Skeezy Perp-Walk

We've just moved from a rental in the tony-yet-homey neighborhood of Magnolia into our own house on the edge of an area the realtor had the nerve to call "Greenlake". Actually, we're just a few houses away from the busy Seattle arterial, Aurora Avenue North.

Before I moved away, 6 years ago, this neighborhood was pretty sketchy, with hookers and drug dealers making the rounds on a regular basis. But folks have been working hard to clean up the place. Nowadays houses go for nearly 1/2 a million bucks a piece. Even though the view hasn't changed much, for the most part, the people have. While I had the pleasure of watching a drug deal at my bus stop last week, just this morning I followed a guy in a silk suit and Italian leather loafers...to the same bus stop. (of course, maybe he was the drug dealer's supplier).

In the mornings on my way to the #48, I walk past a couple of used car dealers, a family-run motel, a foreign car repair shop and a "doc-in-the-box" as well as a beauty supply store and a couple of gas stations. Not really the scenic route. But not nearly the risky roll-of-the-dice stroll it used to be. I call my morning commute the "skeezy perp walk".

Lucky Number 38

Looks like 38 is the charm.

That's how many jobs I applied for at the University of Washington before I found one. And it will work out great for graduate school. I'll work from 9 to 1 everyday and then attend classes starting at 1:30. And, I get full benefits, including help with tuition! So while the Autumn Quarter will still be really, really expensive and financially tight, by January, I'll qualify for in-state tuition and get an extra break by being an employee. If I get a scholarship, they'll have to pay ME to go to college. Now THAT's the way I like it!