Reb MacRath's Seattle Rock: V. 6: 03/01/2015

Nuts and Bolts

March arrives with a flurrious blizzard of pending things and memories of my trip to San Francisco (02/25-03/01.) Last month I:
--Completed two lengthy kiosk job applications at a pair of stores claiming that they needed help. Quickly received two rejections, probably resulting from the restricted available hours I showed. (Heck, after years of working weekends and holidays, I want a better schedule.)
--Printed hard copies of my retail resume for a few personal store visits I have planned for March.
--Made serious note of the Help Wanted signs in the post office windows.
--Worked through February on the outline for my fourth Boss MacTavin mystery.
--Manned up when my free San Fran accommodations fell through, leaving me with a nonrefundable bus ticket. With a lot of online digging, I found a cheaply priced, decent hotel.


City beats

Seattle is:

--Mindful of travelers' needs. The light rail to the airport can rival the best in the country. But Seattle doesn't stop there. The light rail also takes us to the Amtrak station, conveniently close to downtown. And the Greyhound bus station is also a short ride. Better still, I learned, the bus station is adjacent to the light rail station. No nerve-wracking treks along derelict streets. Finally--and this really is almost unheard of--the bus station is bright and clean, with a smiling guard and ticket attendant. (Greyhound moved to this location in March 2014.)

--Mindful of non-drivers' needs. I was skeptical when I first heard that the city planned to start posting live bus tracking signs around town, using OneBusAway.  But they've begun to multiply in the following form



and also in plainer street-side signs with gold lights on black background.

--Committed to Old School customer service. I found it at the A-1 Laundry, when I needed same day service on a single shirt. Three other places had told me that turnaround time was a couple of days. A-1 told me to bring it in by 9 a.m. and I'd have it back by 4 p.m. Not only that, they boxed it beautifully. (My former dry cleaner in Charlotte considered a handled paper bag to be a box--cardboard, they said, was too expensive.) The A-! also made sure that I had a piece of red licorice and asked me to return. I will. Location: 2401 1st Ave, at the corner of Battery.






Sports

My 'guns' are good after four-plus months at Gold's. Not this good yet, I'm the first to admit:




But, still, my guns are much better than his:



'
I still have a couple of soft spots and my legs are lagging. But I'll humbly claim a silver star sprinkled here and there with touches of real gold.


Entertainment: Kick of the Month




My addiction to Homeland grew hopeless. I continued watching through the third season (so far the most recent available on DVD). And, when finished, I began rewatching the first season. 1-3 form a clear-cut, brilliant story arc. The last episode plays, in fact, almost like a show--not a series--finale. What happens next, I do not know. But the first three seasons can go toe-to-toe with anything else on the planet.

And week by week I grow more hooked on the new Breaking Bad prequel:




Litrachoor

Now finishing: Lost Years by Richard Monaco. Will be sad to finish this one because I've enjoyed it immensely--and because it has such a juicy part for the series' most compelling character: Sir Gawain.

Reading for the bus to and from San Francisco:
1) The Sparrow Conundrum by Bill Kirton. A rogue chieftain of Tartan Noir took a darkly comic turn in this first novel...and the opening pages grabbed me.
2) Killer's Countdown by Wendy H. Jones. A promising-looking mystery that's won some terrific reviews. Once again, the opening pages hooked me, so I chose to give this first novel a try.

In the works: 
1) I chanced upon a hot new angle to the crime that I'd picked to explore in my latest mystery. I hadn't been this stoked in years. So I started outlining in earnest last month and have begun to write now at my slow and steady pace of 500 words a day. At 15,000 words a month, I'll have the book drafted in 3-4 months.
2) Meanwhile, my formatter Yvonne Betancourt has started scanning Mastery, another of my Kelley Wilde horror novels. Yvonne is not only scanning the hard copy of this old book, she's cleaning up the glitches and typos that the process sometimes causes. The sample results she has sent me are flawless. And her hard work frees me to work on Boss MacTavin while getting out a second book this year.

