rear window

Naughty blogger was not being at all cooperative yesterday in posting pictures, so the post ended up rather truncated. But, I forgive Naughty blogger, because they've now tweaked the composition page so you can actually cut-and-paste pictures in the HTML compose mode. I don't know why they didn't do this before, but apparently, it's kind of like having a cell phone. We lived for years and years without the buggers, and never knew what we were missing. Or maybe that's a poor analogy. I don't care, though, as I'm not getting paid any money to write coherently or elegantly. (If someone does want to pay me some money for writing this blog, I won't say no, though.)

Today, we continue on Magical Mystery Tour of Pictures That We Can't Figure Out Why Jamie Took In The First Place Because By Jove, How Fugly! Mea culpa, as these pictures are also from last week (because I've been too lazy to go out and get batteries for my camera).

So, just to get your bearings, here's a look-see at My Apartment Building, By Jamie:



To clarify further, my building is the Tall Grey One, not the Clay Orange Short One. If you were really bored, you could actually pick out my apartment, as it indeed faces the street/bay (depending on what floor you're on). (Don't ask me why I use the British English spelling of "grey." I just like it better.) I know it looks very impersonal, like some kind of Soviet era housing, but it's actually quite a nice building. There are actually four buildings in the apartment complex, and a 24 hour desk service, which is good if you call and get any one else whose name is not Jennifer, because she doesn't seem to know a lot about her job yet, and asks you who she's supposed to send to your apartment. Like, if I knew that, why would I waste time calling the front desk?

I think I had this problem at another place I lived, but I've lived so many places, it hardly matters.

Any way, here is another view (from my balcony) of the traffic I don't have to commute to work in:

I live about a mile from work, all local roads. Even with parking, it only takes about 10 minutes to get to work. Sweet.

And, here is my lovely view from my SW facing balcony:


I know you're thinking I feel shafted by this view, but actually, it's kind of interesting. First of all, the building to the right is very Mysterioso, with the people in lab suits walking around every once in awhile, but otherwise no one seems to be around.

I'm pretty sure this building where they filmed that godawful Tarkovsky movie, Stalker. In fact, I think those poor bastards who were running around in The Zone, or trying to find The Zone, or whatever the point of the stupid movie was, are still stuck on that set, having gone mad due to the incredibly slooooooow panning shots that probably took two months alone to film.

I mean, it takes about five minutes to open a damn door in that movie. I know I will be torn to pieces by the Intellectual People, who love this movie, but I just think Tarkovsky could have done us all a big favor by editing it down to about fifteen minutes of footage, half an hour, tops. I mean, if I wanted to see people rummaging around looking for a pile of trash, I'd go outside and check out the homeless people right over on 5th Ave.

And, the building to the left is an office building, which means I can't walk around naked in my living room--unless I wish to attract a lot of attention--but I can emulate Carey Grant, minus the broken leg, in Rear Window, and watch People Working When I'm Not Working. (I also don't have a pair of binoculars. That would be pretty creepy.) This Watching Employees Making Phone Calls And Photocopy Stuff, in turn, give me a feeling of vast superiority, because "Ha ha, you corporate slaves! It's Wednesday, and I'm not working and you are." Hopefully, I won't witness any murders, because I don't want to explain what I was doing home alone, spying on office workers from my dinner table at three in the afternoon.

Also, on the rare days I've had to be up at some godawful time like six thirty in the morning, I've noticed Early Guy sitting at his office window, working away diligently. I don't know if he comes early and leaves early, to avoid traffic, because He's Google Like That, or if he's a Crazy Person. You know, the kind that comes in and does extra work for free, and works all this unpaid overtime. Like nurses, only he's Office Guy.

I also live so close to the bay (about two blocks) that while I could see it from my apartment if I lived on, say, the ninth or tenth floor instead of on the seventh floor, I can also go see it any old time I wish.

And, I can also journey up many, many steps to improve the tone of my calves:


I mean, there's so many steps, I couldn't even take pictures of all the steps (well, that's probably because I'm such a shitty photographer, actually)!

Um, okay! So when I get off my lazy ass (and friggin' Rite Aid stock their AA battery section, those bastards!) and buy batteries, you'll have more pictures of Seattle! And maybe even another Piper picture!