From Seattle

I drove into town on Thursday. Big towns, like here and Portland, take a day or two to feel comfortable in. To figure out the tricks around paying for parking, and understanding the workings of the public transit, and where the library is at and all the other essentials to a city. The first few days are spent exploring around the downtown area meeting people and asking for directions and advice on what to do and where to go, then you begin to spread out a bit and spend more time in the neighborhoods surrounding the city, where the real culture is and the interesting people hang and the places and pubs with character lie. I'm staying at a friend's house North of town near Fremont and Ballard now, and last night broke a ten night stretch of sleeping in my car. It's kinda incredible to notice the comfort that comes with where you sleep, even if it is your passenger seat. You get used to it, and begin to even prefer it, and many times at the end of the day I've really looked forward to returning to the comfort of my home on wheels.

Last night we went to the Combine at St. Mark's Cathedral, an old massive church that sits atop this hill where hundreds of people gather every Sunday night to listen to traditional chants and prayers. The inside of the church was incredible, and the service itself was moving and interesting to witness. But what really got me was the whole atmosphere. We got there about fifteen minutes early and the pews were already filled, and the crowd that consisted mostly of people my age had begun sitting against the walls and against the pillars, on the actual stage, and anywhere else there was open space. This wasn't just a trendy thing to do on a Sunday night either. The mood was very sincere, and people laid down, kneeled, or did whatever they felt necessary to experience this spiritual event in their own way. It got me thinking, what has caused this mass of youth to latch on to this extremely traditional service in a surprisingly authentic search for spirituality? And why was the sincerity within the crowd so refreshing when you would think that should go hand in hand with spirituality?

This morning I'm off to Bellingham, and have my ticket for a Ben Folds show there tonight. Woo hoo.