On the road again: Seattle, day 1

I'm never going to be a big fan of a day that requires me to wake up before nine a.m., but so it goes; that's what I had to do today.

Most of the long day went to travel, with an extended layover in O'Hare. Lunch there was quite good, courtesy of Rick Bayless' Tortas Frontera, which served quite good (though in my opinion too salty) and very fresh dishes. I enjoyed a Cubano and tasted some guacamole they were making as I watched. Very nice.

The rest of the day went to travel, work, and a late dinner in the hotel restaurant. Ah, the glamorous life of the business traveler!

Today is the birthday of my late stepfather, Edmund D. Livingston. He passed away many years ago while on the family beach house vacation. He served in the Marines in WWII. While in the Corps he went ashore at Okinawa, was injured severely twice, spent time as one of the first of the occupation troops in Japan, and came away from the experience profoundly changed, as all are. He loved my mother fiercely, loved my brother and sister as if they were his own, raised them, and took care of them. He had a ready smile and a bad joke always at hand. He waved to strangers as he drove by. At his memorial, many people appeared whom my mom had never met, and it turned out that in his personal time he was out quietly doing charity work, bringing food to some, driving others, all without telling anyone. He was never my father, but I would have been proud had he been. I underestimated him when I met him, but as I grew older, I realized how foolish I had been.

I miss you, Eddie. Always will.