Back in the original home of Skid Row (not the band)

Being back in Seattle after so many years is pretty cool and utterly surreal. I left for Dallas in the unbelievably steamy summer of '98. We've been back since then, but it's been a few years since the last time. As with any vibrant city spending way too much of everyone else's money, there are some obvious changes. Nothing so obvious as to cause the taste of my memories to sour. The old haunts are largely still there, although I was distressed to see that the stanky old home of the Last Exit coffeeshop that had moved from its prior home on Brooklyn to University Avenue years ago now housed a tapas cafe. Tapas - I love 'em myself, but tapas places stick around about as long as a raging case of crabs. Or so I'm told. Anyhoo, my first stops this morning after we'd done breakfast, exercise and the inevitably extensive planning required for the dealing with a 6-month-old were Bulldog News and my present perch, Big Time Brewery. This is the exact same path I took through the U-District upon arrival here in September of '93. Fresh off the farm. Ready to meet and become Kurt Cobain's best friend. Full of ideas about the "information superhighway" and "smell-o-vision" and "head transplants" or whatever crap me and my ilk of starry-eyed young grungsters were spouting way back when. For me Seattle has nonetheless been my favorite city. And as I sit here at the bar taking advantage of a WiFi hotspot to post up some random thoughts, I feel as though I never left. Just came back with some toys that are much more fun to play with.

Can't help but post a few comments on the last day of Iraq bad newsiness. The Constitution debacle is ridiculous - if this isn't a precursor of a dismantling of the nation, the next ones to show will be even more frightening. The Sunnis are protesting federalism, Moktada al Sadr's people are protesting the overall nature of the process, the Kurds are probably upset about the silliness of their name - nobody's happy. And all we get here is that we're "making progress". It's a bit early to call, but I firmly believe that this Dubya vacation will be the one to put his Preziduncy into the tank. Watch for updates here and elsewhere about the "progress" made while he went biking and speechifying for 5 weeks. The tallies are horrifying. And if the Iraqi come out of this with no Constitution (which they won't - this will go to an election, which will further inflame the population), all of the past 29 months of pain and anguish and death washes into the streets. Jon Stewart had it exactly right when he when went medevil on "The Daily Show" last night. His interview with "The Hitch" was a study in unyielding, yet utterly informed anger. The segments that started the show were of a tenor not yet seen there - unwilling to pull up for the funny. The Bushies won't admit it, but truly powerful cultural forces are aligning to dispute their control of our adventures in Iraq. By the time Dubya comes back to DC, he probably won't even recognize the town.

Ariana Huffington's also hitting her stride. Her brief work-up on her blog of a John Bolton party held at the UN Ambassador's residence - the top floor of the Waldorf Astoria, just so you know - last night is a classic. Shut out from the invitees: the NYTimes and the WashPost. Included: FOXNews and every other mush-mouthed tool that still supports the Bushies. Wait. I'm sorry. Not all of the invited Bushie apologists are mush-mouthed tools. Some are just shameless social climbers.

But since many of you are more concerned with Maya's exploits, I want to admit that she's in a bit of a fussy mode as of the past few days. Cutting teeth sucks, and not just in terms of hitting a nail with your chainsaw (a 'Sconi joke for those out there that have "cleared some brush" of their own). She's overtired, and continues to miss some crucial naps. She's possibly overwhelmed by the people aching to get a piece of her. And just plain ol' not in her regular space. The up-side is that I will probably get some hilariously angry photos to post in the next few days. Or wait - that's the up-side if I were a pessimist. I'm an optimist, so she'll come around. And when she does, you'll hear about it here. Rock on.