July 1, 2000

Today would be a bit of a busy day. The lease on her car was terminating and we would have to return her car. We got rough directions to where this Toyota dealership was where we were to drop off her car. In the span of three years she had managed to put a little over fifteen thousand miles. That's not a lot, quite few actually, which led me to wonder if she really needed a car at all. Well, since I happened to drive her car most of the time, I suppose the answer would be no. I can't really blame her in Seattle though, just finding a place to park is a chore.

We drove to the dealer to drop the car off. The place looked a bit bare. It was surrounded by a number of buildings that were a number of stories tall, and much of the dealership looked like simply a parking lot. I haven't shopped for cars in the middle of the city, so I suppose that this is what you would be accustomed to. It still seemed weird to me, however.

The staff seemed largely disinterested in collecting a lease return, and we were waiting for a fairly long time before we were even approached. Even after they knew why we were there, we still had a sizeable wait. It wasn't that bad really; I suppose that I shouldn't be surprised if they're not quite as enthusiastic about collecting a car as selling one and making the commission.

Returning the car today seemed a bit odd, though it is the day it was due. However, Pam's sister and her friend were going to be in town come Monday, and we would not have a vehicle to get around in. I suppose there's no accounting for timing.

We decided to walk the few blocks to first avenue which is where the bus line that we're so familiar with is located. It was only a few blocks, I can tough it out. On the way, we walked passed the Cinerama; I don't remember what they were playing. We also walked by a park, or more accurately a courtyard. It had these metallic sculptures of people on the benches. Pam posed for a picture with one of them.

The next thing on the agenda was to get some food. We made it to first avenue and started walking north. We passed places like the Flying Fish and such that still weren't open, which puzzled me, of course. I suppose that the whole concept of eating as a form of entertainment puzzles me in general, as do restaurants that are only open for dinner.

We did eventually wander into the Belltown Pub, we ordered a couple of drinks to start. The place is a pub and is dark and undertone as you might expect. We sat in a booth that was probably intended to seat closer to six people, that's okay, the place was nearly empty save for the few folks who sat outside by the sidewalk, who incidentally narrowly escaped injury from a blown umbrella. I wouldn't test my luck today. Seattle already wants to smite me; all I can do is make it tougher. Pam ordered a lemon drop, which seems to be her favorite drink. As for what we ordered, I can't quite remember all the dishes that we ordered, except that there were way too many of them.

There was a game on the television set in the bar and it was playing some baseball game I was mostly uninterested in. It was probably a Mariners' game, in which case, I rooted for the opponents.

We got on the bus after this late lunch. We were seated towards the front of the bus, in some of the seats that run parallel to the traffic. I studied the overhead signs, typically filled with advertisements. I saw one sign that seemed pretty strange; it read, "Buckle up, America. Remember always buckle up!" Not that I have any objections to wearing a seat belt, but I just thought it was a bit odd to have this advertisement on the bus where everyone but the driver lacks a seat belt. The bus ride was pretty short and we made it back uneventfully.

Now that we had returned her car, I would be able to park in her spot. She even gave me her garage door opener. This was a very sweet gesture, especially since the parking ordeal here in Seattle was somewhat less than perfect.

Pam wanted to get an electronic toothbrush, a Sonicare toothbrush to be precise. They had grown in popularity since I had gotten mine and could now be found just about anywhere. I knew for a fact that CostCo had them and I suggested we go there to pick hers up. We were fighting time again though. I was fairly sure that CostCo closed at 6pm and it was already past 5pm.

We made it there in time though. We picked up the Sonicare brush and a number of other things. Shopping for one thing at CostCo is a little like trying to prune a bonsai tree with a chainsaw. It simply sucks you in. What was initially planned as a quick stop to pick up a toothbrush, eventually included toothpaste, gatorade, flowers, croissants, and Oreos. We would've probably gotten more things, except that they really were closing at 6pm.

We talked about seeing a movie, and the only one that seemed agreeable to both of us was Boys and Girls. Again she suggested watching the "new Nicolas Cage movie" although she still can't remember the name of it. We had some time before the movie started so we went to a store called Lovers' Package, and yes, we bought something… What? Well, you'll have to guess. The one woman running the register wasn't quite as forcoming with information as the one from the last time we were there. Still, it was a place to kill time.

The movie was okay. It wasn't quite as teenybopper as you might imagine that it would be. The two main characters met when they were very young (teens, if that), but most of the movie takes place during their time in college. Naturally, you would find traits in each of them appealing. Although, his character was a bit too methodical, he did possess a sense of clarity that many of us would like. He knew precisely what he would be studying in school and seemed to know what he wanted. He reminded me of myself when I was in college, although I was considerably more uptight.

Naturally, she was drastically different, choosing to major in Latin, a dead language. She had lofty goals to move to Italy and continue her studies. She was a bit of a free spirit. To be honest, I found it fairly brave for the film to make the female lead as promiscuous as she. Not that I minded, but mainstream American culture seem to be somewhat less forgiving.

I suppose what did strike me, is that this reminded me quite a bit of myself and a young woman I knew in my college days. Somehow we kept missing each other through the years and at the end we simply drifted. I think that ultimately we both gave up, and maybe I revisited those days and toyed a little with the what-if's.

Oh, did I mention that I got a phone call during the movie. Don't despair, I actually turned both my cell phone and pager into silent mode, didn't turn them off however. My cell phone has a light up antenna that flashes when the phone "rings"; I didn't actually see it flash during the movie, but I did feel my pager vibrating on my belt clip. Yes, I realize that some of you may consider this to be too accessible.

Get over it!

July 1, 2000