"I didn't know it was against the law to chop down a parking meter with a chainsaw and throw it in the back of a pickup truck"

Heh, to quote a childhood friend, I can't believe I remember this. What other things are hardwired into my brain??

I was personally always a big fan of the Mathnet and Mathman segments. Ah Square One, how I miss you!

Ohhh, and let's not forget "Nine nine nine- crazy number nine!"

At least I finally saw Sleepless in Seattle last week!

So it looks like I'll be up and out of the Emerald City shortly. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but I'll admit I'm a bit surprised at how difficult I'm finding it to wrap my mind around the idea. I didn't expect it to be so soon, and I am finally beginning to feel at home here (home in the sense of a social group of some form).

I was telling someone the other night (well, let's be honest here... usually "someone" refers to Peleke nowadays) that my roots here are deeper, or at least broader, than I realized. Not that I was taking friends for granted, in fact quite the opposite. It's just that it took so long to get established and find friends here that it was quite subtle. Now, going through the process of pulling up anchor, I find myself connected in more ways than I'd appreciated*. I guess it's true- sometimes you really don't know what you've got 'til it's gone. (Not that I'm regretting this big change at all, mind you, it's just I'm learning things about myself and Seattle that I find interesting. I'm very excited to experience this with Peleke and The Beast in the future!)

Also, I was gathering emails for the evite to my going away dinner the other night** and grouped people by how I'd met them to keep it straight- FPCB, BCC, work #1, work #2, and other. Boy was "other" a random assortment! Some were from mutual friends (the primary way to do it here in Seattle apparently), the dog park, soccer, running, coffee shops, housing searches, strangers met on planes... funny, this Seattle life! 

*Only tangentially related- a resident the other day in rounds talked about how she "didn't appreciate the previously noted heart murmur." Now to clarify, that is correct usage of the word in medicalese... which is why I found the use of finger quotations when she said it perplexing. Odd, that's all.

**Email me if I missed you- it wasn't on purpose!

Ahh the teen years...

The Beast is not a big fan of Peleke yet. I'm sure she'll come around, but for the moment he's only good for lobbing the ball, as far as she's concerned. I was surprised and disappointed to see the attitude she gave while he was here in Seattle. She tried to ignore me and acted all put out. And she gave him the stink eye nearly the entire time (except for the aforementioned ball Chuckit-ing, during which time she couldn't get enough of him) and would cower and flinch when he came near! But let me be very clear here: this is completely her trying to play me and gain sympathy- he is great with The Beast. Which means? She's jealous and trying to get attention and coddling however she can!

Smart dog but she isn't going to win this battle- he's here to stay. Or rather, we'll be there to stay... Like I said, I'm confident she'll come around, but in the meantime it's kind of amusing to see her throw this fit. Does that make me a bad owner?

Happy 30th Mom and Dad!

I, for one, am glad you guys found each other and have not only made it work, but have done it with style!

Whouda guessed it? Congrats guys :)

Make sure you're not drinking anything first

And here I was thinking The Beast's dreams were vivid and cracking me up...

Too funny!

Introducing...

Peleke

Pronunciation: Pel-ay-kay
Function: fiance
Etymology: Hoosier by birth, Hawaiian by name
Date: March 1, 2009

1: peaceful ruler
2: our newest addition

Synonymes see: fellow Calvin & Hobbes fan, fellow Paperboys fan, fellow Hoosier, fellow introvert, fellow... well, the best fellow you can get!

The end and the beginning

Today was supposed to be my last day at work. Unfortunately, Friday was my first day back since breaking my wrist... and also the last. My wrist is clearly not ready for work type lifting, moving, etc. I'd been off any pain meds for a week prior, and now I'm back to taking them after working that day. 

*sigh*

No job in the new place yet. It's a bit disconcerting to be leaving a city without a solid job lined up. Here's to getting out of the ol' comfort zone I guess! And so the new adventure begins...

Ready, set, go! :)

The rumors are true...

...I'm engaged! Hopefully that explains the hiatus.

I'm not sure how this will affect Wanderings with Wenikio because while The Beast doesn't mind personal details on the web and I know exactly what I'm putting out there, I doubt the addition will want much broadcast. I consider him gracious enough to put up with my klutziness in front of other people, so why tempt fate, eh? Hang tight as I figure it out- though it's hardly like many strangers read this repository of ramblings anyway... 

In the spirit of details, I have two major names to add to the blog. Since part of this whole getting hitched thing will include a move across the country (nearly three thousand miles!), a city pseudonym will have to be established. And for the really difficult one- my little family of Wenikio and The Beast is expanding, and the new member needs a name. Suggestions?

Could you give us a moment?

This picture pretty well sums up most of our evenings. 

The Beast and I like to cuddle.

So this mime walks into the Space Needle...

On my way home from downtown the other day, I was stopped at a light in front of the Seattle Center (also in front of the KOMO 4 station which, for you Grey's Anatomy fans, plays the front facade of Seattle Grace Hospital). It was one of those beautiful Seattle winter days with blue skies, a chilly breeze, and people optimistically wearing shorts and sandals (with socks of course). 

(sorry, I couldn't help it...)

Anyway, as the red light was nearing its end, I noticed two men scurrying across the crosswalk. About the time it dawned on me what they were wearing, I also noticed one was tying his shoe... only he had slip-on loafers. They were mimes! And they were giving us an impromptu show in the crosswalk! I started laughing as they stumbled over imaginary boulders and carried on conversations with the air, pretending to drop things and smiling at us.

As a general rule, Seattleites don't honk their car horns. Instead, they generally give a dour look and go all passive-aggressive, flipping the bird under the dashboard. Glancing at the cars around me, though, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself laughing along with all the other drivers as well. 

It was fun :)