So, here I am in Seattle. It is still dark outside and Denzel is snoring on the couch next to me. I am working on my second Nespresso of the morning. I would be doing more things outside of the house. I have a tremendous list of things to get done this week but the city is still asleep. So I will have to wait another couple of hours before things begin to open and I can get through my task list.

I slept for twenty minutes on the plane yesterday. It was very full and the guy next to me slept with his face in my direction and he was a mouth breather. It was rather uncomfortable sensation. Every time I breathed through my nose I could smell his breath. Luckily he hadn’t eaten garlic or anything but it was a little past the barriers of personal space!

Customs took 90 minutes yesterday. The “improvements” in Seattle are not that. Now you go through four separate lines instead of one. In the name of technology, they have installed kiosks, which can’t think or converse only analyze. Next time, I think I will choose a connecting flight and go through customs elsewhere in the US where they have a bigger facility. Within 40 minutes, they have flights landing from Beijing, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Dubai. And they don’t have the capacity for more than two at a time at most.

On the super plus side, Lawyerella and I went to Cactus last night. I really needed that infusion of Mexican flavors. As matter a fact, I think I am going to finish my leftovers for breakfast. I had the roasted squash tamales full of chipotle peppers and spicy apricot and pepita sauce. Oh, and a big bowl of guacamole. Just describing it made me go get it out of the fridge. Yum! It is good even cold. Ole!

It is rainy here. Warm compared to Amsterdam. I was surprised to see how many people bring their children and infants to the restaurant. I had gotten used to not seeing that in Amsterdam. Funny what the things are that you notice.

Denzel is recovering from surgery on his long back so today he will be spending quality time with me on my errands. He loves to ride in the car and as long as he has a blanket, he can stay there for hours. Sometimes when he would stay with us, my mom would put him in the car in the driveway in his blanket. He loved that because George and Henry can be over stimulating for a dog that prefers to rule his domain by himself. He would always go to my mom and let her know that it was time for his “meditation”. The bond between the two of them was very special. And while Denzel loves me too, it is a different bond than he has with Lawyerellla and what he had with my mom. He’s pretty happy that he got a hard boiled egg with his breakfast about an hour ago.

Wow, time flies, it is 730am already. Bummer that it is still dark. And I have 90 minutes before anything is open. I have already fed the cats, Harper and TC. They would like me to bust out the canned food but I am not falling for that trick. Canned food is for dinner!

Seattle feels different this time. So large geographically, of course. Less like home, less painful than last time and still really beautiful. We will see how the week plays out in terms of what it feels like being here.