Sitting in Seattle

I arrived in Seattle yesterday.  In what's becoming a tradition when I visit siblings, I was delayed by snow!  Can you believe it!  Fortunately, by then time our (delayed) flight arrived, most of the snow was gone and it wasn't another "snowed in" situation like over Christmas or the time I visited Lisa & Loren.  Those were fun times, don't get me wrong!  But at least I was sitting AT their houses having a great time - not sitting at the airport with only expensive food and water for company!

Today was a gorgeous day.  I went in with Spence, found a cafe for a while and I spent a little time wandering around.  Still very cold out of the sun, but really lovely afternoon.  Spence and I went to Elliott Bay Bookstore Cafe for lunch and then browsed the books (of course.)  Then I walked up the hill and stopped in the Markets at Pike Market - I went to the shops downstairs from the main Food Hall.  I'd always meant to go down there to see what it was al about.  I thought it would be just touristy stuff like Pier 39 in San Francisco, but I found a great little used bookstore and picked up a few books:

• Snow, by Orhan Pamuk.  He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2006.  I'm giving this one to Spence since he enjoyed My Name is Red (another one my Pamuk, and one that I really enjoyed, too.  Here's the cover of My Name is Red - I really like this style of Persian Miniature so even the cover is fantastic!)

• The Gospel According to Jesus Christ.  This is the first novel I ever read by Jose Saramago (who also won the Novel Prize for Literature - in 1998.)  I found it in a little bookstore in New York when I lived in Manhattan.  Of course, it's a novel and not a religious book, so I think it generated some criticism when it came out.  But literature should challenge us, make us think more deeply about ourselves and our lives, and even if you don't change your opinion about something the effort of thinking and wondering always leaves us better off.  I want to re-read it to see if I still love it.  Since this book I've read most of Saramago's books that have been translated into English (he's Portuguese.) I've loved some and not liked others at all.  Among those I've really loved are The Stone Raft (really fantastic) , Blindness (made into a movie that I didn't see - why ruin a great literature event with a movie version?),  All the Names, and The Double.  Try them - you'll like them!  :-)

• Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman.  This is supposed to be a fantastic book of poetry; an American literature classic.  I've never read any of it, and it was so cheap that I figured I just couldn't resist!  Of course, I just found them actually online at Google Books (that's the link above.)  So read and enjoy!

Then I walked down on Western Avenue (by the waterfront but not quite AT the waterfront...)  Here are a few photos from my phone from that part of the walk...

Downtown shot

Another downtown shot

I liked this one - it's of Seattle Steamworks (I guess they make steam, but why?  Who uses steam and for what?  I guess I should Google it...)

I like this one

Some guys having a little impromptu jam session in the afternoon sun...

Last night I was with Spence & family; now I'm with Jen and family.  Should be fun times - I get to walk the kids to school in the morning and then do whatever I want until everyone comes home in the afternoon.  Maybe I'll practice some scales or something on the piano here.

Ciao! 

Few Photos from Wandering Around San Francisco

The other day I was wandering around with my friend Carmen.  We walked through Chinatown on the Saturday of Chinese New Year.  I took some good photos with my new phone.  And then when I got home and reviewed them I realized that I messed them all up by hitting the wrong button at one point.  So I only have a few from that day - but it was a beautiful day and hopefully some of these will be interesting.

A Pier South of Market Street on the Bay

Fort Mason, looking towards the Golden Gate Bridge

Aquatic Bay between Fisherman's Wharf and Fort Mason

I don't know what this is, but it's sort of cool!

Three Interesting Articles on Why Mormon Theology and "Intelligent Design" Don't Go Together...

I found these the other day when I was wandering around the Internet and checking out a few sites.

I thought they were all interesting and thought-provoking.  Not that I think any readers of this blog actually support the idea of Intelligent Design, but you never know and there's a lot of chatter out there about Evolution because of the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of publishing of his work On the Origin of Species this year.

Young Darwin 

Old Darwin

I found these interesting because I find being informed, having my understanding broadened and assumptions challenged to always be good things.  When we're too certain in what we think we actually shut down our capacity to learn - after all, if we already think we know everything there is to know, why would be out there looking for more light and knowledge?  But god Mormons should ALWAYS be looking for more light and knowledge!  

So here you go!

Two from the same author at a Mormon site I visit.  This site (Mormon Organon) has some great articles and is very thought-provoking in all the right ways.

• Removing the Lion Skin from the Donkey
• The Depth of Darwin (learning lessons from Job)

An article from the Salt Lake Tribune:

• Faith & Evolution

Enjoy!