2026.6.3. Westin Run club + Chief Sealth High School Orchestra & Choir

6/3 Wednesday 6:30am. Global Running Day at Westin Seattle. I wasno't even aware of a global running day (first Wednesday in June), but I'm aware of the run every Wednesday at Westin. I'm waking up early these days due to jet lag. Decided to join the run. Today, the route goes to Olympic Sculpture Park, right by this new installation of Aiweiwei's Zodiac. After the run, there's a table of snacks and T-shirt set in the hotel lobby. Even got a large water bottle. Some random hotel guests came by and partook the freebies.

At 7:30pm, went to a community concert, where Chief Sealth High School Orchestra played side by side with Seattle Symphony. The school choir was also on stage. Program is gone from Seattle Symphony's website. Here it is:

Antonio Vivaldi           Concerto for twi Chellos in G minor
                          -- Chief Sealth High School Orchestra
Alan Menkin &             "Colors of the Wind" from Disney's Pocahantas
Stephen Schwartz          -- Chief Sealth High School Orchestra
Stephen Schwartz          When You Believe
/arr. Aubrey Snyder       -- Chief Sealth High School Orchestra & Choir
& John Moss
Aaron Copland             El Salon Mexico
                          --Seattle Symphony
Jimmy López               Aino
                          -- Seattle Symphony
Dmitri Shostakovich.      Festive Overture, Op 96
                          -- Seattle Symphony
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky  Waltz of the Flowers from The Nutcracker Suite
                          -- Chief Sealth High School Orchestra
                          -- Seattle Symphony

2023.12.23. Nexus interview

12/23, Saturday. Drove to Blaine's Trusted Traveler Enrollment Center for the Nexus interview. My Global Entry expired in 2021. Soon after, I applied for Nexus for half the fee ($50 instead of $100). Only this March, I recieved a notice to arrange for an interview. However, for Nexus, all the interview sites are at the US-Canada border. For me, it's Blaine, but not really in Blain, which is reachable by bus. This site is in a strip mall near Birch Bay next to I-5. Thankfully, it's open on Saturdays, so I don't have to take a day off. The interview calendar is quite full. I made this appointment in the summer.

I arrived ~20 minutes earlier, and reported to one of these 3 windows. After handed over my confirmation letter, passport, driver's license, I waited for my name to be called in this lobby. There's a display case with furs of pine marten, fox, beaver, weasel, and some small old aparatus. I was called to talk to a US officer first. He asked me some simple questions (name, address, phone#, reason for applying Nexus). He took a photo of me. Then I talked to a Canadian officer in the next window. She asked me to read about 10 rules printed on the desk, and then pretty much repeated these rules. Both only took a few minutes. Fairly easy. I was told that a card will be mailed to me in 2-3 weeks.

2023.9.20. Last Plant Camp (of this summer)

9/20, Wednesday. The last plant camp this summer. No registration required, so a long line at lunch time. We were given a plant, a pot, a square leather patch with 4 holes, a ring, a hook, soil and ropes on the tables. By the time I got my plant, no more ropes. Those who sat at these tables to repot their plants, and cut the ropes, didn't keep the space clean. Soil all over the table and chairs. Volunteers were sweeping the tables. It's a shame that users don't take care of their surroundings.

There's a singer, whom everyone seems to ignore. Poor lady.

Day 1 space is occupied this week for many booth to make donation packages, part of the volunteer effort by Amazon. So this plant camp is moved across the street.

2023.8.25. Plant Camp

This is the 5th or 6th Plant Camp at Amazon's Day 1 field. I finally got to try it. Got a mini succulant plant. I moved it to a larger pot. Will see how long it survives.

2023.4.18. Jury Duty

It's been awhile since I was last called into jury duty, and I wasn't selected, even though I was there for a whole day waiting to be called. I remembered a crappy room with a lot of people, no connection to the outside, so I had to bring a book while waiting. Now, about 60 some people gathered in this airy room with super high ceilings. There's fast WiFi (in this assmebly room only), a few plugs, nice rooftop deck, a small kitchen with a microwave and fridge (in case you want to heat up your lunch). Coffee and Biglow tea is provided. The water dispenser said it needs a new filter.

I was told to be there at 8:30am, and I arrived at exactly 8:30. After signing in, I was given a label and 4 bus tickets, and told to wait till 9am, when this lady came to play two videos, outlining what we shall expect, and why we are here. Then she told us, no trial was scheduled for this week, but she wanted us to wait awhile in case of a last minute change. I went out to check out the nice deck (a little too chilly to sit out there now). There's also a smaller room with more power outlets. Around 10:30am, she told us that we could all go home, and return 2 bus tickets. So this becomes a normal workday.

