First, Look Up

Note: The only rule I had for myself while writing these little oddities was this:
Do not edit. Write it as it comes, spelling and grammar be damned.

That said, I have taken the liberty of changing/adding/deleting one or two words in the transcription from moleskine to blog. I can't help myself, but at least it's written someplace in unadulterated originality.

All of these have evolved from an observation, whether I wrote the story of before or after. I figured that would stave off excessive self-indulgence, so please tell me if this tactic has failed. The whole point of doing this is to get over a fear of both publishing and criticism. Here, I look to you. :)

When: 06.21.2008
Where: Sitting in the lobby of the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Seattle

The city certainly knows how to make an impression.

Fresh off the plane from a place melting in an unwelcome, but not altogether unusual heatwave, the first thing I notice are the clouds. Though they are a token of identity more than a mere weather phenomenon here, they are not nearly as depressing as I expected them to be. They move slowly across the sky, like pillowy leaves riding a wide blue stream. Faster than the clouds back home, their journey across the skyline is like the steady soothing noise of a fan in the background; just enough to prevent suffocating in idleness. The clouds here play a soft counterpoint to the glaring sun I’m accustomed to. And I decide theirs is a melody I could quickly begin to love.