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.

Reb MacRath's Seattle Rock: V. 1: 10/01/14

Nuts and Bolts

Well, now! After nearly six months of planning and prep work, I boarded a train for Seattle on September 1 and arrived here September 5. In my first month in Seattle I accomplished the following things:
--Began work at my employer's Seattle location, reducing my hours to thirty.
--Stayed in a convenient hotel for five nights till my studio apartment was ready.
--Moved into the studio on September 10 after completing a 20-page lease form and obtaining proof of Seattle employment (which took no little doing).
--Decided to travel on foot, not by bus, to gain a thorough knowledge of the downtown area where I work and live.
--Found within easy walking distance: a copy shop, scores of Starbucks and two 4-star indie cafes, a terrific sandwich shop (half sandwich for $2.75), several soup and salad joints, a mystery book store, two movie multiplexes, a medium-sized grocery store, Pike Place Market, hair salons, a post office, an Office Depot, a Walgreens, restaurants of all persuasions (Indian, Chinese, Thai, Mexican, Italian, Japanese, etc.), a large Bank of America, the central library, a store for kilts..The list goes on. All found on foot.
--Visited Gold's Gym and committed to working out there on a month-to-month basis starting by mid-October.
--Spent a couple of mornings on line, notifying anyone who needed to know of my change of address.
--Applied for State Enhanced ID.
--Continued revising my upcoming winter thriller for release as an Amazon ebook.
.

City Beats

Give me a city of neighborhoods any old day of the week. Depending on the source you check, Seattle has somewhere between 63 'hoods and a hundred. Central District, Downtown, Capitol Hill, Belltown, Pioneer Square, Lower Queen Anne...and on. In my walks so far I've seen enough to resolve the confused first impression that I was in San Francisco or Portland.

Seattle is:
--Pike Place Market: a superior indoor version of San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf. Every bit as much a tourist trap--but with reasonably-priced world-class produce stands. And they'll sell you a handful of grapes...or a cluster....or a half-pound or more with a smile. Six dates? Absolutely, sir! Three bananas--for today or tomorrow or just a bit green?
--The produce artiste at my favorite stand. When asked how much an apple weighed, he held it up in the palm of his hand, deliberated solemnly, then answered: "Seven tenths of a pound." The woman scoffed and insisted that he use a scale. He did--and he'd been off by less than half an ounce. How could I not return there?
--The stoned kid camped out in a doorway, barely holding up this sign: IT WOULD BE SO AWESOME IF SOMEBODY HELPED ME.
--Pioneer Square's stone and brick buildings dating back to 1852.
--The double-buses that seem to stretch half a city block.
--The pedestrian-friendly traffic lights that give walkers time to cross--and cars little more than a second before yellow turns to red.

Size, Statistics and Climate
--The Seattle Metro Area includes the city of Seattle, King County, Snohomish County and Pierce County within the Puget Sound region.
--Estimated population of 3.5 million as of 2012. The 13th largest Metro Statistical Area in the U.S. The adjacent metro areas--Olympia, Bremerton, etc.--raise that population by about 1.3 million.
--Downtown population: 652,405.
--The racial makeup of the SMA is said to be:

• White: 71.9% (Non-Hispanic White)
• Black or African American: 5.6%
• American Indian and Alaskan Native: 1.1%
• Asian: 11.4% (2.3% Chinese, 2.0% Filipino, 1.6% Vietnamese, 1.5% Indian, 1.5% Korean, 0.8% Japanese, 0.5%Cambodian, 0.2% Laotian, 0.1% Thai, 0.1% Pakistani, 0.1% Indonesian)
• Pacific Islander: 0.8% (0.3% Samoan, 0.2% Guamanian or Chamorro, 0.1% Native Hawaiian)
• Two or more races: 5.3%
• Some other race: 3.8%
• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 9.0% (6.4% Mexican, 0.5% Puerto Rican, 0.4% Spanish or Spaniard, 0.2% Salvadoran, 0.1%Guatemalan, 0.1% Peruvian)

--The climate, often described as 'always raining', is close to that of Portland: frequent but not constant rain in the autumn, winter and early spring. The coolest month: December, temperatures ranging from 20-40 degrees F. Summers are sunny and dry, temperatures averaging 66 degrees F but reaching 90 degrees F a few days a year. Hardly San Diego, true, but not a rain forest either.

I'll bring you more in months to come as I pound the city beat in search of the Soul of Seattle.


