13 Ways You know Your Heroine is from Seattle…
This is for Patti O’Shea, who asked yesterday on Twitter what her heroine would wear in Seattle on March 15th at 10 pm and what the weather would be like. Gortex and Rain, of course!
And for Marjorie M. Liu, whose new Urban Fantasy, The Iron Hunt, is set in Seattle, and who got it all right. Thanks for saying “Pike Place” and not “Pike’s Market.
- She feels guilty throwing aluminum cans or paper in the trash.
- She uses the statement “sun break” and know what it means.
- She stands on a deserted corner in the rain waiting for the “Walk” signal.
- She considers that if it has no snow or has not recently erupted, it is not a real mountain.
- She is able to use 10 words to order a beverage the rest of the country calls “coffee.”
- In winter, she goes to work in the dark and come home in the dark—while only working eight-hour days.
- She never goes camping without waterproof matches and a poncho.
- She is not fazed by “Today’s forecast: showers followed by rain,” and “Tomorrow’s forecast: rain followed by showers.”
- She can point to at least two volcanoes, even if she cannot see through the cloud cover.
- She notices, “The mountain is out” when it is a pretty day and she can actually see it.
- She puts on her shorts when the temperature gets above 50, but still wears her hiking boots and parka.
- She switches to sandals when it gets about 60, but keeps the socks on.
- She thinks people who use umbrellas are either wimps or tourists.
EDITED TO ADD: Gah! Now I feel terrible. I didn’t invent these. The original author has been lost to the sands of time. These are the 13 items with which I agree most from a list of about 30 entitled “You know you’re from the Pacific Northwest when…” of which there are many versions. The list has been around the internet for years and years. I first saw it ten years or so ago. Here is one version posted on the Lewis & Clark College website and another version from the Democratic Underground. Sorry!
Tags: Marjorie M. Liu, Patti O'Shea, Seattle, Thursday Thirteen
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August 21, 2008 at 4:09 am
Enlighten me, Wise Seattlite – what’s a “sun break”? And what’s the proper term for people in Seattle? (I made up “Seattlite” on the spot.)
No #5! Come on, lass; poke your brain until it comes up with another one ;-)
Sandals and socks together? I think my brain just combusted ;-)
Thanks for sharing, and have a lovely day! :-)
August 21, 2008 at 7:38 am
5. She’s creative, resourceful, witty and quite adorable. ;)
August 21, 2008 at 7:48 am
LOL! I love this, Ciara! Especially #3. I’ve been known to do that SO many times. Can’t say as I would be caught dead wearing the socks and sandals together, though, even though I’m a born and raised Washingtonian. And I have one for #5: When driving, you wave to thank someone for letting you in, and you always pay it forward to some other driver. Oh, another one would be that you still know where the “S Curves” are even though that part of the highway was straightened out years ago. :-)
August 21, 2008 at 8:14 am
I love it! Same applies to those of us from Portland! :)
August 21, 2008 at 9:26 am
OMG the shorts, hiking boots and parka just killed me! lol That was great!
August 21, 2008 at 9:28 am
And we never honk unless and accident is imminent.
Christine – you are too sweet. I wish I could take credit for the list, but sadly no. I just forgot to cite it. :(
August 21, 2008 at 9:59 am
Aw see, I’d never wear socks with sandals! nevah! But anytihng above 50 means t-shirts round here! Bwahahaha – “venti, nonfat, two pump chai latte” or other days, “Venti americano with room”
I’d add “she knows it will rain 9 times out of ten on any holiday including the fourth of july”
August 21, 2008 at 10:18 am
*We* might never wear socks with our sandals, but I’m sure we all know people who do. I suppose we wouldn’t want a heroine doing it… Should I change it to “She picks out all her outfits to go well underneath a raincoat”?
August 21, 2008 at 3:55 pm
That list os spot on. I remember all of those things from when I lived in Oregon. It’s funny because it is true.
I have to say, though, that Chicagoans share the ability to order long, silly coffee. I worked at a Starbucks out here I would regularly have to make a “half decaf venti soy two pump sugar free vanilla latte with a skin topper” Boy, did we love the grande coffee drinkers.
August 22, 2008 at 7:21 am
My grandmother from Florida was watching the news when they reported a ’sun break’ and she thought it meant that everyone in Seattle takes a break and runs outside when the sun comes out. *lol*
I think you would appreciated a TT from a while back I did on reasons I love Seattle, WA. =)
http://gwenmitchellfiction.blogspot.com/2008/03/home-state-lovin.html
August 22, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Depends on the heroine, really, but I bet most would not wear sox with sandals.
I’m particularly fond of number 4. Every time I leave the area I feel lost without my mountains.
The last one is so true… I work in downtown, and when the winter winds whip down the face of the building and barrel into the peds at street level no umbrella is safe. It’s no longer amazing to me when I find umbrella handles poking out of the garbage cans at the bus stop.
Thanks for the reminders about why I love this place.
August 22, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Oh, this sounds so familiar! I’m in Portland…we go thru the exact same things. :)
August 23, 2008 at 5:34 pm
Goes for Portland too! I particularly like the ones with the mountains – down here I gauge good weather by how many mountains I can see, i.e., “It’s a three-mountain day!” I also have this theory that Mt St Helens and Mt Hood get together and play poker when the clouds are down over the winter.
August 25, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Hee. I’m not a native, and it took me awhile to become assimilated. The first time I ordered a half-caff grande nonfat extra-hot vanilla latte I made my own head explode. But it was good. :-)