4 Years, the 3rd Quarter and The Smell of Winter
Four years ago today, I became a resident of Washington state, arriving here from California. Weirdly, I had three occasions today to say in three real life encounters, “it’s funny you should ask that, because I moved here four years ago today.” The first two were instigated by me as I tried to create rapport with potential customers at work; the third was at a gas station where I was the customer.
I mark today as my arrival date in this state even if I mark the end of September as my departure from California. A speedy driver in a car can make the trip from Seattle to San Francisco in 13 hours or so; I took 3 days.
Invest half an hour in Joko TV and watch the Tour d’Moving d’Joko… Here is my home movie chronicle of my epic journey from California to Washington.,
In some ways, I’m surprised I made it here alive.
and at my new home…
I reflected recently in status updates here and on Facebook about the Autumnal equivalent of the wonderful feelings one gets on the first sunny and warm days of spring. The first rainy and cold days of Fall generate the opposite feeling. Today, I had the same sort of summer/winter juxtaposition that I was negatively referring to in my first comparison.
It happened at work. I had just unboxed a new range. I brought the empty box back to receiving and asked the manager there if he had need for this cardboard structure. He asked me to bring out to the outdoor garden department whose manager had been asking all morning for something to put her dead plants in for compost. Fall: the season of dying.
I don’t get out to the outdoor garden department of my store very much, and as I wheeled this empty box out to them at about 10 AM, the first thing I noticed was the temperature difference. 70 degrees inside; 55 degrees outside. Then I noticed the smell. Pine. Peat. Flowers. Nothing smells quite like the harmony of odors one gets in the garden department of a big home improvement store. It’s a wonderful smell. {erhaps it was because I had to first pass through the Christmas displays (yes, they’re already up) to get to this smell, but I was immediately thrown mentally into the heart of Winter. Ah, the coziness of a fire in the snow, the congregation of family, all those great memories rekindled by the amazing power of the olfactory sense were brought afresh by me wheeling this empty box into the Garden department today. The sense of smell has remarkable memory inducing qualities. I got this wonderful feeling of Winter… and as I generally love life, I got reminded of all the beautiful feelings of winter…
This romantic nostalgia for the change of seasons is all well and good when under a greenhouse roof and being paid $18/hr. The wonder of cold and wet weather is quite something else when faced with a 4 mile bicycle ride in the rain when budget cuts have killed bus rides in your area. This was my scenario on Sunday.
Like dogs, we bicycle riders notice one another. We can’t help but judge each other too. Me in my helmet and bicycling gloves am a step above the simpleton rider. I nod to the guys in their spandex and flourescent shirts who are quite obviously really into cycling. Me, I’m somewhere in between. I do what I have to do the best I can, even if I don’t really want to be doing it, and certainly don’t enjoy it. There are times when I’m coasting downhill and the wind becomes exhilarating that I enjoy it, but for the most part, not having a car really sucks. People see me riding a bike and they assume it’s because I am saving money, being environmentally conscious or wanting to stay fit. No. None of the above. Its because the goddamn courts won’t let me drive due to my history.
I made a huge step today in fixing that. Come Winter, I’ll have a car.
I mentioned work. I have the next two days off. I HAVE TO make a significant home movie in these next two days, but I have no idea what it will be about…
LOOK AT THIS CHART!!!
Today marks 90 days since I’ve been re-employed. This is a good thing because my benefits kick in today. I now have medical insurance again. Each hour I work now generates vacation pay. That’s a good thing Since I’ve started working again, my video production has dramatically fallen off.
I was thinking about covering this song… the one I chose for my 3rd quarter “random” recap. Anyone got a better idea? In any case, 14 videos for the quarter makes for a concise quarterly re-cap video. Enjoy!
You make this place a great place to come to Joko, I love your blogs!! 😆
Only you! A graph…. I don’t know why that delights my sense of humor so much but it does. So glad you have medical now.
I viewed the quarterly recap; it’s amazing how much bass you can get out of that little uke.
What is that creature you slaughtered mounted on the wall behind you?
Olfactory now thaat’s a real Word…I do not know what I MEAN BY THAT…BUT MOVING ON NOW…
The one shoe on the shelf scared me in the first video….first it horrified me though…….then pure fear…again I don’t know why.
Thank goodness you did’nt forget the camera…lolololl..you ain’t right J.
Piggy Piglet I love that Pig…
Boomy and bear are too new for love at this point.Piglet was just majestic on that dash…awesome…hell I don’t know why,I really don’t…ummmm Medenhall…?
Your very Olfactory huh…hmmmm puzzling….You locked yourself out of the truck…oh…lolololol thank gawd you didn’t do that at the truck stop….they would have givin you a beatin for sure…ohhh lolol,….gawd love ya….:)
Whefre are the kids…oh lololol thats the same look my property manager gave me today why she saw Gye the stuffed dog guarding my door today….:)
It’s not just you how isn’t right J.LOL……Who told you could not back up at the gas station…the friggen bear…lolol how did you get gas eatin cabbage again….:)
WtF
This is turning into Fear And Loathing in Oregon isn’t,I still cannot get that one shoe out of my mind,it haunting….?
Part 5 leave me wondering how you only thought making it here was only in some way surprising cause I think you making it there was amazing in every way…and no I am not kidding J.
I am glad this is all documented though…oh don’t worry about it right now o.k.
Mendenhall …?
You do know he is out this week right…awww shit why even try with you anymore…you are hopeles…lolol
Powerfull rain….it has come to this huh…yea o.k. back to fantasy football…you are aware many of your players are on a bye week right….
Aw phuck it…your on your own …wtf….shit…??
Finally we get to hear,”shoe’s”
bout time.
Where did James come from,,,you buy another friend once you arrived there…lololol….hey bwait a minute you knew him before didnt you…
You bastard >>
Erotic is so a noun !!!
and so is Nude you degenerate….
A dancing town huh ….Erotic…dining and dancing…gezzz is that all I got out of this part…apparently yes…
Everybody finally leaves Portland……
Oh yea write the song first…ummm then play it….
Rain in Seattle wtf !
Not in Seattle….lolol.
You are most fortunate that that guy you asked the Spears question did not give you a beatin too J…JUST MY OPINION IS ALL…
tHAT IS NOT A GOOD FRIEND…18 YEARS…WTF…THATS AN IDIOT….SRRY…
aND SO now mercifully we arrive at the final video…..good gawd man.
Where are people coming from…and why ?God that shoe is really beginning to bug me now.
Veeder !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love Veeder.
Not a mano a mano love but if I were mano a Mano love oriented it would be him that I would love I can tell you that much…again I do not know why I said this.
By the way I took a copy of the helmet pic for the report…don’t worry about it….:)
“I now have medical insurance again.”
Does this mean we can expect you to turn Republican any day now….?
Obama what…naw phuck Obama…hey look Cantor is on t.v. again…cool…
You phuker…ohhh hey yea if your going to do these Mega blogs with grafts and video,and commentary your dam right I am going to try to inflict the sAME KINDA PAIN YOU PUT US THROUGH ON YOU J.grafts and video,
hOW IT FEeL J…:)
so what is left too say now huh J.
Ohhhh yea Mendenhall…
I’m outta here….:)
And don’t try to call me….
Again don’t know why I said this… :groovy:
:entertained:
Mendenha….aw forget it !!!!!!!!!!!!
Damn I remembered some of those. I need a life. 🙂