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Pike Market Ramble
I have forced myself to contradict myself in order to avoid conforming to my own taste.
--Marcel Duchamp
Thursday, April 8, 1999
One year ago: Schubertiad
I'll be in Portland this weekend, so when I asked Jack when would be the next time I'd get to see him, he suggested that I join him and his younger daughter H--- on a jaunt to the Pike Place Market. The market is one of the coolest places in Seattle, so that sounded good to me! I even ducked out of a meeting in midafternoon so I'd be in my office when he arrrived to pick me up. Jon Singer was in the lobby as I skipped downstairs with my dufflebag, and he started telling me good news about a fiction sale he's made, and the success he had over the weekend at Minicon selling his ceramics at auction. He dashed out with me to say hi to Jack and H----, then we were off.
We were being sleeted on! (slat on?) The weather is rather undependable at this time of year in Seattle. But by the time we got downtown it was just raining. The only thing holding us back from a fun afternoon was the state of Jack's back. He has some chronic pain and disc problems, but he aggravated the situation yesterday by scrubbing out the bathroom. All that bending isn't the greatest thing for him, especially after several weeks where he's been more sedentary than usual because he's between contracts. (The latter part is my personal speculation.)
* * * * * * * *
We didn't have a specific agenda, other than to roam around the market, see what there was to see, and give H--- a chance to spend her spending money. After slices of Baklava (pistachio for Jack and me, almond for H---) and Turkish coffee for Jack, at the Turkish Delight store, we started at one end and examined the stalls.
The one thing we saw which was new to me: home blimps! One merchant (I forget his name) has started selling mylar blimps, about three feet long, with a propellor like you would find on a rubber-band-driven toy plane. He had pictures of the mechanism he has built in his home workshop to seal the mylar envelopes. I wish I'd bought one, now! It would be a good ingredient in a Cacophony game.
I did make purchases in the crafty/beady store: a book on tassels with detailed instructions on making them, and a tool to make this easier. I've been through a phase of being obsessed with tassels before (I already own "Tassels, the Fanciful Embellishment"), so I'm not starting from scratch here. I don't know where these cravings come from, but I've found it best to just indulge myself. Jack didn't understand it at all, even when I showed him the cool pictures!
We found places to sit down in the "Downunder" parts of the Market so that Jack could rest his back while we waited for his daughter. H--- takes a long time to make up her mind when she has money to spend. She finally settled on a henna kit, from an Egyptian import store, and some mystic smoke paste from the magic store. We also visited a few bookstores along the way, and the cool "Lark in the Morning" musical instrument store.
By this time we were hungry for dinner. I laughed when it turned out that the best place for us to eat (close to where we were, not expensive, food that would please the whole group) was Taco del Mar, instead of some unique Seattle experience! I've eaten at this particular member of the chain before, usually when going to the Showbox for dancing. The woman working was very good to Jack's daughter, making her taco salad on the small side (there'd been some concern about whether she could eat the whole thing) and throwing a cookie in on the deal.
* * * * * * * *
We made good time driving back to Jack's place and spent a quiet evening, taking turns on checking email and compromising about what to watch on TV. Jack's taste and my taste in sitcoms don't overlap much, so he was out of the room during Frasier. I did watch part of a documentary about following in the footsteps of Alexander with him, though. We both agreed that it was on the dry side.
After H--- went to bed we watched an anime video that Jack bought a few weeks ago, that evening we spent down in Olympia. I don't know if Jack thinks it would be too violent for her, or if he knows she doesn't care for that kind of thing. This was supposed to be a sequel to Ninja Scroll. which I'd watched with him and liked OK. But this new one had a ton of problems! The actual tape, itself, was clicking and stuttering in the cassette. The story didn't make much sense, and the basis of it (Christian rebels in the early days of the Tokugawa shogunate -- a savior born to them is turned to the dark side) didn't appeal to my western sensibilities. Bad editing also made it hard to understand. I think huge chunks had been edited out for this American, subtitled, release.
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