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Thursday, June 29, 2000
One year ago: Butler Reading
Two years ago: Jump!
Three years ago: The Sky of the Cinema
Yesterday the slight problem my car's transmission was having got bad enough that I decided not to drive to work today. I'd been going to take the bus, anyway.
The logistics for this day had been complicated to arrange. Chip was taking us all to the baseball game -- this had been planned for a long time. Jack was invited too. But we are going to go to his parents' place this weekend. Didn't it make sense to leave from here on Friday? So Jack needed to get his motorcycle on the trailer, along with all his other stuff, and get that ready Wednesday night.
He called me yesterday to tell me that it all got a lot simpler. The Georgia-Pacific plant he works at was shutting down for a few days, because electricity has suddenly gotten fearfully expensive for them, so he had more time to get all the stuff ready.
* * * * * * *
It still made sense for Jack to meet me at work this morning. Our office building parking lot is a much better place to park the trailer than the street near my house woul be. Jack was running late -- it always takes longer than you think it will to load stuff up -- so everyone else had already left for the stadium by the time he arrived.
Jack looked good in his Swamp Mamma Johnson tie-dyed tank top. It was so nice to see him! We left right away. Jack hadn't had lunch, so he took a notion to stop at Dixie's BBQ. That's something he misses up in Bellingham. But I didn't want to miss too much of the game, so I offered to buy him whatever he wanted at the stadium.
Rather than parking at the stadium, I suggested that we take the bus from my place. It was a gorgeous sunny day, and we didn't have to wait long. We were sitting on the bus, discussing the game, when a young man sitting in front of us turned around. "Does the game start at one o'clock?" he asked. Yes, it did. "D'oh!" He'd been scheduled to work the game, parking cars. Too late now!
Jack had never been in the bus tunnel before. It's rather a boondoggle, but it does make getting from the north end of downtown to the south very convenient. We had to walk a few blocks from the International District station to the new Safeco Field, but we just followed the crowd and found the entrance. I should have let Jack buy some peanuts or snacks at the stands outside the stadium -- of course they were cheaper there than inside. Some odd notion of propriety stopped me, I guess!
* * * * * * *
We found the rest of the group without too much trouble -- after we made our way to the correct "Lucent Terrace" level. My only suggestion for another time -- we were a large enough group that we would have been better broken into two rows, the better to talk to each other. My concern about broiling in the sun wasn't needed. We were under cover, in the shade, with a great view of the field and of the city.
I got a pizza and Jack got an Italian sausage and a beer. The game was fun, since the Mariners did well. Lots of home runs! Jack and Chip got a chance to talk for a while, which was good.
When the game was over, Jack and I stuck around to watch the roof close. This was very impressive! It reminded me of the alien ship appearing in Independence Day. By the time it was finished, the crowd had mostly dissipated and we walked up to Pioneer Square.
* * * * * * *
We spent a good evening walking to various bookstores. There's even a store that sells only bass guitars, which thrilled Jack. We killed enough time that we started to feel hungry again. Red beans and rice at the New Orleans, of course! Jack had a Sazerac and a mint julep, and liked them both well enough. I was drinking a huge bottle of club soda. We stayed to hear the combo playing jazz standards. The female vibes player was the best in the group. Then bus home.
Jack was interested in a History Channel documentary about the new "The Patriot" movie. They filmed the show at the historic plantation where the movie was made, touring the buildings, demonstrating the old weapons, and discussing the historical accuracy of it all. He nodded off a few minutes before the end, though -- it had been a long day.
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