Quote from an acquaintance on Facebook:

“McDonald’s global sales have increased by 8%. evidently, people eat more terrible-for-you, crappy-ass food when they’re broke.” – KT

I understand everyone’s angst against McDonald’s. I haven’t been to McDonald’s in years. But does anyone think back to their childhood when going to McDonald’s was a treat? I didn’t know any better. I loved the chintzy toy inside. Looking back I would have rather had In-n-Out, but I can’t change that. I walk by a McDonald’s everyday on my way to work and fight the urge to buy an Egg McMuffin and devour it like a hungry wolf in the dead of winter. I never do because I’ve been conditioned to think otherwise.

Last night was one of those rare nights, and too few and far between nights, when nothing will satisfy my hunger like a Dick’s Deluxe burger and some fries and a chocolate shake (Unfortunately not this time).

I was out with a group of friends reconnecting at Quinn’s on Capitol Hill. Most of us had never been there. Immediately upon sitting down I ordered a Manhattan. Others ordered wine and foreign beers. Eventually we ordered food off the menu, which contained, among other delicacies, sweet bread and a bone marrow dish.

My wife and I ordered one small plate and large plate to share. She wanted the gnocchi and I opted for the cube steak. When the meals came we noticed that the portions were small, but we didn’t mind because the conversation was full. We ate and shared our meals with the rest of the table.

Previously posted on Facebook and reposted here for readers who do not have Facebook accounts.

“Transform Anger Into Activism”

I can’t remember exactly when I thought of this statement, but I think it was around the time I was working in Hollywood for a community development organization.

While working for that organization I confronted racial and economic tension and anger. I thought it would be more constructive to get active (volunteer, rally, vote, etc) than to just sit around fuming about troubled circumstances.

The “transform” sticker is a collaboration between Joseph King and me for Practical—a creative vision we both worked on more intentionally a few years ago. Today Practical persists in the pages of my notebook.

The past few weeks I’ve been thinking about “my career.” At 28 years old I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. Yes, it’s true. I have a bachelor’s degree and ample work experience, but still no clue about what it is that I should pour myself into. It’s cliché I know.

Yesterday I decided to pour myself into some career quizzes and personality tests that I found through Jobhuntersbible.com. I ended up at this site called Tickle, which is a social networking community for people who like to take tests. There are hundreds (probably thousands) of tests from what I’ve seen on Tickle.

“I’ll punch you in the fuckin’ mouth,” said one young male bus rider to an older male bus rider.

The older rider asked the younger to move farther back on the standing room only bus—the 2 to downtown Seattle, which is always eventful.

The older man yelled up to the bus driver that a passenger was threatening to assault him. The bus driver mumbled something in the microphone and eased the bus back into traffic. Nothing happened.

What I couldn’t believe was that the kid (no more than 21 yrs old) was so aggressive in his clean-cut appearance and tailored-fitting North Face jacket.

My first thought was, ‘I hope that kid gets a beating to teach him a lesson.’ Then I thought, ‘I wonder if he gets beatings at home.’ Perhaps he gets the same violent reaction when he talks back to his dad or mom’s boyfriend—”I’ll punch you in the fuckin’ mouth.” Who says that with a straight face? Most likely people who have actually been threatened with similar force.

The other day the power adapter for my PowerBook started sparking at the frayed, exposed section of the cord near the part that plugs into the computer. The white rubber around the cord cracked awhile ago and I’ve been hoping it would hang on until I was able to get a new laptop. Sadly this is not the case.

I researched online and found out I could buy another adapter for $80 or try to find one on eBay for half the cost. The summer before I replaced the hard drive so I’m not eager to plunk down any more money on it because I want to buy one of the new MacBooks rumored to be released in August.

Since I can’t charge my battery and I’m not sure I want to spend more money to keep an old laptop going I’m faced with the decision not to have a computer at home, which will cut down on my Internet use considerably.

Today I was crossing the 520 bridge around 8:30 a.m. on the 545 destined for Redmond and the water was the glassiest I’ve ever seen it—completely still except for a slight breeze rippling the water’s surface. Hazy sunlight all over. Only three boats on the water: small yacht lumbering along and two fishing boats sitting idly. Mt. Rainier towered over the water to the South. No wakeboard boats in sight.

I’ve been a fan of Coldplay ever since I saw the Parachutes video on MTV. Perhaps before then, but I distinctly remember sitting in front of the TV, captivated as the light changed from dim to bright while Chris Martin trudged across the beach.

That captivation took root on a California road trip with my friend Cara. Somehow the two of us ended up driving from my dorm parking lot in Seattle to our friend Caryn’s driveway in the Bay Area.

On a long stretch of highway between the California-Oregon border and Eureka I listened to Parachutes while Cara slept in the passenger seat. All that was in front of me was the car’s headlights on gray concrete with black veins running through it where it had been patched and sealed.

A couple weeks ago Sissy Fish posted a list of his dream sponsors. This was intriguing to me because I don’t do anything and the thought of getting sponsored is completely absurd as my life is lived now.

But, I thought I would jot down a list of my own dream sponsors just for fun. I call them “lifestyle sponsors” because I don’t do anything that daring.

Here are the winners:

1. Apple—No contest. I have to completely agree with Sissy Fish here. Yes, I will take a new MacBook Pro every year, thank you very much. Oh, you’ll toss in a Mac display? Sounds even better! 3G iPhone? I’ll take two!

Last night I had a rare evening alone, all by myself, no one around. It was thrilling and confusing at the same time. What would I do?

That was a good question.

I answered it by making a series of choices. First I got up from flopping on the bed after I got home from work.

Next I poured out a small portion of Limoncello that we had left in the cupboard and decided to go to the store to get Father’s Day cards and a bottle of vodka.

Next I walked to the store. Chose three cards (one for a wedding later, the other two for Father’s Day) and walked to the liquor store. I purchased a bottle of medium priced vodka. The clerk asked for my Id. He noticed I was from Yakima. He was from Roslyn—”Got the hell out of there as soon as I could,” he said.