Machines, Machines, Machines

On my way to work I stopped to wash my car, no long lines at four AM, however the machine refused to recognize my payment card "system error, system error, system error."

When I got to work I parked in my regular downtown parking lot and went to pay for my parking and the machine said "resetting, resetting, resetting, resetting" until I thought I was going to be late for work so I left the machine "resetting" and scurried into the building.

When I went to scan onto the elevator so it would rise instead of just sitting there, you are right, nothing happened. We sat there, this elevator and I that wouldn't recognize, or mind, my ID card. The one that gives me express permission to use the elevators at off hours. You all know how happy I was to find the stairs, like I knew where those were, and climb all the way to the second floor. That's three flights for you non downtownies.

No, I wasn't late, but me and machines! What gives? I hate machines. I hate technology. The elevator I couldn't ride now has twenty-four hour digital advertisements glowing. You all know how much I love having a TV in my elevator -- that is when it's working.

I cursed technology every stair up and up and up. A lot of stairs. Jean remember when we climbed three flights of stairs at The Mukilteo Lighthouse? Wobbly. As I climbed I remembered every noisy, bad machine that had ever done me wrong.

Out of breath I arrived at the office break room and breathed in the aroma of fresh brewed coffee prepared especially for me by the night time crew. Well, there is a machine I love, not to mention the night time crew. I did spill the first cup of hot coffee all over the break room floor probably because I was wobbly after my climb, but that was me malfunctioning not any machine.

I flipped on my smooth humming computer and thought wow this machine makes my job easy.

I appreciate air conditioning during Seattle's blistering eighty-two degrees.
I grabbed cash from the cash machine -- nice.
Claire goes through a PET scan every six months as cancer prevention.
Bo is in love with her new bread making machine.
Love a ferry ride, a movie playing device,
my sonic toothbrush, fireworks shooting skyward.
Machines all.

So I reversed the foul ups. During break I paid for my parking, no "resetting." The elevator made the round trip, no problem, I ignored the digital information. The downtown pelicans had discovered my car during the day so the car wash going home did double duty.

And machines and I are back on.

My car! I love my car and car rides and going places and seeing things and riding instead of walking to the grocery store, the bank, the post office, the library. Last I heard a car is a machine.

Folks in Seattle start putting the tops down on their convertibles when it warms up to thirty-nine degrees, so you can imagine how many convertibles appear at eighty-two. They were everywhere, they were everywhere. A lot of smiling faces in a lot of pretty machines.

Three useless things I did this morning:

Looked for a movie that I couldn't remember the name of. I'm reading a book called The Lemon Tree and there is a movie I have seen based on this book. Unfortunately the movie called The Lemon Tree is not the movie based on the book. Confused? Well I spent hours trying to find the name of that movie, I keep a movie log for goodness sakes, but could I find it? No I could not.

I thought about what would be the perfect location for my birthday get together with my sons. Could I think of a place that was convenient, moderately priced, festive, easy, creative, good and different? No I could not.

I thought about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, that might or might not be useful in a cosmic sense, but did I solve it? No I did not.

I did two useful things:

I called Jean and wished her a happy birthday.
I had breakfast with Claire.

Well, semi useful.

I buy my car tabs (inspection stickers) and pay taxes online. I love that computer machine for work and Facebook if for nothing else

Ian is on his first official out of town buying trip. Off in California buying amber. Do you know how many people have no idea what amber is? Seven people I mentioned amber too looked at me blankly. Anyway, this amber buying reminded me of a book I have been wanting to read, so I very very usefully requested the book from the library on my handy dandy computer machine. Shell Games: Rogues, Smugglers and the hunt for Nature's Bounty, by Craig Welch.

Machines go, help, scan, fly, float, check my blood,
clean, cook, cool, communicate.
I'm happy to be living with machines, even when they misbehave.
So I also love mechanics and IT guys and mechanical engineers and all those folks who keep the things going.

My tomato plant is thriving with three wee tomatoes, but that's not mechanical that's the sun hard at work.