Block 6: Putting It All Together: 2nd Flash Bulletin

Keeping it real, my results have been mixed. From here on I'll need to be persistent, resourceful and lucky. No cause yet to panic but signs to take care.

Successes:

1) I've gotten a feel for the city and know that this is It for me.

2) I've gotten my reduced fare reloadable bus card at half what I now pay in Charlotte.

3) I've established that the cost of living is not significantly higher than in Charlotte for a nonsmoker and nondrinker.

4) I've met with two branch managers of my current employer and have checked in with Randstad Staffing, who've asked me to email my resume.

5) I've found a studio apartment building that really rings my bells.

Setbacks and Hurdles:

1) The bookstore seems to be a bust. Reaction there was frosty and defensive. Failed to meet the manager, who was never there when I was told to come. Repeated remarks about not hiring part-time help seemed to show hostile awareness of my letter to the owner outlining part-time advantages with the new higher minimum wage.
2) Business there wasn't strong on the four days I dropped by...though it was bustling at Barnes and Noble.
3) The new minimum wage won't take effect till next year.
4)  A recent dispute with my Charlotte boss may pose a more serious threat than I'd feared. Company policy mandates that any other manager must approach him about a transfer. The first Seattle manager I approached declined to approach alternative store references--and I had no choice but to tell him I'd disputed my last review.  Couldn't quite read his  reaction to that, but he said have my manager call him. I tried a different tack with a second manager. Am guardedly optimistic but we'll see how it goes...soon.
5) The perfect studio for me would cost the same as my new Charlotte rent. But we won't know availability till 8/11. Next size up would be bigger and $100-150 -more.

And so the frontline battle goes. Stay tuned!

Block 6: Putting It All Together: 1st Flash Bulletin

The real hunt begins: I've arrived here for a 3-day scouting trip.

Saturday: Wrestled with the jet leg demons and, after checking into my hotel, set off to find Elliott Bay Book Company. A very long walk because of a confusing walking map which showed 10th Ave segue-ing off from Broadway. As I got further and further from the action, I became concerned. But no one had heard of the store or knew exactly where Broadway became 10th. I despaired. This made no sense! Finally, a lovely tattooed lady with a GPS, showed me the 10th Ave I wanted-- miles back...just blocks from where I had turned onto Broadway.

Found the bookstore, introduced myself and picked up an application, arranging to meet the manager on Monday. Walking back to the hotel, I passed a branch of the store where I work in Charlotte. Introduced myself, learned there may be an opening and arranged to meet the manager on Tuesday. And, just blocks from my hotel, I chanced upon another. So I dropped in, etc.

Sunday: My walking day. I decided to consult my map rarely if at all, walking as I like to walk, with my tootsies in the lead. In the course of the day I discovered Belltown, Downtown, the Public Market, the piers, Capitol Hill...And while I walked I also worked, noting the numbers of a leasing company advertising studio apartments and a Randstad Staffing office with a Jobs Now sign...and a giant Target for cheap water, snacks and personal fare.

Monday: Today I know I need to hit it on all eights.

Stay tuned. And sorry for the absence of pictures this time. Couldn't add them from my Fire.

Block 5: Seattle Love Song #2

What is it about you, Seattle, that calls to a man who has loved and been loved by some of the loveliest cities on earth? Toronto, Montreal, San Francisco, New York City, London, Portland...

Today I'll show my love in  pictures, not in words. A few reasons why I love you:



Outdoor movie nights.



Timber! Music festival.




Pianos in the Parks.


Washington State Ferries.



Space Needle.


Pioneer Square.



Elliott Bay Book Company



The mountains!


The Puget Sound


The cafes!


Pike Place Market



Smiling Faces

I'll be there soon, Seattle!

Block 5: Action Hero Time: Checklist #2

A few items remain on the first checklist, but I'm on track with the thirty-day timeline, and pleased. Now's the time to take some time to fine-tune the overall game plan.

Room/Roommate Arrangements
( x )  Expand search beyond Craig's List, including roommate.com and an ad placed in 'Seattle's Only Newspaper', The Stranger (comparable to Creative Loafing).
( x ) Emphasize location desired, rental/job stability--and preference for initial 3-6 month commitment.

Physical/Image
( x ) Continue and intensify workout regimen: 3 resistance training days, 2 cycling sessions in between...and High Intensity Interval Training on Saturdays.
( x ) Daily protein drinks and juices.
( x ) One high-protein meal daily (chicken allowed till I reach the right shape).
( x ) Reboot hair style with senior stylist July 23.
(  ) Total juice fast for 2 days/nights this week, July 13-20.
( x ) Buy new running shoes before the August trip.




Personal
(  ) Return to daily meditation for at least 15-20 minutes.
( x ) Begin devoting, daily, as much attention to my thoughts and attitude as I do toward the trunk and four boxes.
( x ) Continue to try to reach C, the old school chum I've drifted from. He should still be in LA.
( x ) Also call or email S in Portland.
( x ) Try to further strengthen family ties before I leave for the West Coast.