Homebodying

Our apartment building gave presents to tenants to induce us to be spanking clean. The packages included  items from the Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day line:


I received the dish soap shown above, a package of surface wipes and a general spray cleaner--all with soothing lavender scent.  And there's no question now, friends, about which of these two rules my place:





Ripoffs and Savvy Savings
The Great Shaving Adventure continued...
1) Industry-wide extortion. It's all malarkey and hooey, folks: shaving gels and foams...cartridges holding a half-dozen heads...60 different brands, each with its own perfect gimmick...You're mad as hell each time you pay because you know you're being had. Common sense will tell you that. Your poor brain screams, 'There is no need to spend $30-$40 a month on this crap!"
2) Let your sanity rule and be happy. Know this: there are alternatives out there. My own choice is Dorco.
http://tinyurl.com/q42tnw2
And here's what I can tell you based on my experience over the last month:
--Shaving every other day, I've received 10 perfect shaves so far from my first Dorco cartridge--and I expect to get another 7-10 shaves. That's 17-20 shaves from a cartridge costing $1.22.
--I have not had a single nick or cut.
--Instead of rip-off foams or gels, I use these accessories: a boar bristle brush, a small shaving bowl--and--best of all:


 

A 150 ml tube of this cream may cost anywhere online from $6.50-$10. But only a dollop is needed, whipped up by your brush into the perfect lather. My own first tube should last me anywhere from 4-6 months. Do the math.

Laptop Hoboing

Going on six months here, my three leading candidates for Laptop Hobo Heaven are:
1) Seattle Coffee Works, 107  Pike Street, just steps away from Pike Place Market.



I correct my earlier reservation about "spotty" wi-fi reception. That issue was corrected. The wi-fi connection is strong enough for all internet activity...except downstreaming. The staff are friendly, the coffee's great, and the outlets are abundant. Washrooms are clean, keys for each outside their doors.

2) Starbucks, 4th Ave and Seneca.



A wealth of tables here, including one coveted double up front, alongside a column with a double outlet. I've gotten to know the other hobos who really dig this table and we help each other out. I may leave a little early, waving one of the two men over for his turn. They reciprocate.

3) Starbucks at 2nd and Cherry. The coffee house opened in 2013, but the building itself dates back to 1894. This is my little home from home, with a welcome touch of Old World charm.



Only major drawback: the local miscreants wreak havoc on the restroom every now and then. A few times every month the washroom must close for repair. Or even health department inspection. Literally filthy bums at work? Ewwww!

Classifieds

Wanted: Reward for information leading to the release date of Homeland's Season 4 on DVD.


Deep Thoughts

1) I always do what I say. But I don't always say what I've done.
2) My great aunt in old age confessed: 'From my earliest girlhood I've worshiped men's feet. But now that I'm older I've had to cut down. One foot, give or take an inch, is all my doc allows me."

Reb MacRath's Seattle Rock: V.5: 02/01/2015

Nuts and Bolts
The new year got off to a promising, if somewhat bumpy, start. I progressed but took my lumps:
--Missed two full weeks in the gym while I finished a writing assignment, my first piece of flash fiction. (See below: Litrachoor.)
--Put off updating my resume for an all-out new job search, despite two violent brawls, until the flash was finished.
--Rallied finally, updating the resume and preparing to search online and also pound the pavement.
--Bought new pants to prepare for personal visits.
--Had a first-class haircut and washed out the gray.
--Took still more serious safety measures after a second fight at work and an assault on an assistant manager,
--Began serious note-taking for my next Boss MacTavin novel.
--Increased my 'regularity' on the Southern Scotch blog: from 1 to 2 entries a week..

City Beats

Seattle is:

--Fitness-minded. Forget the drunks and druggies at 3rd and Pike or in Pioneer Square.
Check out the tribes of men and women charging up steep three-flight escalators...sprinting up inclines of 60 degrees despite their heavy backpacks...humbling the competition at Gold's Gym for an hour or two every day. There's no LA narcissism here. After the punishing workout at Gold's, a buff male or female will throw on a suit or  loose jacket. No need for tight muscle shirts--they know exactly what they've got and keep it under wraps.




--Age-liberated. In the gym, in the arts, in the workplace, older Seattleites still bring it home. And the city is committed to helping them stay in the game. The Mayor's office, for example, has a 55-plus Employment Resource Center:

http://www.seattle.gov/humanservices/seniorsdisabled/mosc/employment.htm

I won't forget the woman who poured her heart out to me. Her husband had insisted she retire, though she was only eighty. "I'm too young to sit home!" she cried. And I agreed. The goal in Seattle's to rock till we drop.






