My regards to soul and romance

I'm not entirely sure if this post has anything to do with playing Left 4 Dead, or if I've wanted to make this post for a long time, but it has gotten me thinking about what can only be called The Inevitable Zombie Apocalypse.  I will begin by saying that I believe in ghosts, so that my position on this topic has an admitted slant.  And there's a very small, intuitive leap to made from ghosts to the living dead.  Think of this post as more of a rambling investigation into the possibilities than a definitive thesis.

Three words:  Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.

Let me explain.  We believe now that Mad Cow Disease occurs when cows are fed the remains of other cows; the act of eating a member of your own species is referred to as cannibalism.  The disease can be passed onto humans who eat either the brain or spinal stem of an infected cow; something that can happen with hamburger and has happened before.  The infectious agent believed to cause the disease is a misfolded protein called a prion.  Once transferred to a human host, this disease is called Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.

This is what happens when some one gets the disease:

A related cousin of kuru, this incurable but transmissible disease causes physiological and neurological failures that ultimately lead to death.  The first symptoms include rapidly increasing dementia and personality changes stemming from memory loss.  Essentially, the frontal lobe becomes damaged and the person suffers memory loss and hallucinations that erase their fundamental personality.

The next symptoms are more physiological.  They include speech impairment, rigid posture and coordination dysfunction.  Also noteworthy are an increase in involuntary movements.  Most important are the changes to brain chemistry:  seratonin has been widely researched as a neurotransmitting chemical directly related to controlling agression.  If brain chemistry were altered in a way that would block the synthesis and regulation of seratonin, we could devolve into overly agressive personalities.

Even worse, the effects of being infected with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease may not even manifest for years, due to an immense variation in incubation.  It is now believed that like kuru, incubation may take anywhere up to 30-40 years.  There were between 460,000 and 482,000 Mad Cow Disease infected animals entered into the human food chain before controls were put in place in 1989.  That means anyone who ate a hamburger before 1989 could be carrying the malfolded prions that ultimately lead to CJD... and begin manifesting the symptoms at any moment.

What we have is a transmissible protein, gained by eating infected tissue, that causes mental deterioration and physiological dysfunction and increased aggression, that is incurable and invariably fatal.  But it can also be transffered by bodily fluid exchange.  As such, the Red Cross has placed several bans on people donating blood who may have contracted the disease.  Similarly, the FDA has placed bans on importing sperm from donors in countries that may have contracted the disease.

While zombies are commonly considered residents in the realm of science fiction, it may turn out that they fall under the realm of science as well.  And that is a terrifying possibility.

This is a fun game you can try at home.  When we're in a particularly funny mood, one of the things that my wife and I like to do are make up reviews for movies... like the quotes that you see on the DVD cover under the title... but intentionally bad ones.  Let me give you an example off the top of my head:

Braveheart - "Not every man truly lives, but every man should see this movie!"

For the most part, this comes from something I noticed - every critic seems to think they're clever by using some sort of word play that involves the title of the movie, the stars or quotes from the movie.  For your viewing pleasure, here are eight more examples.  If you think ours are bad... we came up with a mock quote for the Jessica Alba movie The Eye before it was released ... and it was dangerously close to the one they actually used.

Be Kind, Rewind - "Worth watching again and again."
Fantastic Four - "Fun 4 the whole family."
Juno - "Bursting with premature humor."
Real Women Have Curves - "Caution:  wide load of fun!"
Run, Fatboy, Run - "You'll be back for seconds."
Shawn of the Dead - "A headshot to the funny bone."
The Eye - "You won't believe her eye."

Finally, I want to make special mention of this last one.  My loving wife, in her infinite wisdom, felt that this quote was somehow a pun.  While I find it hilarious, it has absolutely nothing to do with the film... but vaguely pokes fun at the French.

The French Connection - "Shave your pits."

Bonus points if you can figure out which ones are mine.  I don't know what you'll do with said bonus points... but points all around nonetheless.

