Update from Wallingford Community Center, Seattle, WA, USA

Once again I'm stealing WiFi from the Wallingford Community Center whilst waiting for the truck. I'm starving and a little tired, but hoping to do something fun tonight like catch a movie. Mostly I just want my dinner because I haven't eating since before noon today and it's now after 20:00.

Leigh and I have been pulling some very long weeks and were rewarded with two full days off on Monday and Tuesday, which we spent running errands, sleeping and eating a lot. Sometimes the body just needs to recover via indulgence.

Speaking of indulgences, I need to do some serious shopping for my upcoming job as a law clerk. Originally I planned to get a store credit card to take advantage of the 10 or 15% discount those offer on the day of signing up. This would off-set the frighteningly high sales tax in Washington (9.5%) and allow me to pay for my wardrobe over the course of a month or so. Then reality set it: I really shouldn't increase my credit card debt over something so silly when I don't need to, especially by signing up for a credit card with few if any benefits. Instead I'm going to use some money I've earned this summer in a roundabout way and gain air mile points on my Alaska Airlines card. Ultimately air miles points are more valuable to me and, by making a large payment on the card before going shopping, I'm not increasing my debt at all!

But then how do I get around paying the massive sales tax, you ask? Why, I go to Oregon, of course! Portland, OR is only 3 hours from Seattle and has great shopping plus it's a fun city. Leigh and I took a day trip to Portland a few weeks ago and had a really nice time. So we're going for an overnight next Monday and Tuesday. In the end we probably won't save any money because we are getting a hotel and probably having a nice dinner out, but it will be awfully fun and we could really use a splurge after working so hard for several weeks in a row. I may have mentioned in the past that it has been about 2 years since I've consistently slept on a bed (instead I've had airmattresses, futons, hideabeds, etc), so we're also very excited to sleep on a normal sleeping surface even if it's just for one night!

Well, Leigh should be pulling up in Big Red (the old rusty farm truck we use for markets) any minute now so I should sign off. Until next time!