This is Kiki. The one on the left. She's Karen's cat. I asked her how long they've had her now, and she said they got her in early 2021. I noted that this means in another couple of months they will have had her four years. Karen was surprised to realize it was that long. The other cat is some neighborhood cat. Apparently these two like to have staring contests through the windows.
Anyway. If I were working today, I'd have had my customary biweekly Friday Zoom lunch with Karen, speaking to her through my work laptop in the phone room closest to my desk. Since I'm on my pre-Christmas PTO, I suggested Shobhit and I pack lunches and come have lunch with her in person. I had started by asking if she'd be working from home today, and Karen said yes. She seemed to really enjoy having me over for lunch. I actually did the same thing over my Birth Week earlier this year. I think it was probably the only two times I saw her in person this entire year.
Usually we do our lunches at noon. Karen said there would be someone over fitting her wheelchair so asked if we could push it to 12:30. Of course that was fine.
Shobhit remembered he had his own virtual meeting at noon today. So, he couldn't come to lunch. I think both Karen and he would have enjoyed seeing each other. Had Shobhit come too, we likely would have stayed longer. As it was, I just took the car myself, and got there right at 12:30. She did text me at 12:20 that the other person was still there and apologizing "for the overlap." I hardly cared, it was fine. I was introduced to the young-ish woman working on Karen's chair when I got there, and of course I don't remember her name. She was there probably ten minutes or so after I arrived. Karen had what looked like at least ten tins and boxed full of homemade holiday cookies stacked on her kitchen counter, with a plate set out with probably six different kinds. Over the course of my visit, I must have eaten four different kinds, maybe six total cookies. They were very small cookies, for the record! The little chocolate covered squares with peanut butter in them were amazing.
I also made myself a cup of tea while I waited, with Karen's guidance as to where to find the mugs and the tea bags. She has a drawer in her kitchen with so many different kinds of teas, incredibly well organized, it was like a little tea store in a drawer.
Soon enough, the chair fitting lady was done. Karen opened her little box of a ham sandwich inside pretzel bread she was very excited about. I ate the protein bar I brought, which Karen was a little taken aback by. She said she had some salad she could offer me, but I declined. I told her protein bars are usually when I eat when we're on our Zoom lunches, and I try not to eat a lot for lunch. Today, of course, I also had six of her cookies.
We commenced with catching up. She has a heart procedure now, finally, scheduled for January 15. There was a lot about what I would call bullshit on the side of Virginia Mason, and finally getting a referral to a doctor at UW Medical Center, where they apparently couldn't believe some of the stuff people at Virginia Mason told her. Jesus Christ. I was already looking to change where I have my primary care provider since Danielle informed me Virginia Mason is owned by the Catholic Church as of a couple of years ago, which makes me deeply uncomfortable. Karen told me today that there is indeed some reproductive care they no longer provide, as of this change in ownership. Ugh. Sometimes it's all you can do not to throw up your hands and say "Fuck this world." (Danielle very much had this attitude over hot chocolate last night.)
I was finally driving away at about 2:20. I was actually there only ten minutes shy of two hours.
Beyond lunch with Karen, for a bit, I wasn' sure what else I would do with my day today. An idea came to me, though, when I was making some notes for Christmas events next year, and came across an annual reminder for
Candy Cane Lane in Ravenna—I realized: we never did go see it last year. I went with Shobhit on Christmas Eve in 2020 when we were still being asked not to gather in groups; I went with Alexia in 2021; and I went with Tracy in 2022. By last year, I didn't bother—
it doesn't change much each year—as its novelty progressively lessened over the years.
But! I had no other plans this evening, and it was something Shobhit and I could go out and do. He'd get another Social Review point! This widens his margin ahead of Laney even more, as originally Laney and I were going to see
The Brutalist today, until I found out it's not opening locally until next month. Fucking limited release schedules!
He was all for it, and he also asked if we could take Light Rail. I had never considered this, even though, as it turns out, it's been an option since Northgate Extension opened in 2021. Candy Cane Lane is an easy one-mile walk from Roosevelt Station. It's hardly farther from U District Station either—to be precise, we're talking
0.9 miles versus
1.2 miles. And at Roosevelt Station, Shobhit took us out of the station on the 67th St side rather than the 65th st side, which added two blocks. That was a solid 1 mile.
We did not walk all the way back. We did walk from Candy Cane Lane to University Way and 45th, because Shobhit wanted to take the bus the rest of the way back home so he could use one of his free bus ride vouchers from the vaccine clinic where he'd been volunteering and he wouldn't have to pay for the Light Rail ride back. And you know what I realized literally while I was writing this? University Way & 45th is on the opposite side of the same block where U District Station is. Our walk to that corner from Candy Cane Lane was still 1.1 miles.
But then, we caught a #49 bus and rode that, taking much longer just so Shobhit wouldn't have to spend three bucks on the train. The bus takes a fair bit longer, but our attitude was that we had all the time in the world. Then we got home, made ourselves a pizza for dinner, watched the last episode of season one of
Fallout, and now here I am writing this post.
We had gotten to Candy Cane Lane at 5:15, and we were through it in roughly 20 minutes—and that counts the elaborately decorated house half a block to the south, across Ravenna Blvd, which is not technically part of Candy Cane Lane. Even Shobhit said when we finished, "It's not as exciting anymore." Indeed. I'm sure I'll go to it again, but I think I'm good for another few years. Another thing I need to make a note of. In my annual notes it says to look up special dates on their Facebook page when there will be live performances. It doesn't look like they even had any this year. Sheesh. People are really pulling back their efforts this year.
At least there's this new trend of "Christmas pop-ups," which I still find very cool: Miracle on 2nd at Rob Roy in Belltown; Gingerbread Mania at Frosty Barrel in Newcastle; and I just learned of a "Christmas Dive Bar" right here on Capitol Hill! apparently on 11th Avenue, in a bar I've never even heard of called The Woods. I'm thinking about going there on Sunday, if I can find someone to go with. Shobhit will be at work. Maybe I'll ask Tracy, or failing that, Alexia. Neither of them drink alcohol but the menu has lots of non-alcoholic options. I'm kind of eager to get there right when they open at 5:00 so it's easier to get a table quickly, just like Gabby and Amy and I did at Miracle on 2nd on Wednesday. Anyway, I clearly need to do more research on what other places have these kind of "holiday pop-ups" going on. The possibilities are endless!
I processed photos while we watched TV. Then I wrote this post. And here we are!
[posted 9:38 pm]