And you can still write in Seattle if you're older than 39:


Jonathan Raban, 72                       Terry Brooks, 71


Greg Bear, 63

--Not San Francisco. Yes, the two cities have important points in common: water, mountains, steep-pitched streets, a cafe on every block. But the differences between the two cities are pronounced. San Francisco takes your breath away with its eye-popping pastels and great vistas. San Francisco is a perfectly manicured, pedicured and waxed courtesan who can have any lover she wants with a wink--leaving them delighted to have had their pockets emptied.  Seattle can't compete with her, nor does she even want to. Seattle is the natural girl who shaves when and what she damned pleases. There's a half-careless throwaway style to the town that may not work for everyone but works wonders on free spirits. Nordstrom and Macy's rub elbows with the roughs at Third and Pike, just blocks from Pike Place Market and the Puget Sound. And fashion in Seattle's in in your face with its free spirit as well:





And, whoops, I almost forgot to add this:




Sports

You can always count on Reb MacRath to be honest with you in the Rock. And so it's true confession time...



The runner stumbled, as I wrote above. For two disgraceful weeks I worked on a writing assignment....and avoided Gold's completely. The really shocking thing, though, is how difficult it is--once a good habit's been broken--to get back in the groove. Yesterday, at last, I did.

Lesson learned:  from here on, whatever it takes, I must avoid the horror of...




Entertainment: Kick of the Month



I have a new TV delight. A not-quite-perfect, but nowhere near guilty pleasure. I viewed the first season of Homeland--and have committed to seeing it through the current season, critics be damned. Hell, the cast alone's worth watching: Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin and Damian Lewis? The Emmys were well-earned. I'm hooked and willing to put up with whatever bumps may lie ahead.


Litrachoor

Just finished reading: Loving Imogen by Mari Biella. A stunning collection of stories, with a stand-out title piece that has haunted me for weeks.
    Also: Ratline by D J Bennett. One in a series of dark, gritty mysteries by a brilliant UK writer. If you like your mysteries strong, without any sweetener, add this writer to your list.

Now reading: Lost Years by Richard Monaco. This recent addition to his Parsival series is actually an 'interquel' that picks up immediately after the first novel's end. Monaco is one of my all-time greatest reading discoveries. And here's the link to my review of Parsival, with hopes you'll give his work a try.
http://tinyurl.com/ot67tfo

In the works: Just finished revising and proofing my first piece of flash fiction for a June anthology to be put out by Authors Electric. The story weighed in at just under 1500 words.
    And I've ramped up my groundwork for the next Boss MacTavin mystery: outlining and note-taking. I expect to be ready to write on March 1 and will reserve space in the Writers' Room at the Central Library.

February's red-hot tips: 
1) Five-day free event: A reformatted and revised edition of The Vanishing Magic of Snow will be offered free from 02/02-02/06. Here's the link:
http://tinyurl.com/mqpucy2

2) Amazon Countdown event: Red Champagne, my latest book, has won some terrific reviews and feedback has been glowing. To help the book reach more readers, the Countdown offers price saving incentives. on 02/02. the price will go down to $.99...rising to $1.99 on 02/5...and returning to its current price of $2.99 on 02/09. The link:
http://tinyurl.com/kfm3usw


Homebodying

Sometimes homebodying requires outside help. Like most apartment buildings, mine has a bank of mailboxes in the inside lobby. And after-hours deliveries are sometimes left on the floor--where they don't always remain. After the theft of one shipment and the near-theft of  a second, I began to check my options. Since my deliveries come from Amazon, I went directly to the source. And I found the coolest solution, described in the following link:

http://tinyurl.com/n66nuqk


Ripoffs and Savvy Savings

1) Razor blade extortion. Once upon a time, stores didn't have to keep men's razor blades in locked cases like jewels in a vault. Small wonder that they need to now, with 4-pack cartridges running up to $20. That's five bucks a cartridge, And greed's tactics grow still more ingenious--with Gillette's spins on its Fusion blades. We have Fusion, Fusion Power (same thing but battery boosted), Fusion ProGlide--manual and power...and now ProGlide with FlexBall! ( As described by Chris Gayomali: "a multi-bladed, swivel-headed, scruff-leveling Avenging Angel Of Follicles.Its defining feature is a round fulcrum, which allows the bladed cartridge to pivot in three dimensions.")