Sports

Time now to reactivate! In my time I've been a jogger, a cyclist, a passionate walker, an Hapkidoist, a Kendoist, an Aikidoist and a bodybuilder. Martial arts are too risky at this point, since I won't have full insurance till summer next year. Then I may reconsider Tai Chi or Aikido. For now: till I start at Gold's, home circuit workouts based on The Men's Health Big Book of 15 Minute Workouts. (Note: a Women's Health Guide...is also available.)

http://tiny.cc/wyramx

A fair number of the exercises don't require weights. And, by bumping the time from 15 to 20 or 30 minutes, you can work all major muscle groups...then add focused time on arms or abs, whatever. My October plan: 3 high resistance gym days a week and 3 days of cycling, abs work and stretching.


Entertainment

For seven years in Charlotte I lived in what I now call a form of house arrest. I worked the graveyard shift, slept and spent hours traveling by bus--to and from work or a distant Starbucks where I could write or enjoy free WiFi. True, I did succeed in publishing seven ebooks after twenty-plus years in The Desert. But, as you can guess, Entertainment is now one of my premium values. So I'll begin surrendering soon to some of my new city's Sirens:

--The Seattle Art Museum I pass every day.
--The Seattle Symphony at Benaroya Hall, also on my daily map.
--A film in the Meridian Cineplex.
--Trips to Pike Place Market to hunt for fresh new produce.
--Ferry rides, locally or up to Vancouver.
--Occasional train trips to Portland and San Francisco to visit friends and family.
--Long walks once or twice a month to Elliott Bay Book Company.
--Pleasures unique to Seattle that I have yet to find.


Litrachoor

Currently re-reading: The Art of Seduction by Robert Greene. A masterful text on persuasion in all forms, including advertising and politics. Greene, better known for his 48 Laws of Power, may be related to Satan. Then again, he may be simply be telling the truth when he says it is better to know than to not know the tricks that some others are up to. And know this: Greene treats sexual seduction as a mating dance between two willing partners and he sets out the rules of engagement as he sees them for both sides. He does not endorse lying, roofies, cruelty or force.

Currently reading: Dead Blossoms: The Third Geisha by Richard Monaco. This has been described as a hardboiled samurai saga. Or I'd go that one better: Shogun meets The Continental Op, Though Monaco's been working for decades, he'd slipped under my radar till a friend recommended one of his Arthurian novels--told in the first person and channeling Raymond Chandler. I was hooked. This one is much longer and I've just begun. Too soon to review it. But I can say: a great prose stylist is at work here...full-tilt boogie, Edo-style.

Just finished reading: Wolves of Vengeance by David North-Martino. A paranormal wolf novel with real teeth, plus theme, strong plotting, rich characterization...and style to spare. If you like horror, check it out. The fact that it's an ebook should be all the proof you need that traditional publishing's in a bad way. North-Martino's a writer to watch for.

Currently writing: Red Champagne. a short (40,000 word) thriller about a retired safecracker on board the great old American train, The Twentieth Century Limited. The thief has a top urgent reason to disclose his identity by cracking the train's safe. Goal: a classic blend of mystery, suspense, wit, romance...and rich Thirties atmosphere.


Homebodying

Starting from scratch, on a limited budget, takes strategy, discipline and a lot of patience. You can't have all the bigger ticket items at once--plus dishware, cutlery, garbage cans, paper towels, light bulbs, sheets, linens, etc., etc., etc.

The day I moved in I ordered a metal frame futon from Walmart. Till it arrived, a week later, I needed something to sleep on and bought a twin-sized air mattress, intending to store it for guest use. My thinking evolved: I'll continue to sleep on the air mattress while using the metal frame futon as a sofa...or an occasional Get Lucky bed. (I mean, of course, after I manage to assemble it. Not easy when you're Reb MacRath.) Two pieces of furniture to start with, plus my purple steamer trunk, prominently placed. Next up: a utility table and a chair for writing.

Shopping strategies: Ensure every step is directed toward this groovy end result: a feng shui-fueled studio that appears as spacious as a large apartment. Buy nothing that can't be used, even in a different way, as I continue to furnish. And let everything contribute to greater freedom and simplicity.