I've been very fortunate.  There haven't been a terrible number of things for me to complain about yet (green penis aside - ed).  And since this blog has been mostly positive, I'm going to continue that trend with some observations.

New Music:  The thing about Seattle is that the music here is great.  It's been years since I've actually heard music on the radio and gone "Wow!  What is this song?  I actually want to hear this at home."  I also think it's very cool that Adam Carolla has a morning show and Dr. Drew from Loveline has a talk show at night.  A few examples of songs that get played on the radio here, and that I recommend for your listening pleasure, are:
1.  Cath...  Deathcab for Cutie
2.  Human  The Killers
3.  Spiralling  Keane
4.  Shattered  O.A.R.
5.  Between the Lines  Sara Bareilles

New Clothes:  This is a minor thing but my wardrobe has changed, mostly because things are reasonably priced here.  And since its a bigger city than most I'm accustomed to, they have discounted items in my size.  I actually have things by Marc Ecko, J. Crew and Eddie Bauer now, in my size, that were reasonably priced and not found at an outlet store.  More of a personal observation, because I never saw myself as some one who would own brand-named clothes.

New Food:  We're still on the lookout for new restaurants but we've already found a few pretty good ones.  It's also amazing to me that a ton of restaurants deliver here... in fact there are so many that restaurants give out a delivery guide for the entire county!  There's this place about 5 minutes away with excellent Teriyaki recipes, which is pretty impressive considering that I'm Asian and my mother is an incredible cook.  One of the top three pizza places in the city, according to The Seattle Times, is right next to where I work and $20 will get you a large pizza!  Plus there's the International District, which specializes in oriental foods and even has a Japanese supermarket!

New Places:  We've been the Blueberry Farm on Mercer Island, where you can pick your own produce during the summer time.  They have this great trail that runs around the farm with blueberries and blackberries ripe for the picking just growing in the wild.  We also love going to Pike Place Market, though we don't go very often.  We recently found our way to Archie McPhee's so my wife could buy a corporate zombie action figure pack.  And we went to the Kubota Japanese Garden and the Washington Park Arboretum!  They have this river that runs through the park, and you can actually rent a canoe and paddle your way through it.  Very cool.

At the moment, there's a possible chance that I'll get promoted, which would be amazing right now.  I've been thinking about looking at buying a house next year when our lease is up - and have had several places recommended to me by strangers in conversation.  I've yet to make any close friends but the people here have a tendency to be friendly, which makes a world of difference.  Even our current location, which is a lower income area, is the equivalent of Coldwater back home.  And I can live with that.

"We'd like to thank all our S1 transit riders for... you're dozing off aren't you?  Well, since you're not driving that's definitely an option.  Just watch the drool 'cause the guy next to you didn't sign up for that.  And as long as you're not behind the wheel, feel free to read a book too.  War and Peace is good.  Or at least the Cliff Notes version was interesting.  Hey, it was high school, cut us some slack.  Like you read War and Peace when you were 14.  Anyway, thanks for riding."

I found this message on an official poster inside my bus to Bellevue this morning.  Seattle can surprise you like that.

It all started because I got a song stuck in my head and couldn't remember the lyrics.  Normally, if that happens, I just made up my own words.  It's kind of like free writing, except you slowly become more abstract and hilarious.  Does this ever happen to you?

Last night my wife decided to help.  We were both reading our current respective books:  her The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman and my The Pirate King by R.A. Salvatore when I suddenly burst into song.

"You're as cold as ice... something that rhymes with ice..."
"...willing to sacrifice..."

And then we started making up our own lyrics.

Roll the dice.
Dice and slice.
Not once but twice.
One time, I had lice.
My watch is cheaply priced.
Pie is nice, can I have a slice.
Hey, there's some mice.
My hand is in a vice.

And my wife's golden lyric which ended the session in laughter:

You're Asian.  Make me some rice.

Hello, blog.  Don't worry, I haven't forgotten to write you.  Thanks.  I've missed you too.