Sanity begins with saying goodbye to the madness.




2) A good clean shave for a lot less. I did some online homework, heeded some suggestions and ordered one alternative that didn't quite cut it with me: delivery issues and low blade longevity (six shaves). Undaunted, I did more research and think I have a winner: blade cartridges costing $1.22 each and lasting for up to a month. The company, Dorco, offers a wide range of styles. I opted for the three-blade style, which arrives tomorrow. My review next month.

http://tinyurl.com/q42tnw2



Laptop Hoboing

Worst Starbucks, so far, in Seattle: Broadway and Pike, in Capitol Hill. Modeled, it's said, on a Western saloon, it's a total waste of time from a laptop hobo's point of view. A few long tables and bistro-style rounds, with a shortage of electrical outlets. Long lines. Okay service--as long as you don't ask for decaf, either brewed or pour-over. The basic vibe delivered is: get in and get out, dudes, as fast as you can. Rebel, hobos, and move on!






Classifieds

Wanted: A part-time position that doesn't come with full-time stress or weekly brawls at the entrance.


Ask El Reberoo

Dorita Q asks: What do I do when I feel so damned blue cuz a dude that I love can't get out of the red and a geezer I don't love has nothin' but bucks?

El Reberoo responds: Remember my grandma's advice, dear: "Marry for money, divorce for love--of a lot more money." Seriously, though: try adding some green to the blue and the red.


Deep Thought

These days, sad to say, a penny saved is one poor cent of a duller bill.

Reb MacRath's Seattle Rock: V. 4: 1/1/2015

Let's Rock the New Year in just right with a thoroughly upbeat edition.

Nuts and Bolts

December goes down as the month in which I really found my legs in The Cool Gray City of Uncommon Funk. What did I accomplish? I:
--Published Red Champagne, my eighth ebook in just over two years. (The output consists of revamped work from my years in The Desert...new work...and a special 25th anny edition of my first published novel, The Suiting.)
--Bought a 12-speed blender on sale. (See Sports section below.)
--Also bought a DVD player at a Doorbuster special.
--Picked up an application for Elliott Bay Books and organized my papers for an intensive new job search.
--Increased my mastery of the city transit system, learning to rely more on the Tunnel system, where I can use any bus or train to get around within the downtown area.
--Continued prepping the new Boss MacTavin novel.
--Resolved the earnings ceiling on my current studio, the one factor that would have compelled me to move. I have their blessing now to earn more.

City Beats

Seattle is:

--Superior mobility. Here's a partial list of the things I can get to in minutes by train or bus, or on foot: my job, the DVM, the main post office, Gold's Gym, the Central Library, dozens of Starbucks and other cafes, two movie complexes, the museum, two shopping malls,Macy's, Nordstrom, Barnes and Noble, the Mystery Book Store, four drug stores, Pike Place Market, hair salons, Office Depot, Safeway, QFC...and on and on and on.

--Second wind.  Conventional wisdom warns us about running from Town A to Town B. If we're only running  from, it's said, then we'll find the same problems wherever we go. I've done enough running from to testify to that. But I have also moved wisely--to New York, San Francisco, Seattle. And there aren't many boosts to the soul that surpass the joy of testing and finding ourselves in new towns. There's the difference, friends, for me: as I discover Seattle, I tap into the best of myself.

--Risky business sometimes.


Though I've lived in some rough places, Seattle stands apart in ways. There's a genuine Wild West atmosphere in certain quarters of the town that I haven't seen anywhere else. As I saw more, I had concerns about getting home late at night after work. And, after chatting with two cops, I followed their suggestions for legal, non-fatal protection. Thanks, times two, to:

--Spiritually empowering. My focus has shifted, in less than four months, from thoughts of all I couldn't do to thoughts of what I can do. I couldn't: get around, work out regularly, escape my third-shift job, have time to write on a regular basis, etc. Now all that's changed and I wonder daily: where else should I feel more empowered?


Sports
I've added two things to my workouts at Gold's. Despite the difference in their cost, they're equally important.

1) A daily workout log.I found this one for under a buck:


I use this to help me step things up, day after day: with each exercise, each workout, raise the weight used or the number of reps.