Ripoffs & Savvy Savings

1) Ripoff Alert: Don't become duped by the 'all natural' juice scam. The Naked brand is owned by Pepsi...so we can expect pretty much what we would from Vitamin Water, which is owned by Coca- Cola--and tastes like a bottle of sugar whatever the label may claim. (The first formula for Coke actually included cocaine.) A class action suit against Naked alleges that Naked is hiding the presence of GMO and synthetic ingredients including zinc oxide, ascorbic acid and calcium pantothenate, That last one comes from formaldehyde. Odwalla began as a small California company that made real, raw juices but is now owned by Coca-Cola. The pasteurization of juices destroys the vaunted nutrients. Cold-pressed, non-pasteurized Evolution juices are over-priced at Starbucks ($5 a bottle!), but can be found cheaper in some grocery stores. Best bet: your own blender.
2) Savvy Savings Tip: I needed to protect my Kindle Fire in a rainy town like this one, since my 'water-resistant' backpack doesn't do its job. A waterproof cover would cost up to $70. Worse: numerous online reviews point out that the Atlas Kindle cover is hard as hell to put on or remove...and has annoying glitches: hard to use the now-covered control buttons or tap the screen with a stylus. With a little checking I found a 'waterproof case sleeve/dry pouch bag' on Amazon. All the protection I need, along with easy access and a decent price: $10.


Spiritual

In one form or another I want to restore worship back to my life. I trust the right form to come to me soon. For now: daily meditation, starting at 15 minutes, slowly progressing to thirty.


Poetry

From Red Champagne,  my new winter thriller set aboard the Twentieth Century Limited in 1938. Publication date: November, 2014.


    Claire's asleep now, her head in the crook of his arm, her face a few inches from his. Smoke and wine. She stires once, then lifts her left leg at the knee. When it grazes him Jimmy groans, stiffening. Bliss. Her left breast, plumped against his ribs, feels softer than a pillow. Down comforter. Crisp linen sheets. Plush blanket of Century blue.
    And through some magic of the heart, the roomette seems as big as the Van Der Kloosts' suite. Yards on yards of open space invite their berth for sailing.
    Claire murmurs nothings dreamily as prized scenes of their coupling loop around and around in her sleep. When he closes his eyes, he'll have loops of his own and be thrown for one too, three times better. For now it's good to bless his luck as moonlit vistas sway beneath.


Laptop Hoboing

One confirmed laptop hobo's wi-fi observations, based on Seattle (so far), Charlotte, Portland and cross-country travel by train.
1) Only the train from Charlotte to Washington provided wi-fi access--and it was useful only for checking email or surfing the web, not watching TV or a movie.
2) The train stations in Washington and Chicago did provide free wi-fi.
3) I learned upon reaching my Seattle hotel that my Kindle Fire still remembered the guest password from my visit two months before. And Starbucks also remembered my Fire. In Charlotte, I'd had to shut down the Fire and reboot whenever I changed locations--even from a Starbucks to the adjacent Harris Teeter grocery.
4) I'd encountered the same problem when using my laptop in Charlotte....and, oh-oh, at first in Seattle. But I've discovered a trick here that works. When I choose my network connection--Seattle Coffee Works or attwifi for Starbucks--I come to the usual home Google page. And that's where the old trouble starts: if I click Outlook or Facebook in my Favorites bar to reach the Acceptance of Terms, the gateway to free wi-fi, I get an error message. Again  and again, even when I reboot, till I get through--eventually. BUT if I click Amazon, another of my Favorites? I get through immediately. Every single time.
5) Seattle, so far, seems friendlier to hobos than Charlotte or Portland. Outlets are scarcer in the latter two towns. (In Charlotte, I'd habitually carried two 8-foot extension cords...and sometimes raced by cab at dawn to get my favorite Starbucks table. And Amelie's--Charlotte's best cafe--offers plentiful outlets...but no free wi-fi.) In Portland, hobos might come close to blows over good tables with outlets.) No problems here. Seattle knows how to make its hobos feel at home.


Classifieds

Wanted: a literary agent who can chew glass and crap diamonds without bragging that s/he can.


Ask El Reberoo

Sally X asks: Dear Reb, I'm a little on the shy side but I just can't help asking...Would you like to send me a thousand so I can show you a really good time?

El Reberoo responds: Dear Sally, That is one serious photo. And I thank you for sending it. Who'd have guessed a body could contort in such a way? Still, my own shyness compels me to answer: how about if I show you a thousand instead and you send me a really good time?

Deep Thought

No one ever thinks to tell you of the things they can't think of to tell you. And--I'll tell you, cross my heart--I can't begin to think of what could be sadder than that.


Monthly Mystery

In the Poetry section, there's a buried numerical sequence. First 3 peeps to find it and tell me by email win a gift copy of Red Champagne when published.


Parting Tout

This month, to prepare you for Red Champagne, have a look at my first Amazon train thriller. That book is called Nobility. In it, one lonely man takes on a 'whiz mob': six pickpockets determined to loot a train on Christmas Eve. Here's the link to this short novel..and, if you care to check them out, some pretty decent reviews:

http://tiny.cc/9r2dmx