Adventures of a Discoverer

Yesterday I had the opportunity to go to my first book launch:  "The Township" . It was written by Bryson Hirai-Hadley, who is a good friend of mine and all around great guy. Previously he gave me the opportunity to read a pre-release version of his book, and I can only recommend it: it is a great story of Science Fiction and also a call to action regarding climate change. I liked it very much and I think it is an excellent suggestion for a new book to read (and, no, I don't make any money by saying this, I'm just saying this because I liked the book). Bryson was really kind and invited me to the book launch, which was the very first time that I've been to one in my life. On top of that, he did the event at the Deadline, a really nice bar in Pioneer Square in Seattle that I had never been before, so it was a double treat. The book launch was very nice, the bar looked really good, and the conversation was great: it was a perfect Friday night. Bryson read a snippet

Together with Jenn and the kids, I went to an incredibly beautiful place in the Olympic National Park: the Hoh rainforest. This rainforest is in one of the rainiest places on Earth, and the plants here evolved based on that: not only there are lots of huge trees, those trees are covered in green by the overgrown mosses. We were particularly lucky that we got a rare combination of sunshine and drizzle at the same time, and everything was glistening. Because of so much green, there is a kind of ambient green light, which is something I never saw anywhere else. In addition, we could see some streams with absolutely transparent water, it was hard to believe that we could see something like that in nature. We did a short hike through the Hall of Mosses, where you can see some of the most impressive examples of the green coverage of all surfaces in the rainforest. It is a short hike and very well kept. With not many people today (during Summer this part of the Park gets crowded) we could be

I never read any of the "Twilight" books (and I don't intend to) neither have I watched any of the movies (and I don't intend to). However, I have to admit that they were best-sellers, and there is a big following around them all over the world. I know enough about the books to know that they are set in the small town of Forks, on the northwest side of the Olympic Peninsula. Today, on the way to the Hoh rainforest (see the next post) we passed by there and I decided that I might as well stop by the famous high school where the main characters met. It was an uninviting morning, with a unique mix of rain, snow and wind all at the same time, so Jenn and the kids decided they would stay in the car and just look at the pictures later. The high school is like any other high school in Washington state, well built but with nothing particularly remarkable. Nevertheless, every year when the city hosts its  Twilight Festival , a whole bunch of loving teenagers comes here to feel

I'm typing this from the first Vietnamese coffee house in Seattle: the Coffeeholic House. In a city such as this one, there is no shortage of coffeeholics, and this is the ideal place for them: not only it has the traditional coffee drinks, it also has a variety of Vietnamese coffee drinks that are really tasty. That includes the traditional Vietnamese coffee, coconut coffee, etc, and their speciality, the Coffeeholic dream. I tried that last one, and, oh boy, it's intense: very strong coffee combined with an extra sweet beverage and a hazelnut flavor to top it off, it's mind blowing. I'm pretty sure that if given to a dead man, said dead man would resurrect. I'm going to be a repeat customer of this place!

Yesterday I had the privilege of watching a performance of the Jerboa Dance company . They are a small dance company based in Georgetown (a neighborhood in South Seattle, close to the Boeing Field) that gives shows with multiple presentations of contemporary dancing that are multifaceted: they bring together the actual dance and body movements with music, light displays and story (and even a magician) in order to make a rich composition that it is truly incredible. They give their shows at the Yaw Theater, a small theater that has no actual stage: it feels like a rehearsal room, and that's part of its charm, it makes you feel really close to the dancers. This was really a treat and I recommend checking out their next presentation whenever you have the chance.

This Saturday there is the traditional lunar new year celebration in Seattle, in the International District, the neighborhood in that historically many Asian immigrants used to live. It's a beautiful celebration, with lots of traditional dances, plus many street vendors offering food from various Asian cuisines. You can also see in the morning the parade with the traditional dragon costume. It's a great thing to do on a Saturday, plus, given that I spent my early childhood with many Asian immigrants back in Brazil, it is something near and dear to my heart. There was a little drizzle but, after many years living in Washington, I found that the feeling of small raindrops is now rather pleasant, as long as you have the proper clothing. It makes you feel... free.

Back in the 60's, when I-5 was built right smack in the middle of Seattle, it created a big trench in the center of the city, without thinking much of the existing city blocks. This resulted that the city has some "ragged edges" next to the highway. A number of homeless people create encampments in those irregular shaped spots given that they can provide some seclusion: they open narrow trails between the blackberry bushes and find small spaces where they can put together a tent, some tarps and whatever small belongings they may have. Some go further and open holes in the fence separating the city from the highway lanes, and put their tents next to the interstate, even though that is dangerous. I found these hidden encampments close to the Kobe Terrace, which is a beautiful park next to the highway. Some of the encampments had people in them, some others had been recently cleared. There were also some objects left, showing that the people there may have left in a hurry. I