August in Seattle

August in Seattle ushers in the season of blackberries. They can be found everywhere, lining roads and sidewalks. The Burke-Gilman Trail is lined with an especially prolific population of blackberry bushes. There is nothing more enjoyable than going for a leisurely stroll along the trail, stopping here and there for a snack of freshly picked berries. Equally enjoyable is watching other people stop to munch on berries. Everyone from serious cyclists, decked out in their spandex gear standing astride their bikes reaching for a cluster of berries, to businessmen in suits and ties out on their lunch break, gingerly leaning over the bushes to pick berries without getting their apparel stained or snagged by the bushes, can be seen along the trail.

For myself, August has brought a new apartment and soon a new roommate. The moving process was spread out over several days but now it is finally finished and I'm settled (more or less) in my new apartment, although not in my own room since someone is still living in it. To settle into my own room I'll have to wait a couple more weeks. Actually to do any unpacking at all I'll have to wait a couple more weeks. Until then I'm living out of luggage and boxes, which I should be used to by now with all the traveling I do but somehow it's different. When you only have one piece of luggage with a limited number of things in it you can resolve yourself to those items, but when you have all of your belongings in luggage with you and theoretically available to you it is intensely frustrating because really they're not available to you unless you know exactly where you've packed everything - which I don't. It takes me 20 minutes to find any one piece of clothing I'd like to wear and really that's not a very efficient way of getting dressed. I should really just content myself with what is most easily accessible but what's the point of having your entire wardrobe packed and within reach if you can't wear it?

On the upside my new apartment has a fantastic view of Mt Rainier from the living room, the balcony, and my bedroom - I'm thrilled!