I sat in a deserted coffee shop this afternoon with Emma, as much of Seattle was watching the playoff game of the Seattle Seahawks against the Green Bay Packers. Idly curious, I checked the score early in the fourth quarter and found that the Packers were leading 19–7. I was quite surprised later to find that the Seahawks had won 28–22, sending themselves to the Super Bowl in Arizona in two weeks' time. Apparently, it was a thrilling comeback late in the game.

I suppose that I'm happy for my football-loving friends, though I'm inclined to “love the sinner but hate the sin”, as I can't stand football. I spent eleven …continue.

This year is the 24th an­niver­sary of the Seattle AIDS Walk. A whole generation has passed since the Northwest AIDS Walk began. AIDS used to be the un­stop­pable disease that killed much of a generation of gay men.

AIDS is still a serious problem, but the de­vel­op­ment of an­ti­retro­vi­ral drugs in the Nineties means that people with HIV are living longer, healthier lives than before. More than 1.5 million Americans are now living with HIV/AIDS: 9,000 of them in King County. 40,000 people are infected every year, and most new infections are among African-Americans. The U.S. is getting off relatively lightly: about one-quarter of the adults in southern Africa have HIV!

The Lifelong …continue.

It's shocking how few times I've crossed the Cascades into Eastern Washington in the seventeen years that I've lived in Seattle. We go up or down the I-5 corridor, usually heading for Portland or Vancouver, or we cross Puget Sound to the Olympic Peninsula. But we never go more than about 30 miles inland.

We needed a break and we wanted to celebrate our 12th an­niver­sary. For once, we decided to head over to Wash­ing­ton's wine country. The Tri-Cities Wine Festival was being held in Kennewick today, so that was our des­ti­na­tion.

We drove across Snoqualmie Pass yesterday, through sleeting rain and snow, arriving in Kennewick after dark. This morning, we …continue.

I held my annual fundrais­ing barbecue for the AIDS Walk today. Actually, the weather was so wet this morning that we cooked and ate inside.

I am happy to report that thanks to the generosity of my sponsors, I have raised $982 of my original goal of $1000. With three weeks left until the walk, I am predicting success in reaching my goal.

On the First Thursday of every month, there's an Art Walk around Seattle's Pioneer Square. All the art galleries stay open late and thousands of people wander around looking at the art.

It's a shame then that in the four years that I've worked in Pioneer Square, I've only Art Walked a handful of times. Maura and Joseph joined us on Thursday and we spent a pleasant couple of hours talking and wandering around, mostly through the Tashiro-Kaplan building. Muhsin was supposed to come too, but couldn't find parking as the Seahawks played a pre-season game.

There are other First Thursday events: many of the museums are free after 5pm. The Seattle Art …continue.

Chuckanut Drive is one of Washington State's best yet least-known scenic drives. Take I-5 north from Seattle for 70 miles. Just past Burlington, exit on to state route 11. The highway heads northwest towards the coast across the fertile floodplain of the Skagit valley. For nine miles, you drive past farms and fields. Then the road rises at the coast, changing character instantly.

Now you're driving along the rocky, forested shoulder of the Chuckanut mountains. One hundred feet below as you drive along the twisty, shady road, you can catch glimpses of the waters of Samish Bay through the trees. If you look closely, you may see the train tracks, prac­ti­cal­ly at …continue.

This year is the 23rd an­niver­sary of the Seattle AIDS Walk. A whole generation has passed since the Northwest AIDS Walk began. AIDS used to be the un­stop­pable disease that killed much of a generation of gay men.

AIDS is still a serious problem, but the de­vel­op­ment of an­ti­retro­vi­ral drugs in the Nineties means that people with HIV are living longer, healthier lives than before. More than 1.5 million Americans are now living with HIV/AIDS: 9,000 of them in King County. 40,000 people are infected every year, and most new infections are among African-Americans. The U.S. is getting off relatively lightly: about one-quarter of the adults in southern Africa have HIV!

The Lifelong …continue.

I rode Seattle's new Light Rail system for the first time yesterday morning. I walked to the new Beacon Hill station. It took me just over 20 minutes at a brisk pace, so I'm not likely to walk there often. I could have taken the 60 bus to the station, but it only runs every 30 minutes.

When I got to the Beacon Hill station, I couldn't figure out if my book of $2.00 tickets for Metro bus tickets were valid on the train or not. The first three workers I asked didn't know either. The cop I asked said “yes”, so I took the elevator 167 feet down to the platform and rode the train …continue.

I mentioned three weeks ago that I was putting together a group of people to see Greenstage's production of Shake­speare's Comedy of Errors at the Seward Park Am­phithe­ater. Six of us braved the rain last night, ate our picnic, and enjoyed an hour and a half of ribald slapstick.

Almost all of the cast cross-dressed. The main male parts, the two sets of identical twin brothers, were played by women, The wife, her sister, and the courtesan were played by ugly men in the best panto dame tradition.

The play, like so many of Shake­speare's comedies, requires an endless series of confused identities, which could be cleared up in moments if only …continue.

Greenstage continue their Shake­speare in the Park this year with per­for­mances of King John and Comedy of Errors at a number of Seattle-area parks over the summer. Emma and I enjoyed their Twelfth Night at Seward Park last year. Best of all, it's free!

The play starts at 7:00pm. Come at 5:00 and have a picnic with us near the Am­phithe­ater. Bring food that's ready to eat—the Seward Park PCC is less than a mile away. There's some seating but you might want to bring your own chairs.

If you come even earlier, Seward Park is worth a trip in its own right. Old growth forest trails and a 2.5 …continue.