 2000.


A postcard for ya Cheri, from here in Pensacola, Florida. Home of the Blue Angels...



-- CD (costavike@hotmail.com), May 18, 2000.

No, I don't run, but I walk faster. Unless the lightening is really bad, then I run. More people are killed by lightening in Florida than anywhere else.

And I too can tell when people are not from here, they are afraid of driving on US 1. US 1 is the main drag down the entire state of Florida, and sixteen billion reckless drivers use it every day, and all of them bring the worst driving habits from around the nation with them when they move here. Actually nobody is from here, nobody but the Seminole Indians, they are from here, but they all live in casinos now.

Florida is a nice place to live, unless you do not like mosquitos, alligators, cockroaches (we call them "Palmetto Bugs" so as not to scare the tourists away), Fire Ants, two inch wide spiders, Coral snakes, Water Moccasins, Rattlesnakes, Love bugs, regular ants, Carpenter ants, little tiny tiny ants, Termites, and old people. If you do not like old people do not come to Florida. Also do not come to Florida if you believe that people who have their left turn signal on are really going to turn left. This has never happened, at best they are going straight for another 15 miles and will then turn right.

We too have naked bike riders, they are called forgetful old people. Did I mention that we have lots of old people here? They are usually very cranky, they have taken crap for 73 years and are not taking it anymore. Plus they are cranky because they came here to die, they know that the clock is ticking. If you ever wish to buy a moble home in Florida just ask an ambulance driver which ones are for sale.

We have a lot of wrinkled skin, and drink lots of cocktails. It is nice to visit the beach, but do not go to the beach if you do not like sunburn, horse flies, sand fleas, stinging jellyfish (Portugese Man-o-War are the best, very painful) shark attacks, sea lice, and squishy things that bite you when you step on them. Sea shells are nice too, but be sure that they are empty before sticking them against your head, or you will hear your own screams rather than the ocean, which, by the way, is only fiteen feet away, how could you not know what it sounds like?

But I love Florida, it is the only place I've lived where everyone assumes that you are from someplace else. If pressed for conversation "Where are you from?" is a no brain conversation starter. And you will, sooner or later find folks who lived just a few miles away from where you lived "up north". Then you can both agree that "It is a small world afterall" and that damned song will then occupy your mind for the next several hours.

But I love Florida, it's a great place to live.

-- Uncle Deedah (unkeed@yahoo.com), May 18, 2000.


Cherri:

Yea, that was my point. Those MS people are moving to Arlington and Darrington and Mt. Vernon. Yet the road capacity is not being increased. They are wasting money on light rail, which doesn't serve the market. I-5 traffic is a mess. Fess-up; are you working for Ron Sims.

Best wishes,,,,

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), May 18, 2000.


Seattle sounds a whole lot like Austin Tx minus the mist..come to think of it,what is Seattle's sister city?

-- george (jones@choices.com), May 18, 2000.


Cherri:

I am leaving town. Please note that I have left discussion of I-405 and 520 traffic for another time. Man have you ever seen anything like the 520 approach to the bridge?

Best wishes,,,,

Z

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), May 18, 2000.


Unk,

Have I got a Florida spider for you. I'll have to share my experience with you some time. Do you ever chat anymore?

I've always thought that Florida was a state of mind, not just a place to live. You have to have the right attitude to live there. Dang, I miss that place.

Sheeple

-- (Sheeple@Greener.Pastures), May 18, 2000.


Our second child was conceived in the rain. Butt naked in the pasture about 7 o'clock in the evening raining so hard it was stinging.

Liked it so much so was our third!

Now I've had a vasectomy so no more kids but we still disappear sometimes when its raining.

-- Swampthing (in@the.swamp), May 18, 2000.


Z1X4Y7

If those east-siders would just stay on their own side of the lake it would't be so bad. Yep the traffic, but I got secrets, I know how to get from one place to another and avoid the rush hour traffic (which exists all day).

I can't say they are all bad, 5 years at microsoft, they retire and a lot give back to the community.

I cannot think of anyone I know who does not own a computer.

-- Cherri (sams@brigadoon.com), May 18, 2000.


Cherri, once in a while I've run to get INTO the rain! I live near Ann Arbor, Michigan in a semi-rural area. I'm a very early riser, and a spontaneous type. There've been a couple of times when there's a steady, warm summer rain in the morning, when I'd throw on some jeans and a flannel shirt -- you know, the "least-water- resistant-but-ya-still-can't-see-through-'em" type -- and kinda dash right out in it; then walk down the dirt road apiece, then maybe lay down on some grass or weeds, close my eyes and "soak it up" for a while. If you do this, here's a tip: keep your head inclined a bit so the rain doesn't go up your nose. That one's from experience. :)

-- eve (eve_rebekah@yahoo.com), May 19, 2000.


Deedah:

"but the Seminole Indians, they are from here, but they all live in casinos now"

LOL. You are a talented satirist-the rest of your post was hilarious. All original? If so, you missed your calling as a comedy writer!

-- FutureShock (gray@matter.think), May 19, 2000.


Eve:

Once my kids and I [accompanied by two neighbor kids] walked to the store for dinner. On the way home, it started to rain quite hard. We just kept walking [What else could we do?], until we passed the park across the street on our way home. I couldn't help myself. I asked, "What do y'all think? Do the slides run faster or slower when wet?"

No theory can be proven correct without testing, so we all headed for the park and climbed up and slid down the slide for about 15 minutes. There was sand at the bottom of the slide, so you can imagine how grubbed we were by the time we left for home. In addition, the paper bags with our dinner had gotten so soaked that they fell apart at the touch.

Once home, we all took our shoes off outside our apartment door. Once inside I said, "Everyone strip to their underwear and jump into the shower while I throw our clothes into the washer." I didn't jump into the shower with them. I changed clothes in the basement when I threw their clothes into the washer. I think I even had my son shower separately, as we had two neighbor girls to consider.

The clothing washed and dried, I cooked and we ate dinner and one of the neighbor girls said, "I wish you were my mother. My mom would have killed me had I gotten my clothes dirty sliding in the rain."

Slides run slower in the rain, BTW, but they still plunk ya butt or face down in the sand at the bottom.

-- Anita (Anita_S3@hotmail.com), May 19, 2000.


Anita, that was really cool. These are things your kids will remember the rest of their lives. And my boys and I have gotten into mudfights from time to time that ended up with the three of us on the ground, laughing, exhausted, and practically unrecognizable.

Motherhood -- ain't it great? :)

-- eve (eve_rebekah@yahoo.com), May 21, 2000.


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