2022.2.7. A new co-working space in downtown.

An open house by Orchard Workspace, owned by the commercial property company JLL. It's on top of West Lake center. 9th and 10th floor. Right now, mostly empty. So I came to work for a change for the day. Free food today.

Their day pass is $25, and monthly membership is only $89. I may consider.
However, this lowest membership only gives you a random desk in an open space (noisy). But offers an address for package delivery, and 24 hr access, secured entrance, a lady at the front desk. Yes, free water and coffee all day, and credit to book the meeting rooms (different sizes with different fees). A fixed desk will be $359, and an office (size of my small closet) is $419. All of these are glass walls, so no privacy.

So many of these co-working places right now, other than WeWork.

2021.6.9. Building burned near Space Needle

I walked on 5th ave, and saw the vacated building in smoke. 2 fire trucks, streets blocked. Used to be Polly Esther's Culture Club. A couple of days later, all I saw was a pile of rubble.

2021.4.15. Got my first Covid vaccine shot

On 4/15, everyone over 16 years of age in WA are eligible for COVID vaccine.
4/13, I received an email from SCCA "We are writing today with an update on how to schedule your COVID-19 vaccine. By Friday, April 16, you will receive an email with a link to schedule a vaccine at the Fred Hutch/SCCA COVID-19 Vaccination Program at South Lake Union".
4/14, received this link, and I scheduled right away.
4/15, I packed a sandwich, a drink and a book, and headed to the clinic just before noon.

It was very efficient and orderly. Arrows on the floor and helpers at every turn.
First my temperature was measured at the door and some questions were asked.
2nd, registration table, ~7-8 simutaneously. More questions were asked, data entered into a computer, and I was booked for my 2nd shot (3 weeks from today). I received my vaccination card.
3rd, vaccination room with 10 stalls (each with a shower curtain, looking like a change room). I was given a timer. They wipe everything between each patient. The nurse administer the shot, and set the timer for 15 minutes.
Last, I sat on this comfy chair in the observation room with partitions around each chair, until my timer expired. Someone came to collect my timer, cleaned my chair and raised the blue arrow to mark its availability for the next patient.

Very smooth. I felt nothing, until the evening. My abdomin had bad cramp for ~45 minutes, and then the pain subsided. I was fine the next morning.

update: 3 weeks later, when I returned for my 2nd shot, there was a lot less people (maybe ~1/3?). The vaccine, by then, was widely available. I could have gotten the shot in my neighborhood drug store. Instead, I walked 30 minutes the same facility. Countrary to most people, I had no reaction to the 2nd shot.

2020.3.17. St. Patrick Day decoration

Walked by this front lawn a couple of days after St. Patrick's Day in a quiet Seattle neighborhood.

2013.5.25. Collapsed bridge on I5

Saturday. Never any news had anything to do with me until today. The I5 bridge at Mt Vernon collapsed 2 days ago after a semi struck its truss, sending 2 cars into Skagit River. All traffic is rerouted, was over an hour yesterday, even though it's a short detour. Light traffic today on my way to Canada, so not much of a delay.

2008.1.7. Guest

2008.1.7. Finally my guest is departing after 5 days. Even though she's a very nice girl, mature and independent beyond her age, I'm still glad to have the place to myself. Especially yesterday when I learned that Z.Y. (a friend I used to hang out with), someone of my age, died 10 days ago.
Last Saturday, we shared one dinner together and watched a new documentary Kike Like Me (the director is a snob, but the movie has some interesting bits). She made Greek salad with feta cheese, Tahina dip, and sweet Sahlab drink. The latter two being my first. She also tasted for the first time: jelly fish, tong ho, and ginkgo seed.
I've planned to make a proper dinner sometime and invite her over, since she'll be in Seattle for at least 4 months.

2006.8.8. First surgery in my life. Laparoscopy. Scheduled to arrive at the Swedish Hospital at 10am for the operation at 12, but at 1pm, I was still waiting. Powerful drug. I was completely unconscious before going into the operation room, and for ~2 hours after the surgery. Had to spend the night in the hospital because my bladder wasn't completely awake. The surgeon, the anesthesiologist and the night nurse were efficient and super nice. However, someone made a wrong cut on my thigh, and a resident punched through my vein while trying to put on the IV, an overweight nurse at the recovery room didn't straighten the tube of the Catheter, causing my bladder to "scream" in the night. Overall, I'm well and recovering.