Job
( x ) Prepare to visit my job references before the August trip.
( x ) Gauge disposition of my present boss from upcoming review.
( x ) Begin preparing the packages for Seattle store branch and book stores.

The next two weeks are critical, so it's time to sign off and fine-tune for dear life.

Block 5: The Big News!

Today I spent the morning scouting August air fares--then booked a flight for my first visit and made a 3-night hotel reservation.

I've been under pressure for months now. This is where it grows intense.

But you'll hear no complaints from me--Seattle, here I come!

Flight date: August 3.

Block 5: Seattle Love Song #1

Ah, Seattle, listen to me! Once again the spirit of adventure calls to me. And it calls out in the loveliest way, the way I've been privileged to hear in half of my life's travels: a call to the chance for spiritual growth.

The good moves came from a stout heart, sailings to--not fleeings from. And these are the moves I'll record here with pride:

From Buffalo to Toronto, where I lived for nearly a decade--my own Paris of the Twenties:



I returned to the U.S. in 1979, starved for a taste of my country and the adventure of a lifetime. I hopped aboard a Greyhound bus for the city I'd dreamed of for years. No job and no contacts there, just the crazy conviction that I could survive. And survive I did for four good years in one of the world's greatest cities:



I might have stayed there forever, so great is the spell of that city. But, after a decade-long apprenticeship at writing, I'd finished a novel I knew I could sell. And I knew what I had to do if I was to sell it. Steely-eyed and lion-hearted, I decided to beat New York at its own game and go there to sell my new novel. I did just that and stayed there for the next four years:



And I might have stayed in New York, now that my writing career was in gear--the first novel picked up a major award. But a nasty divorce got the better of me and I fled for my life to:



For the first time in my life I'd moved for entirely the wrong reasons. But, alas, the list grew longer--because I'd lost my mastery of the art of travel. Because I'd forgotten that the reason to Go is to Grow, not to run from the loss of a job or a suffocating sense of disempowerment. My future travels would take me back to San Francisco...back to Atlanta...on to Portland...then to Charlotte

But Seattle, listen to me! You've returned my youth to me. Once again, I crave the magic of the new and strange. To me you contain little traces of both San Francisco and Portland. But you are entirely yourself: quietly hip, serenely funky, wonderfully--wildly--you. And I prepare to approach you in the most positive and loving way, open to your magic and rocked by your beautiful heart.

Beautiful new city, I'm coming to you soon. Till then, I dream of you:

Block 5: Action Hero Time: Checkist #1

In little over a month I'll make my first trip to Seattle. Within ten weeks I'll have moved there. Though I've hardly been inactive, it's high time to cover all the fronts and hit with persistence and focus.



July will consist of two checklists with Seattle interludes between to help me stoke the inner fire. To start, here are the things that I need to accomplish by July 15. I'll add an X as I finish each task.

Packing
(  ) Dry clean remaining shirts.
(  ) Buy two space vacuum bags for the trunk.
( x ) Perfect test-packing of trunk and four boxes--but do not seal till departure.
( x ) Pack relevant personal and job-related papers in suitcase for August trip: fingertip access is the goal.
( x ) Decide which clothes to take for August trip.

Pre-August trip
( x ) Week of  July 6: scout out best air fares and be prepared to book when month's extra funds arrive.
( x ) Contact Moore Hotel re 3-night stay.
( x ) Place ad seeking room or roommate on Craig's List and try to set up interviews when I arrive.
( x ) Send third note to Elliott Bay Books.
(  ) Send note to other bookstore.
( x ) Contact Q. re personal and rental references in Portland.

Physical
( x ) Intensify workouts--daily at gym during off weeks, home workouts three times a week during work week.
( x ) Make appointment with top hair stylist: see about a style that might conceal one small issue.
( x ) Begin juice fast during week of July 6...preparation for going vegan .


Apartment
( x ) Get rid of all furniture not essential.
( x ) Begin thorough cleaning: one room at a time. Complete bathroom and kitchen by 15th.
( x ) Notify landlord in writing of my wish to stay one additional month after my lease expires 8/31.
( x ) Give landlord a written list of problems not caused by me: e.g., broken sink disposal.

Job-related
( x ) Compose list of references: at least three former managers now at other stores.
( x ) Daily, focus on delivering a relaxed and cheerful performance at work--erasing all memories of former storm-and-stress.
( x ) Assemble a small file of praise received at past jobs, certificates received, etc.

Writing
( x ) Launch Charlotte Kills by July 7.
( x ) Look into reformatting first ebook by end of August.
( x ) Step up the pace on my winter release, RC--with a goal to having it retyped before the move.


That's  a long  list of two-week to-do's. But, then again: