welcome to winter

[rivendellrose]

Only got two trick-or-treaters last night, which kind of made me wonder where every other kid in the neighborhood had gone. Maybe they're scared of the closed-down school across the street? It is pretty creepy looking sometimes.

It never fails to surprise me, every single year, how fast it gets dark in the evening, and how much colder it makes me feel. I have a feeling I'll be wearing nothing but sweaters for the next few weeks, at least until I get adapted to it again. And it's almost time to drag out the big wool winter coat... I'd better find a way to de-cat-hair it. ;)

Now, to begin NaNoWriMo! Pity I can't count the two thousand some-odd works I wrote on it earlier in the year, except as "planning and preparation." Ah well - fresh starts are always a good thing!

Edit: It turns out... I can't concentrate on writing at the office, with everything else that's going on. Shit. This is going to make my writing plan a lot more difficult to keep. :/

Comments

[cirakaite.livejournal.com]

We had the lucky street where all the high schoolers hung out with their firecrackers, so all the ickles avoided us like the plague, which was a pity. It did reinforce the idea that driving on Halloween is stupid, though- even going at 15mph, I nearly hit half a dozen kids, and they set off fireworks under my wheels >_

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

Bleah. That does make me glad most of the kids in my neighborhood are under the age of 13... teenagers are such bastards. And driving on any holiday seems like it's a bad idea, in the last few years.

[cirakaite.livejournal.com]

Driving at all is beginning to seem like a bad idea, when you take pedestrians into account.

(actually- do you have any suggestions for a good hostel in Seattle? I"m thinking of doing a trip- either there, or taking the bus up to Portland- weekend after next)

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

Yeesssss - join those of us who have disowned the notion of driving! *g*

(I'll check with one of my housemates, he stayed in a hostel here not long ago and probably knows the situation better than I do. I'll get back to you on it!)

[cirakaite.livejournal.com]

*snickers* I would love to disown it, I'm just not brave enough to make do without a car in a city with a very centralised, non-inclusive bus system. It's a great network, as long as you don't go further than 10 minutes away from the centre . . . Put me in NYC, or Montreal, or any other city, and I'm all over the buses.

(that would be fantastic. I've done the google thing for a short-list, but personal knowledge makes a huge difference!)

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that does make it more difficult. I'm worried about what will happen if I'm ever forced to move out of Seattle. We've got a good system, as public transit goes.

(I'm sure Sean'll have some good thoughts, and a couple other folks might know some things, too.)

[cirakaite.livejournal.com]

Seattle's public transit was great from a tourist's perspective. Not like some cities where I can stare at the maps and the fare structures for hours without figuring it out . . .

[scearley.livejournal.com]

*snort*
I've always thought the trains in Frankfurt/Main should read:
"Welcome to Frankfurt. You will pay the wrong price for your ticket."

good thoughts

[scearley.livejournal.com]

thoughts on what? Seattle's public transit, or the public transit elsewhere?

Re: good thoughts

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

On the hostel thing.

Re: good thoughts

[scearley.livejournal.com]

aaaaah yeah
naw I'm too old tohave any useful insight ;)

[scearley.livejournal.com]

afaik there is only one hostel in seattle.

[cirakaite.livejournal.com]

There seem to be two big ones: the HI and the Green Tortoise, but there's a couple of smaller ones coming up as well. Will probably go for the GT, unless I hear wonderful things about a different one *g*.

[scearley.livejournal.com]

I'm too old and too.......well, old, really, to stay in a hostel. ;-)

[cirakaite.livejournal.com]

*snickers* I've felt like that on several occasions, and I'm 22. Er. 23. But I find it's really dependent on the hostel- there's one in London that I'd stay in by choice, even if I had the money for more. It's lovely, central, and convenient, with private rooms. *g*

[scearley.livejournal.com]

No, I mean, many hostels have an upper end on the age limit.
I'm 33 and too old to stay in many of the hostels I previously stayed in in Germany. ;)

[cirakaite.livejournal.com]

Ohhhhhhh. A lot of the European hostels do have age limits. I always forget :">

[scearley.livejournal.com]

whippersnapper!

*shakes fist*

you punk kids stay offa my lawn!!!

[scearley.livejournal.com]

There are two reasons why I enjoy living in a dump:
1) since all my neighbors also live in a dump, they expect me to have the same items (e.g. nothing) they do. There's zero theft.
2) kids know that the better candy is in a more affluent neighborhood, so they hike a few blocks to the tonier area. No trick-or-treaters. At all.

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

We actually wanted trick-or-treaters, but I assume most of the kids in our neighborhood had the same idea and went to one of the nearby ritzier areas. Or to one of the malls, since I hear that's a big thing. I'd rather troop my kids around a neighborhood than encourage them to think of the mall as the only place they can go, myself...

[scearley.livejournal.com]

The idea with going to the malls (which was heavily pushed when I lived in NY) was that you didn't have to worry about rain/snow/cold and you didn't wonder where the candy had been.

Which was a huge draw since we lived within 2 blocks of a gun-runner, a brothel, and two of the 5 houses on our street were condemned by the DEA.

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

Good point. Kind of funny when you get soccer moms from the suburbs doing it, though - I always thought going out in the rain and the cold was part of the point, myself. ;)

[scearley.livejournal.com]

well in Seattle, the "cold" is maybe 50 degrees.
Upstate NY it was 30 and with a wind, not to mention slush on the sidewalk.

Plus the cars splashing.

So the malls helped keep your costume and makeup looking nice all night. :)

hostels

[zhapper.livejournal.com]

The best hostel, from what I've heard from a close friend who stayed there, is the yha or whatever it's called at the end of Post Alley. The green tortoise can be kinda scary to stay in, from what I've heard.

Re: hostels

[zhapper.livejournal.com]

Ahh, yeah, it's the HI one.

Re: hostels

[zhapper.livejournal.com]

Also, yes, Frankfurt is an insane city with an insane transportation system and, from my experience, less than helpful tourist information booths.

Re: hostels

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

I'll be sure to pass the recommendation on!