C Note(s)

Eight years ago, I declared December 1st as Tabula Rasa Day ! I have invited several new peeps to participate so they asked me the origin of Tabula Rasa Day, so here is the answer ... The story starts with my sister living in a bad apartment complex, and the first few months of my divorce being finalized. My ex-wife and I made an agreement about the sale of the house, and that I would move out of the house while it was being sold. The search was on for an apartment with my sister! And this isn't the first time we've lived together either, or on account of the ex. In my mind, I wasn't ready to encounter my ex on a regular or semi regular basis so I wanted to be south of her as much as possible. That meant near my work location of Issaquah. My sister also worked at Costco Travel with me at the time, so it would benefit her as well to live in the city of Issaquah. I located an apartment complex that was mere minutes away. However, I was busy as hell so I was unable to v...

It's days away from the gluttonous day of feasting known only as Thanksgiving. A day of wanton disregard of caloric intake, alcohol consumption and merrymaking. The origin of the holiday is so far removed, that I believe few actually remember it. Regardless, I'm still wishing y'all, Happy Thanksgiving! I remember the last Thanksgiving we had with my mother prior to her passing. She was home from the hospital after they "released" her - that's a completely different story for another time. As much as she wanted to, she didn't possess the strength to cook the feast the family was gonna demolish. My Aunt Patty and yours truly stepped up for cooking duty. I don't even remember when I started cooking turkey but in the time spent I've become quite adept at it, even though it's only an annual event. Aunt Patty cooked everything else. Every Thanksgiving, save for this one, was a joyous occasion. We usually invited over family members to watch t...

As I spy my calendar on the wall of my home-office, and hold my "turkey letter", I noticed I'm nearing my 1st anniversary at 747. My heart and face smiles, as I'm grateful for the support that got me there, as oppose to the role I was in at Costco Travel. While I do miss that side of the business, I feel (and still do) better served in front of the Costco Member and other Costco employees 24/7/365. That visibility started 11/30/15, Cyber Monday, and continues to this day. I honestly thought I would be wearing a red vest by the end of 6 months. I understand now that the additional 6 months was necessary. Not because of my learning curve, and my abilities, but the acceptance of the crew I would be working with and for . I've been coached that I can try all I want to move around but if I don't have the support from the top brass all the way to the maintenance guy - I'll never get anywhere. I'm grateful for those words of advice, as I echo them i...

So, the other day this happened. It reminded me of... Sapphire Sled and I: The Adventure Continues!  More on that later! The other day I left my girlfriend's house in Monroe a grip later than I wanted. I pressed the gas pedal down a little harder in a few areas than I usually do. Then I was fast approaching the exit I needed for northbound Highway 9 to start my work shift. As I left westbound 522 I knew it was tight right-handed cloverleaf. The caution sign rates it as 30 mph. From formal and informal racing experience, I knew the braking zone would be where I would slow down the most. I applied the brakes, but to my surprise there was a wicked bump at the beginning of the downhill right-hander. This upset the inertia of the car. It kicks out the rearend to a 35 degree to the left. No need to panic, just steer into the skid. Still coming around. Damn , I thought . I goose the gas, crank the steering wheel to the right, and yank the emergency brake to complete a 360 degree spi...