I've started my new job at Harry & David and love the fringe benefits.  I work in a candy shop, and I think that's pretty cool.  Of all the places I thought I'd go, being surrounded by rich people and chocolate was not part of the planned itinerary.  But it has been a very low stress job with better pay than I had in Michigan.  And that far outweighs any would be cranky customers... except the people I see on a daily basis are well funded and rarely concern themselves with the trivial nature and stresses of middle income life.  Plus, I can get a bag full of truffles for $1.50 now.  So, win-win.

Want to know what isn't so win-win?  My neighbors.  The first week we were here, we met with a few incidents, including some one spraying a fire extinguisher down our hallway and on our door... and the now infamous green penis.  Well, tonight I almost had a heart attack - which is either less or more funny depending on your perspective.  It seems that the little kids in our complex have found a new amusement - playing with the screen doors outside the sliding glass doors in the living room.  Fortunately for me, there's no way to open the sliding glass doors from the outside without something short of a large rock, which is beyond the strength capacity of a toddler as is.  Unfortunately for me, when I'm taking a shower in a new apartment and I hear what sounds like some one breaking into my apartment well... lets just say my nerves are a little on edge.

So.  I crept out of the shower and got quickly dressed.  Quickly grabbing a knife from the kitchen, I assume my sly-mongoose stance, and creep to edge of the blinds primed for action... only to discover a 5 year old kid sliding the screen back and forth.  Examining him, just to make certain that he's not a cleverly disguised midget, I look up to see his father staring into space while several of his brood meander in front of people's apartments basically doing the same thing:  toytruck tossed down a hill towards a window there, kicking a car tire over here, running in circles laughing... and it goes unstopped until the toddler begins rocking the tire and sets off the car alarm.

I like Seattle so far, don't misunderstand.  Tomorrow, the wife and I are going to Archee Mcphee's and the Nordic Museum, basically because she loves strange gifts and I love vikings.  But people basically hanging out beside your living room window and vandalizing the walls next to your door... doesn't inspire a lot of confidence.  Even if they are just kids.  I think it's moving time come April.

The last week went by pretty fast.  Cristina had an interview with her new boss and started work.  I've been called back for an interview at Harry & David on Monday.  And I saw the Space Needle for the first time!  I also took a picture with the wife's camera phone just to show what downtown Seattle is actually like:

You'll have to forgive the quality of the picture, but I think it illustrates that there are trees everywhere.  There's a corner downtown, not far from Pike Place Market, with a 40 foot pine tree in the middle of an intersection.  I bet they dress it up all pretty at Christmas... I'll try to remember to take a picture.

A pretty cool thing about the area is that it's like a bunch of small cities that kind of connect.  And because each one is a self-contained entity, there aren't really districts here, which is a refreshing change from Michigan.  No place has that steam smell that factory districts have because they don't exist.  I've also learned, from first hand experience, that because the city spends a lot of money on its public transportation the buses are both very clean and kept in good condition.

This morning, we kind of ran into our second setback.  We were getting ready to leave for work when I noticed one of my tires was flat.  I'll note here that this particular time, which shall remain nameless, has had an unidentifiable slow leak since before I left Michigan.  Oops.  Anyway, because I'm always prepared for every vehicular emergency, I used a can of Fix-A-Flat to get the tire pumped back up so I could at least get the wife to Bellevue Square on time.  Luckily for me, as it turns out, Discount Tire fixes flat tires for free!  The guy there actually talked me out of getting a new tire because even though it has a slow leak (it turned out to be a screw in the tire... how the hell did that happen? - ed) the treads are still in great condition; he did put the tire under a warranty so that if it does break, I can get a new one at discount...

