I always remember my mom telling me how December was such a busy month for her.  As a kid, as far as I was concerned there was nothing busy about a month of eager anticipation.  Now, as an adult-like person, the tables have turned.  Between, Christmas shopping, 4 visiting friends this month, travelling to visit family for the holidays and day-to-day work things, house chores, etc. there is no time!  I still think it's the greatest season of the year though! :)

Thanks to a successful trip to the theater last night I have now reached 64% in my license plate goal.  I saw a lot of Alasakan ones on the screen in 30 days of night but I don't think they quite count.

Alright, so I realize Seattle is a city where the majority of people are outsiders.  A whooping 60% in fact, according to the Seattle Times. But has anyone ever noticed the high number of out-of-state license plates in Washington?  Aren't we supposed to register our vehicles 30 days after moving here?  (This is a fact: I am currently reading the driver's manual of Washington as Canadians apparently don't know how to drive)  For a state in the upper left corner of America with neighbours such as Idaho and Oregon, why am I seeing multiple license plates from Florida? Maine? HAWAII?

 

In response Dan and I started a game where we made a list of all the states and are crossing them off as we see license plates from that area. This makes sitting on the 545 bus much more intersting.  Today, after about 2 weeks of this game, we hit 50%.  Bonus points for international ones.  Alright, I laughed at this at first too - I mean - international?  The most we'd get here are Canadian ones right? WRONG.  As we were sitting at a traffic light joking about this very fact, an English car and license plate passed us by.  Apparently anything is possible in Seattle!

Why is it that after a certain period of time, I always feel the need to remind myself of why it is that I avoid certain things.  In college it was frat parties.  I can't stand frat parties - too many people, guys trying to push up against you, watered down beer and loud music so you can't even talk to the person beside you.  Yet, without fail, every month I'd foret why I didn't like them and would feel the need to go again.  In fitness, it's running outdoors.  I'm an asthmatic who's allergic to grass for goodness sake.  That just spells trouble.  But in nice weather when the sun is shining, I always feel like it's a good idea to try.  Maybe this time things will change.  And today - oh, today it's the Krispy Kreme donut with all it's glazed and deep-fried glory.  Surprise, surprise - they STILL make me feel bloated.  Ugh. :( 

Banks are getting high tech these days.  So high tech that I almost couldn't figure out how to deposit my money this morning. 

 

My first car payment is due in a few days, so I figured it was about time that I made sure I had money in my account to pay the bill.  It was a good morning, granted no sun was shining, but I got a parking spot close to the entrance and that always makes me happy.  I walked into the bank, filled out the deposit slip as normal - I even KNEW my checking account number, which as any teller at the PNC bank at 40th and Walnut in Philadelphia can tell you was a miracle by itself.  I turned around all eager to zone out as I waited in line for a teller only to realize there were none.  What kind of bank was this that had no tellers?!  A video service one.

 

That's right - there were video tellers.  After looking around at the atm much like how an ape would regard a human at first sight (and much to the amusement of the person beside me) I finally found instructions.  I had to put my cheque, deposit slip AND photo ID in the magical tube that was then sucked up like a vacuum to oblivion.  Trust me, as someone who still has to pass a driving test for her proper license, letting my current one go to the magical place at the end of the mysterious tube was no easy feat.  I felt like I was in the world of Harry Potter or maybe Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory - either way, two places wouldnt' think to associate with a bank.  Just as I had resigned myself that the loss of my license would be okay since the monitor let me read about Lindsay Lohan's latest escapade, this woman appears on the screen in front of me in the middle of to let me know she'll be taking care of my transaction in a moment.  Within moments, the tube comes back down, easy as pie, containing my transaction receipt and (thankfully) my photo ID.  Content, if a little dazed at what just happened I left the bank.

 

I can't really tell if I like these video atms more or less than real tellers.  Pro side: it obviously is a safer alternative in case of robberies and who can resist pressing a bright green button to send things up a magical tube? Negative: I actually miss the human aspect of interacting with a real person.  Oh well, I suppose I will just turn to the cashiers in supermarkets now to get my fill of idle banter.