The NBA approved the move, that was a given... now the lawsuit is in effect. I really hope this move-saga ends with the Sonics staying here, in my favorite city... NBA owners approve Sonics' move, pending litigation And of course David Stern is still behind Clay Bennett, they are boys. And from what I hear, from people who would know, David Stern is a douchebag.

Oh, and thank yous go out to Paul Allen and the Trailblazers and Mark Cuban and the Mavs!

Today is the day that we find out if the Sonics are moving, well, sort of... minus the court case that is pending. How can the Sonics leave Seattle? They have 13 picks coming up, they will get better... people will go. Sure, Key is an old arena, it has no parking, the seats are tiny, the suites need updating (and maybe more suites added)... But build a new stadium (not in Redmond, please), do not move the team... Even though my Pistons only come to town once a year... no one knows how much I look forward to that one game with my first love.

Last night I hung out with my friend, as he is leaving tonight. I raided his pantry and freezer (he was moving anyway!). I am kind of sad he is leaving... but... that's life...

I judge people. We all do. I think many people judge someone the moment they meet this new person. We recognize something about this new person that is familiar, or maybe we associate them with someone we already know... subconsciously or consciously... and we think we know all about them within five minutes. Sometimes we are wrong, and we misjudged... but other times we are dead on.

Yesterday, I figured out that the original opinion I had about someone, and their intentions, was completely true... which is neither good or bad... but allows me to sit here - with a smirk on my face - and say... damn, I am right again...

And the funniest part... had the timing been a bit different, had this been a few months back, my outlook on the situation would have been warm and inviting and more than willing to explore the situation... but, as we all know... life is all about timing...

It's mid morning here in Seattle... the sky is a uniform grey... I like that description of the color... anyway, I am a bit tired today. I had Dan over for dinner while I cooked, (sun dried tomato and shrimp pasta) and my exhausted self fell asleep early while he twittered around for a few hours trying to fall asleep.

This morning I had an interesting email... one that I don't often get... just a general "what's up"... I knew that there was more behind it, so I answered it and it turns out it was just an intro to an - just wanted to let you know I am moving back to Detroit... My random friend that I met in Detroit that lives about 2 miles from me in Farmington Hills... and lives about 5 blocks from me here in Belltown... is moving back to Detroit. I am happy for him that he got this awesome job with my first love, the Detroit Pistons... and really the Sonics were not where he should have been... but, somehow it was so comforting to know that there was someone here that knew me by way of knowing my home? I do not know if that even makes sense... And as an added bonus, I got all the free Sonics tickets I needed.

That got me thinking about random friendships I have had in the past few years. I travel a lot, for work, for pleasure. I have lived or done extended visits to countless cities... so I have met my fair share of friends. Some are friends for an hour, a day, a few weeks... or life long. Sometimes you can have an intense and amazing friendship with someone over, let's say, three weeks in Minneapolis, that is so meaningful you could not imagine your life without having met that person. Other times you can bond with a friend over a Piston's Brawl, shot of Tequila, and the thought of one day moving on from your city... Or, sometimes you can even meet someone over a setback, like at a car repair garage in Manchester, Tennessee... who will forever leave a thumb print on your heart...

Sometimes there is so much that goes into meeting someone... For example, with my basketball friend... It was me being late, Jeff being hungry, us wanting Olga's, me being dressed up all weird, Jeff going to the bathroom, me talking to my friend about my flight back to Seattle... etc... Actually, goes back before that... Jeff and I becoming friends again, after not being friends for awhile... Or most recently, in Vegas, for work... running into an old friend that we had had a falling out due to a situation neither of us could control.. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, with a new friend... and now the old friend and I are back in one another's lives...

Perhaps I am ranting, or feeling a bit... melancholy... but I know that when life changes, relationships change... and I am OK with that... but it still feels bittersweet...

My friend Jeff is visiting from Detroit (which is my hometown...) In true Jeff fashion, we have been going out and everything has been "wasted lives"... which basically means that we drink too much and act like fools. That seems to happen when you are celebrating, which lead me to say this morning over breakfast - I am never celebrating again.

I am not sure why most celebrations involve a lot of alcohol, but they always seem to. I am fine when it is just beer, or wine... but get those shots in me and I become - well, annoying. I am sure this happens to most people.

So, to break it down... Jeff, Charlie, and I went to Del Rey for happy hour (in Belltown - $3 Dos Equis, $4 small plates). They have a great staff, amazing women's bathrooms, the food is excellent - especially for a bar, tons of options! Fri and Sat gets pretty busy at night, so you might not get a table and they often have a line out front. I like sitting in the large booths that can easily hold 6 people comfortably. Also, they always play great music.


Then we met up with Jim at the Sonics Game (they lost, again), Jim's House in Greenwood, some awesome Mexican restaurant in Ballard, Ozzies (denied entry due to Jeff being too drunk), Pesos (though Jeff was kicked out for being too drunk), Dick's for late night burgers for Jeff, and finally... my apartment. It was a rough day today, to say the least.

Then today we went kayaking on Lake Union (rented at Moss Bay (they seem to be the least expensive in the area, nice boats, too) and Tandoori Hut for Indian Buffet... then I dropped him off at SeaTac because he is going to Portland for a few days before coming back up here on Sat. I am sure Saturday night will be another "wasted lives" night...

Until then... enjoy some pics from the eve...









Here is a LINK to the full album... ;)