The Lights:
I've never felt so anonymous in my life. Not even when I first moved to Skagit County, since I had such a strong core friends-group/family there.
There are people everywhere. All sorts of people. Bellingham is definitely lacking the variety that I've found here. I cannot make clear the feeling that this inspires within me. The people! A hundred languages, a thousand faces, and I'm so very small. It's particularly overwhelming on the buses. Sometimes I catch myself staring, trying to comprehend the existence of all these people. Trying to live inside their heads for a brief moment and capture, just for a second, the essence of their varied lives. It's impossible.
My first day at work was supremely uneventful, except for the part where I got to eat delicious zucchini ziti with lemon sauce. It was comprised of paperwork, paperwork, more paperwork, and a delightfully dramatic video about sexual harassment in the workplace. What I do find more exciting than all that is that they want me to learn to work in the pathology lab. For a literature and film geek, I certainly do find my way into the sciences a lot (first: sociology, now: a medical laboratory).
For some reason I decided against catching a bus to the Bellevue station, and went on a rambling walk through downtown Bellevue. Did I mention that I've only been in Bellevue once before? I thought not. I had some vague plan of attempting to find Heather's workplace and wait for her to get off of work, so as to catch a ride home with her, but soon realized that I have no idea where it is. I did, however, find my way (with the help of blurry recollection!) to the bus terminal, where the bus driver let me on (even though I was over a dollar short, due to poor planning).
I stayed in my music&book cocoon for the bulk of the ride back to Seattle (back to home?), but managed to look up just as we were turning off of the freeway and towards Iwajimaya.
The whole of downtown Seattle spread itself before me, all height and breadth and sparkle and glimmer, and I was undone. Positively undone. Completely undone.
I miss Bellingham, you know? But I feel myself falling in love with this place, just a little bit each day. A short walk from my apartment takes you to the most glorious view of Seattle, and when I feel heartsick for the unassuming brick buildings & Cheers-like atmosphere of Bellingham's streets, I can walk to the bridge overlooking the city. It is enough to push out the ache and fill my mind with beauty. It's very alive here. Awake and teeming.
There are people everywhere. All sorts of people. Bellingham is definitely lacking the variety that I've found here. I cannot make clear the feeling that this inspires within me. The people! A hundred languages, a thousand faces, and I'm so very small. It's particularly overwhelming on the buses. Sometimes I catch myself staring, trying to comprehend the existence of all these people. Trying to live inside their heads for a brief moment and capture, just for a second, the essence of their varied lives. It's impossible.
My first day at work was supremely uneventful, except for the part where I got to eat delicious zucchini ziti with lemon sauce. It was comprised of paperwork, paperwork, more paperwork, and a delightfully dramatic video about sexual harassment in the workplace. What I do find more exciting than all that is that they want me to learn to work in the pathology lab. For a literature and film geek, I certainly do find my way into the sciences a lot (first: sociology, now: a medical laboratory).
For some reason I decided against catching a bus to the Bellevue station, and went on a rambling walk through downtown Bellevue. Did I mention that I've only been in Bellevue once before? I thought not. I had some vague plan of attempting to find Heather's workplace and wait for her to get off of work, so as to catch a ride home with her, but soon realized that I have no idea where it is. I did, however, find my way (with the help of blurry recollection!) to the bus terminal, where the bus driver let me on (even though I was over a dollar short, due to poor planning).
I stayed in my music&book cocoon for the bulk of the ride back to Seattle (back to home?), but managed to look up just as we were turning off of the freeway and towards Iwajimaya.
The whole of downtown Seattle spread itself before me, all height and breadth and sparkle and glimmer, and I was undone. Positively undone. Completely undone.
I miss Bellingham, you know? But I feel myself falling in love with this place, just a little bit each day. A short walk from my apartment takes you to the most glorious view of Seattle, and when I feel heartsick for the unassuming brick buildings & Cheers-like atmosphere of Bellingham's streets, I can walk to the bridge overlooking the city. It is enough to push out the ache and fill my mind with beauty. It's very alive here. Awake and teeming.