A Few Things I Have Learned So Far

Having never lived in any other state than California, I am finding that I have a lot of things to learn about Washington and the area where I am living. They aren’t major things, but little tiny things. For example:

*None of the streets make sense – There is NW this street and SE that Avenue. And then they have the audacity to change names without you being any the wiser. What? Where is my familiar grid?

*The DMV experience does not always have to be painful. No! I am serious, I know you are probably laughing sardonically, but it’s true! I had the nicest DMV experience ever when I went to get my Washington State Drivers License. I only had to waited a half hour in a well-lit, clean, prolifically seated room, while a very nice bell would serenely ring followed by a very nice woman’s voice that would announce “Number 237 is now being served at counter number 4.” And then, this is the kicker, the person who helped me was not only efficient, but actually asked me questions. Like if I had ever lived here before. When I told him I had just moved from CA he then started telling me about his sister who just moved to Santa Ana, CA. We had a lovely conversation, and I was then given my paperwork and sent to get my picture taken. The gentleman who did the picture was nice, he smiled, and he told me to wait about two minutes until my temporary license was issued. At which point, having spent about 30 seconds, he then called me over and handed me my very first Washington State Drivers License.

*Before I ever visited this area I always thought that when people said you can find a Starbucks on every corner that it was exaggeration. Um, no, not really. It’s actually very modest in fact. Yesterday when I was at a strip mall (granted, a large one, but still) there were actually TWO Starbucks in the same strip mall. Two. Separate. Starbucks. OMG. I am not sure whether to be really scared by that fact or really excited that I can get a hot beverage pretty much anywhere I go. Twice if I so wished.

Those not interested in knitting, skip this next one

*Knitting is fun. I am trying a new pattern that I actually have to pay attention to when I work it. And as most of you know, I swear I have adult on-set ADD. That is why I love scarves, using just knit stitch. I don’t have to really pay attention; I can multitask by watching TV or talking to someone. But this new pattern is driving me nutty. I have so far gotten about 20 rows done only to make a mistake and have to rip the whole darned thing out cuz I can’t figure out how to fix it. I am going to have to bring it in to the shop to see what they say. I may as well gain as much knowledge as I can while I am there.

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I came across two quotes last night that made me laugh and also made me think that maybe I am not seeing things through rose colored glasses as I was beginning to wonder. I was reading a guide book to Seattle and came across the following two items (quoted from Seattle Survival Guide, 4th Edition, by Eric Lucas).

“…Seattle’s Famous Automotive Courtesy is both real and baffling to outsiders. Cultural anthropologists believe it may derive from the courteous , orderly ethos brought by the area’s early Scandinavian settlers; wherever it came from, it is definitely not OK to honk your horn in an unseemly fashion, if at all, and cutting in line is also not OK. But stopping to let people into a line gets you brownie points…Courtesy is the story on city streets. On the freeways just about anything goes – or stops, depending on traffic and weather conditions.”

And, under the heading “How Many Animals Can I Have?”

“Inside Seattle proper, however, the limit for a single-family home is three small animals, including pot-bellied pigs. Chickens do not count against that limit, so a person can have up to three chickens along with his or her other pets. Whether roosters are included in the mix depends how tolerant your neighbors are about crowing at the crack of dawn.”

So the people here are friendly, the DMV is not Dante's 4th circle of hell, and I can get a dog, a cat, a pot-bellied pig, and have 3 chickens as well. What more could a girl want?