2) Whey protein powder for the smoothies I make using the new blender.




The consistent advice I've read and heard is to drink a bit of smoothie before the workout...the balance shortly after so that the body isn't feeding on muscles I've worked hard to build.


Entertainment: Kick of the Month

The Doorbuster DVD player I bought further boosts my cable-free existence.



Through December I watched a half-dozen DVDs purchased at Doorbuster prices. And I'm now watching the 8th season of 24, the only one I missed. Soon I'll start replacing prized DVDs I lost--including all seasons of Prison Break and Have Gun Will Travel.


Litrachoor

Just finished reading and reviewing: Midnight Blue by Pauline Fisk, a haunting and beautiful fable about childhood traumas and choices.
    Also: The Operator by Valerie Laws. The second installment in this gritty crime thriller series was more than a match for the first.

Now reading: Parsival: A Knight's Tale by Richard Monaco. This two-time Pulitzer nominee is greatest reading discovery in years. And, halfway through this masterpiece, I'm already preparing to order the second entry in the series. Will post a link to my review next month. Till then, check out Monaco!
:
Just finished proofing and revising: The Vanishing Magic of Snow. My first ebook, a new novel, suffered in the formatting: faulty indents and line breaks, extra spacing between words. There were also some things that I wanted to change. So I spent most of December getting the book ready for new formatter to fix. This should be finished within the next week and will be re-launched with a free event. Details will be announced on both Facebook and Twitter.

Red-hot tip repeated from the December issue:
A wonderful new online literary magazine put out by Richard Monaco, Leverett Butts and Scott Thompson. The first issue is terrific!
http://www.grandcentralreview.com/

And highly recommended:

http://tinyurl.com/ny4zdnk

Homebodying

To refresh your memories, I lost all I had in the cross-country move except for one trunk and three boxes. Here's a partial list of things acquired to get back on my feet.

Studio basics: air mattress, sheets, blanket, comforter, pillows, dish rack, plates/cups/glassware, cutlery, bathroom towels and washcloths, garbage can, broom/dustpan, blender, futon/sofa, vacuum cleaner, DVD player, dining table/desk, newspaper/magazine rack, thermos, smoothie bottle, caddy trays, bathroom rugs, shower curtain, hair dryer. desk accessories.

Personal: security devices mentioned above, sport coat, heavy winter jacket, lighter Eddie Bauer reversible jacket, umbrella, flat cap (a gift), lumberjack shirt, running shoes, Fusion razor...

Ripoffs and Savvy Savings
1) Overpricing complaint. Kress IGA on Third Ave. does have a prime downtown location. And I'd begun to go there after my boycott of Target. But one day at the corner had a small basket of stuff that rang up for...$25. My eyes were opened. I've moved on. This review says it all:
"The only thing this has going for it is a convenient location.ad of
The small variety of food is overpriced, and the produce was terrible quality.
I'll travel extra to go elsewhere."
2) Savvy Savings. Once I got off my duff to look elsewhere, I found what I'd been missing--far superior selections and prices at both QFC and Safeway. On a typical visit, I save $5-$10 by using the store cards, more still (in comparison) when I buy the store brands. But I also save big buckeroos by making my own protein smoothies and post-workout treat (whole wheat muffin with a tbsp of peanut butter and a round of Canadian bacon).

Laptop Hoboing
Discovery of the month: Starbucks at Fourth and Seneca. A capacious and well-appointed Starbucks,with a balanced selection of long and private tables, plenty of electrical outlets. The single bathrooms are clean with code openings and Occupied/Vacant signs.

Classifieds
Wanted: Brave new ways to greet each day with my hat--and not my hard--on.


Ask El Reberoo
Alicia T asks: What makes you think you're so special?
El Reberoo responds: We're all special, darling. It's just that those who don't know how they are make more of it than they should.


Deep Thoughts



Petty acts are emotional food stamps for the spiritually unemployed.

And:

Here's what I know about writing after fifty-odd years at the trade: Less is more...more or less. Except when it is not.



R.I.P., Potty Man

Sorry, folks. But I've decided to bury this hero and the lists of best restrooms all over the town. The risk is too great that my legwork could result in my having to stand in long lines. But if I can find a way to sell the information... :)


HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!
Now go forth and multiply your talents, dreams and chances.