Seattle

An osprey landed during sunset while waiting for boarding to start. All the kids went to the windows to watch. "We are definitely win the war with these" a kid said to his dad who didn’t seem embarrassed but didn’t follow up. The energetic ground guidance crew: Two ladies at least 50 years old with a parchment paper like skin. A life on the tarmac and at the beach. A sweaty smile. One of a generation who learned to appreciate physical effort and its reward. I could see the sweat from the window. Very different from the many athleasured students and muscle dads all propped up in gear and electronic gadgets inside the plane.

I read Thomas Merton in the plane. On the nose considering the nature of my journey: shoot a commercial video shoot. A few sentences into Merton I found myself struggling. His prose felt uncomfortably complex with layered clauses, circular meditative pacing, and a vocabulary of another epoch. By the end of each section I was forced to acknowledge how little I truly understood, thus rereading quite a few. Meanwhile my neighbor was joyfully reading a poorly designed hiking guide booklet and also rereading over and over. I barely made it through half of the second chapter and got hit hard by a few comments on technology:

"the right thinking men... can justify any wrong road and make it seem like the only road. They can justify everything, even the destruction of the world."

As I landed uber prices surged. I installed the app just for the occasion and setup my work card. $150 seemed outrageous and asked how long it would take via public transport. It was 10pm. The helpers were not sure. The most optimistic estimate was 1h30. So I called an uber. As I walked to the designated pickup, a group asked me if I was seeing the same insane prices as them. The prices didn’t budge for my whole stay, likely a result of the Iran situation? I stepped into a Cadillac Escalade ESV and felt like a little prince, filled with anxieties about moral decline and technology. This monstrosity is the result of what Merton would call righteous pragmatism. I’d agree. The dashboard layout is a design aberration.

The morning after I decided to walk the 3 miles to the location. Partly out of shame for the bacon ne egg breakfast I indulged in at the hotel. The daffodils, tulips, magnolia, cherry blossoms and crisp morning air properly welcomed my overcooked Californian mood. On the way I saw a familiar plant agonizing on the side of a large street. Monnaie du pape - used to grow in my grandmother’s garden. I’m no botanist but I would guess it doesn’t belong in the Pacific Northwest. I have a thing for Annual honesty (Lunaria annua). Its silvery, papery seed pods that resemble coins is so elegant, I could recognize its non dry state. I turns our it grow well in well drained soil. I need to drain better.

Charlie's theory about why hot climates don’t seem to be conducive to the pursuit of highly technical job such as software engineering, was fun, whacky and agreeable. He acknowledged that indoor climate control might work for some. It definitely doesn’t for me. According to this theory, Austin and Miami will never be tech hubs. Where his framing seems novel is the climate instead of the usual focus on local culture. Climate is the base of culture. Hot climates historically correlate with laid back, outdoorsy, less competitive dynamics than its cold counterpart. I heard versions of that over the years. Namely at GitHub with a diverse international team where cultural preferences led to some subtle tensions.

The hotel had a tiny "exercise room" which I visited on my last morning. A student was on the stationary bike, on her phone. In 20min she managed to down a full Gatorade bottle and 2 energy bars. She was not big but quite fit and profuselly sweating. 45min later we were both having breakfast downstairs. Her plate was bigger than mine. She made me question seriously if I have what it takes to build any significant muscle. At least the message was clear for today: go hard on the hotel free breakfast buffet.

I got lucky and caught 2 days of good weather and walked about 20 miles. I haven’t been in such a big place in 4 years. Not counting LA whos flat sprawl is unbareable. The population density and the greenery were refreshing. I had time for only 2 memorable stops: the Japanese garden and the public market. I was absent minded as I reached the garden, keeping an eye on the map and Slack notifications. When phone and backpack went down I enjoyed a few minutes of no mind gazing at the manicured lawn and Japanese woodwork. The public market reminded me SF Ferry building, more authentic.

The university district was posh and the campus impressive. Concrete brutalist structures adjacent to charming residential neighborhoods are an unusual sight. Many multi-million dollar remodeling projects are popping at every corner. Same dynamic and price range as California. Tech money is here too. No beatnik in sight. I’m sure there are a few boat people and alternative communities, tucked aways.

It’s a big world, I lose sight of that perspective in my sedentary countryside stronghold. Looking through the window of the plane and in the streets I get reminded of why I happily moved out of the Bay Area. The metropolis is also a small world. Like an ant colony, or a spreading organism seen through a microscope. In the streets the commotion blends into a vibe, an energy. One I struggled to appreciate in the Bay. Tree and flowers paired to a good mood can almost camouflage byproducts of civilization.

It was a strange experience to be catapulted 1000 miles away in a few hours. I know such a trip is casual to many these days. The wonders of the transportation infrastructure works but elicited little awe, efficiency aside. On the way back the waiting room was filled with parents of Cal Poly students visiting for the Rodeo week, chatting about pastries, lavender tea, and inevitably, real estate.