The major drawback right now is our commute.  We happen to live almost directly diagonally across Lake Washington from Bellevue, which means that we have to go all the way around north or south.  We elect the northern route across I-90 East because we get to cross Mercer Island and see this view everyday.  The picture does not do it justice:

So, over the past week I've noticed a few things:

• all the kids in our apartment complex play GAIA online
• downtown Seattle has a strange street layout
• I have an innate desire to alphabetize things
• I miss my friends but not Kalamazoo
• my best job prospect right now is Border's in the South Center Mall
• my internet addiction is going through major withdrawls
• Pike Place Market is awesome but expensive
• the people here are friendly despite what they say
• Tiny Adventures is completely addicting and Derek is beating everyone

As far as apartment updates go, we've learned that on the weekends the little kids in the apartment above us like to do laps.  That, or as I like to believe, they have a particularly clumsy dog that crashes into things looking for treats.  You know, like Marmaduke?

Man.  Marmaduke was awesome.

Last night we had our first setback:  our washing machine ended up having a bad water seal and leaked all over the kitchen floor.  Luckily, my wife noticed it because I was far too engrossed working on a secret project and listening to Coldplay's Viva La Vida.  We had to call the emergency contact number to get some one to fix it, but within about 5-6 minutes we met Rick...

And Rick is pretty awesome.  He's an older guy who apparently goes by the nickname M.O.B. (Mean Old Bastard) but the reality couldn't be farther from the truth.  We chatted each other up, and he made us feel really welcome and comfortable.  When he noticed our current apartment situation he said that he might be able to help; Rick got us a loveseat for free!

It was a very friendly gesture, and it got me thinking... what Seattle Freeze?  We've met dozens of people so far, from people in restaurants to the new bank, to tenants in the complex... and everyone has been friendly.  Maybe not "Hey, come over to my house and have dinner" kind of friendly, but definitely more than polite.  I'm very curious to see, from personal experience, if the freeze is real or not.

My one major lament about the new apartment is that it's perfectly laid out for D&D, which does me absolutely no good at the moment.  I've been feeding my addiction with Tiny Adventures but the itch isn't getting scratched that well.  But we have other things to worry about at the moment, like rebuilding our apartment one box at a time.  Our stuff finally came today!

Cristina has a meeting with her new boss at some point later this week.  We're planning to go to the Pike Place Market tomorrow, and probably to Lake Washington as well.  Yesterday, we drove around town for the first time and are starting to get a feel for which roads we'll frequent often; we actually found our way home without using the Google Maps function on her phone, which is a hell of an accomplishment, let me tell you.  Traffic hasn't been as insane as I was expecting, which is an immensely good thing. 

The town is still a little big for me, but I'm getting there.  I've also gotten my first few job offers through Career Builder, so keep your fingers crossed for us!  And on a completely unrelated note, the views here are spectacular... and the air smells like pine trees.  We'll post photos when the internet gets set up.

I've got about 20 minutes here, so this update is probably going to be shorter than I'd like it to be...

Wow.  I can't even begin to describe the events of the last three days.  We'll post a ton of pictures from the trip and of the new apartment once we get our own internet access (hopefully Friday; keeping our fingers crossed -ed).  Cash completely hated the car ride until we took him out of the cage and into the front seat.  It's the weirdest thing - he used to just sit on the floor of the backseat and complain but on the open road, he's staring out the window as the world passes by.

Today was the first time I've been in an IKEA store.  Cristina was sure that I would love it... and it was pretty cool.  We also stopped at a Fred Meyer store yesterday, which is strangely similar to the Meijer stores back home.  We also found a Petsmart and Target, which are exactly similar to the stores back home.  It was a nice change of pace, because the city is nothing like Kalamazoo.  I still feel a little like a hamster let out of his cage, but I'm getting there.

The apartments are really nice here.  It helps that nothing is more than two years old.  If there's one problem that we've run into, it's that the rooms are too big.  Our bathroom is what Jamielah would call "stupid huge" though I guess it's better than being too small.  We're supposed to be getting our stuff in a few days, and our phone will be hooked up this weekend - so expect more updates then.

Oh!  And Dustin, if you're reading this, I will respond to your e-mail as soon as possible.  I've got about 5 minutes left right now and need to finish updating this post gets lost.  There's also a present coming your way, as soon as we get a chance to sail that direction...  Also, I live 10 minutes from the Wizards of the Coast building!!  It's completely surreal.  Oop!  Gotta go!